One Paralympian's Journey To Rio: 'I Never Thought I Would Run Again'

The Paralympics begin Wednesday in Rio, and seven Massachusetts athletes are hoping for the gold. Among them: 24-year-old Femita Ayanbeku. She lost her right leg below the knee 13 years ago.

But until last November, Ayanbeku didn't even know how to run. Her love affair with running began with a chance meeting with another Paralympian, Jerome Singleton, and the former longtime track coach at Northeastern University, Sherman Hart.

Find a full schedule of the Paralympic events here.

Femita Ayanbeku, track and field Paralympian. She'll be competing in the women's 200m preliminary race on Sept. 14 and, hopefully, with 200m finals on Sept. 15. She'll also be competing in the women's 100m race on Sept. 17.

Jerome Singleton, track and field Paralympian. He tweets @JSingletonJr. Singleton will be competing in the men's 100m preliminary race on Thursday, and the finals on Friday. He will also compete in the 4 X 100m men's relay on Sept. 12 and the long jump on Sept. 17.

Sherman Hart, track coach of 30 years, 22 of which were at Northeastern University. He now coaches Ayanbeku and Singleton, as well as track and field teams at Roxbury Community College and the Jeremiah Burke High School.