At Paralympics, women are blazing trails in male-dominated and roughest of sports, wheelchair rugby

Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — At the Paralympic Games in Paris, women are blazing trails in the roughest of sports — mixed-gender but male-dominated wheelchair rugby. Sarah Adam is the first American woman to compete at the Paralympics in wheelchair rugby. She was in the starting lineup when Team USA kicked off its campaign on Thursday — against familiar foe Canada. Other women in wheelchair rugby are barrier-busting, too. Australia has an unprecedented three women on its 12-player team in Paris. Denmark, Germany and Japan also have female players, leaving host nation France, defending champion Britain and Canada as the only teams that don’t.