// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Dennis Connors a good tennis player? He's a racket.
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | American | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | May 22, 1985[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home town | Beaverton, Oregon, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | University of Utah | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Para-cycling, Paraclimbing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disability | Ataxia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T2 (Cycling), RP2 (Climbing) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Dennis Connors (born May 22, 1985) is an American para-cyclist and para-climber. He has won multiple national and international medals in para-cycling, including a silver medal at the 2024 Summer Paralympics. In addition to cycling, he is a three-time USA Climbing Para National Champion.[2]
Career
[edit]Para-cycling
[edit]Connors made his international debut for the United States at the 2021 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships and won a bronze medal in the road race T2 event.[3] He again represented the United States at the 2022 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships and won a silver medal in the road race T2 event.[4]
In August 2023, he represented the United States at the 2023 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships and won a gold medal in the road race T2 event.[5][6] In November 2023, he represented the United States at the 2023 Parapan American Games and won a gold medal in the road race T1–2 and a silver medal in the mixed road time trial T1–2 event.[7][8]
On July 8, 2024, Connors qualified to represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.[9] [10] He competed in the road race T1–2 event and won a silver medal.[11]
Para-climbing
[edit]In addition to his success in para-cycling, Connors is an accomplished para-climber. He has competed in multiple national championships and international competitions in the Men’s RP2 category, which includes athletes with impairments affecting two limbs.[12][13]
In March 2025, he won his third USA Climbing Para National Championship, securing a spot on the U.S. National Para-Climbing Team. His victory qualified him to represent Team USA at the 2025 Paraclimbing World Cups and the 2025 Combined Able-bodied and Para World Championship in Seoul, South Korea.[2]
A lifelong climber, Connors was a member of the able-bodied U.S. Junior Climbing Team before his military career.[14] With sport climbing added to the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games program, Connors has expressed his goal of making the U.S. Paralympic climbing team.[14]
Personal life
[edit]Connors was a member of the United States Marine Corps as a linguist from 2003 to 2012.[1] He served three deployments to Iraq, and sustained multiple traumatic brain injuries causing ataxia. In 2020, he suffered a stroke, which reduced the mobility in his left side.[15][16] He has said he took up cycling in part to help manage post-traumatic stress disorder, and that he had at times considered suicide.[17][15][18]
Connors lives in Beaverton, Oregon, with his wife, Krista, and their two children. The family spends time outdoors together, including biking, kayaking, climbing and skiing in Bend and Lake Tahoe.[14]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Dennis Connors". Paris 2024 Paralympics. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- 1 2 "Dennis Connors Wins His Third USA Climbing Para Climbing National Title". The Feed. March 2025. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
- ↑ Gowdy, Kristen (June 11, 2021). "Plat hammers home dominance on golden day for Dutch and Italians". uci.org. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ↑ Gowdy, Kristen (July 21, 2022). "World Championships team named as U.S. Paralympics Cycling prepares for road Para-cycling season finale". usparacycling.org. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ↑ Gowdy, Kristen (June 26, 2023). "Twenty-two road cyclists set to represent U.S. at 2023 Para-Cycling World Championships". usparacycling.org. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ↑ Blanco, Annemarie (August 11, 2023). "Connors, Masters Strike Gold on First Day of Road Races". usparacycling.org. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ↑ Ledermann, Heidi (November 26, 2023). "Team USA closes out the Parapan American Games with podium sweep and five additional medals". usparacycling.org. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ↑ Bowker, Paul D. (November 18, 2023). "Parapan American Games Shape Up As Paris 2024 Rehearsal for U.S. Cyclists". usparacycling.org. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ↑ Gowdy, Kristen (July 8, 2024). "Thirteen Cyclists Selected to Represent Team USA at the 2024 Paralympic Games". usparacycling.org. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ↑ Anderson, Luisa (August 27, 2024). "Here are the Oregon athletes competing in the 2024 Paralympic Games". KGW. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ↑ "Dennis Connors Claims Silver in the Men's Road Race T1-2 at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games". Team USA. September 2024. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
- ↑ "Winners of the 2022 USA Paraclimbing Nationals". Yahoo Sports. 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
- ↑ "USA Climbing National Championships Results". USA Climbing. 2024. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
- 1 2 3 "Dennis Connors". USA Cycling. Retrieved May 5, 2026.
- 1 2 Evanson, Wade (July 30, 2024). "Beaverton's Dennis Connors has turned tragedy into triumph in his life beyond the armed forces". News-Times. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ↑ Connell, Jordan (June 13, 2024). "'You just have to adapt': U.S. veteran Dennis Connors reflects on his journey". binghamtonhomepage.com. WBGH-CD. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ↑ Evanson, Wade (July 23, 2024). "Beaverton's Dennis Connors has turned tragedy into triumph in his life beyond the armed forces". Portland Tribune.
- ↑ Connell, Jordan (June 13, 2024). "'You just have to adapt': U.S. veteran Dennis Connors reflects on his journey". binghamtonhomepage.com. WBGH-CD. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
External links
[edit]- 1985 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Beaverton, Oregon
- American male cyclists
- Cyclists at the 2023 Parapan American Games
- Medalists at the 2023 Parapan American Games
- Cyclists at the 2024 Summer Paralympics
- Medalists at the 2024 Summer Paralympics
- Paralympic silver medalists for the United States
- Paralympic medalists in cycling
- Paralympic cyclists for the United States
- Parapan American Games gold medalists for the United States
- Parapan American Games silver medalists for the United States
- Parapan American Games medalists in cycling
- United States Marines
- 21st-century American sportsmen