Track and field: Five athletes with area ties earn spots on U.S. Paralympic team

Five current or former members of ParaSport Spokane earned a spot on the United States Paralympic track and field team Thursday for this summer’s games in Tokyo.

Hannah Dederick (Liberty Lake), Chelsea McClammer (Benton City, Wash.), Susannah Scaroni (Tekoa, Wash.) and Isaiah Rigo (Cheney) qualified in wheelchair racing, while Jaleen Roberts (Kent, Wash.) will compete in the high jump.

The Tokyo Paralympic games run from Aug. 24 to Sept. 5. Track and field begins on Aug. 27. NBC announced that it will be broadcasting more than 1,200 hours of Paralympic coverage including prime time, a first for the games.

WSU’s Ryan advances to 1,500 semis

Washington State’s Paul Ryan finished fifth in the first of three heats to earn a spot in the semifinals of the men’s 1,500 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene.

Ryan finished in 3 minutes, 45.86 seconds, the 24th-fastest time in qualifying.

Twenty-five men qualified for the semifinals, which take place in two heats Friday afternoon. The top five in each heat, plus the next two fastest overall times will advance to Sunday’s final.

Sam Prakel set the pace in qualifying at 3:39.02.