Connor holds the world record in the 100-meter at 12.08 seconds. He hopes to break the 12-second mark during this year's games.

"It's not so much about the glory," Connor said, "it's just keeping that title as the world's fastest until I retire. It signifies my place in the sport and is a good way to go out."

While Connor is a Paralympic veteran, Green is making her first trip.

"It's the fulfilling of my dreams. I have been working for this for eight years. I am now at my peak performance and I hope I get to prove what I have been training for."

Green lost her leg at age 5 while working on a farm in Germany. She said they were testing a new mower when a blade detached and severed her foot.

"When you lose your foot at age 5, you really don't ever worry about will I be able to find a husband, or a job or anything like that," the 23-year-old Green said. "You just want to climb trees and run with the other kids in school."

However, Green is now using her until recently untapped athletic abilities to travel the world, meet new people and live a life she might never have had.

"I love doing this, but it is more like a big hobby," Green said. "It would be an amazing achievement, something I can tell my children. But in life I have bigger goals ... my husband, a family and getting college done. For me sports is just one part of my life, not the whole thing."

Regardless of why they are going or how they got there, the athletes competing in the games have one thing in common.

"Just the same as Michael Phelps, and all the other Olympians, to get to represent their country at the Olympics, it's the same thing for the Paralympics," Sabolich said. "It's a huge honor. These are the best of the best of the physically disabled people."

Michael Kinney 366-3537 mkinney@normantranscript.com