Deja Young has a deformity.
It never goes away. It’s been with her since birth, when her delivery went awry and a panicked doctor, she says, pulled on her head too hard and caused a dislocated right shoulder.
That right shoulder still bothers Young, a Wichita State sprinter who is in Rio de Janeiro this week to compete in the 2016 Paralympics in the 100 and 200 meters.
“It’s an amazing opportunity,” Young said. “I’m super excited for the opportunity of representing the United States in something I love.”
This wouldn’t be happening without the injury, which affects the range of motion in Young’s shoulder and makes running fast more of a challenge because the injury limits the pumping, engine-like motion in her right arm.