"I consider myself very capable. I consider all para-athletes very capable. But, there's the perception that we are lesser. We are elite athletes."
- Clara Brown
Team USA Paracyclist Clara Brown is an elite athlete. She is a para-athlete and an elite athlete who embodies the true meaning of determination as she trains for Tokyo 2021.
In the new film ABILITY, Clara shares her story of exploring obstacles in pursuit of athletic greatness as a walking quadriplegic. She shares her daunting workouts and relentless spirit to help shift the narrative around para-athletes and show what is really possible.
Shifting the Narrative Around Para-Athletes
"With our film ABILITY, our goal is to shift the narrative of what it means to be a para-athlete. Typically, the media showcases para-athletes with focus on their impairment. Instead, our approach was to portray Clara as the elite athlete she is through hard workouts and training sessions, capturing her in her strengths and leaning into her firsthand experience being labeled para."
- Co-directors Anna Wilder Burns and Jordyn Romero
Finding a Way Back to Sport
Born and raised outside of Portland, Maine, Clara is a lifelong athlete. Her life changed forever when she had a traumatic accident at gymnastics practice at age 12, leaving her with a broken neck and a damaged spinal cord.
Doctors were unsure if she would walk again, but after years of physical and mental obstacles to regain function, Clara continues to adjust to life as a walking quadriplegic. Her primary motivation to keep making physical progress was to become an athlete again.
Clara was determined to take part in an athletic pursuit powered by her own means, and in college, she discovered she could modify a road bike to work with her limitations.
She fell in love with cycling instantly. Her passion for bikes led to an invitation to the Olympic Training Center and eventually to earning a spot on Team USA. Since then, she has become a dominant competitor and found major success on the world stage, solidifying her place on the Tokyo Paralympic team.
Showing What Is Possible
ABILITY looks back at Clara's story of resilience while exploring the obstacles she continues to face, both mentally and physically, in her pursuit of transcending her circumstances and shifting the narrative around para-athletes.
"Through her story, we show what she is capable of. Amplifying her as a badass elite athlete who doesn't let her circumstances define her."
- Anna Wilder Burns and Jordyn Romero
Watch ABILITY: ability-film.com
