Krajewski makes history with 2024 parabadminton olympic medal
Setting a record for Team USA, Miles Krajewski and his teammate Jayci Simon earned a silver medal in badminton at the Paralympics earlier this month, a medal never earned in any Olympics by the US.
Miles Krajewski is the son of Mike and Erica Krajewski, who have family ties to the Perkins County area. Mike was born in Grant spent the first two years of his life in Perkins County, but even after he moved, he returned frequently to visit his grandfather Gerald and Grandma Rose Krajewski, and spent a few summers working for his uncle Joe Krajewski.
Miles partner Jayci Simon hails from St. John Michigan.
Krajewski competed in singles and mixed (co-ed)doubles parabadminton in at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.
In the Paralympics, different body types are put into classes by disability, and at 4’5” tall, Miles and his doubles partner Jayci (3’9.75”) were placed in the SH(short height) 6 class.
The two competed in four matches, including the gold medal match on Sept. 2 where they fell to their opponent, China, earning them the silver for Team USA.
About a dozen family members made the trip across the pond to be in Paris with Miles, and his cousin Sheri shared “we tried to be as loud as possible,” adding that the atmosphere was “incredible, everything from the athletes to the volunteers working to the music, absolutely an incredible experience for all of us, and we are so proud of him!”
Krajewski was born in Lincoln and at 19 years-old is now a college freshman at the University of South Dakota. Miles is studying business management and looking into getting a minor in sports management.
According to his cousin Sheri, Miles got home on a Tuesday night from Paris and was in class that Wednesday morning, another testament to his dedication in being successful, “he had already missed the first week of school to be competing.”
The Road to the Paralympics
Following a size and position ultrasound at 32 weeks in pregnancy with Miles, Mike and Erica were informed that he may have a form of dwarfism.
When he was born, a geneticist gave a very confident diagnosis of achondroplasia, which is the most common form of dwarfism.
Of children born with achondroplasia, 80% are born into families with no genetic history of it. It is a mutation in the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) gene. This restricts bone growth and mainly affects the long bones in the arms and legs.
Mike says they went on and “learned all (they) could about achondroplasia,” and visited a dwarfism specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison when he was just four months old.
“ It was the best 20 hour round trip we had ever made as he gave us a considerable amount of information about achondroplasia and peace of mind that he was going to be just fine. We learned some things we needed to do to ensure he did not develop back, leg, or neck issues. As soon as he was mobile, he was soon moving all over the house. When Miles learned to walk, he quickly showed a great interest in anything athletic,” Mike said.
Miles began competing with the Dwarf Athletic Association of America (DAAA)National Games at age four with only limited events offered, like the 15 meter dash, some field events and swimming.
By seven years old Miles was eligible to participate in more events and in 2013 the World Dwarf Games was held in Lansing, Michigan and Miles signed up for every possible sport he could and Badminton was on that list.
Miles enjoyed badminton so much that year, he went back to compete again at the DAAA National Games in 2014 and 2015.
“By 2015, it was becoming very apparent that Miles was an extremely good athlete and he stood out from the other short stature athletes. We knew there were certain sports in the Paralympics that had short stature as a classification. At the time it was table tennis, javelin, shot put, powerlifting, and swimming. While at the 2015 National Games, we learned the International Paralympic Committee was adding parabadminton to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and that short stature was one of the classifications being considered,” Mike explained.
When they left the 2015 Games, Miles got aggressive in wanting to improve his badminton skills which led to him watching YouTube videos, and going to the gym and practicing some hitting with his dad, Mike, and they purchased a net at home where Mike says Miles showed the commitment and they found the Top Flight Badminton Club in Omaha, a 2.5 hour drove from their home.
Miles made the trip once a week and “The director of the club took a keen interest in Miles and saw potential in him. He encouraged Miles to enter junior tournaments in the US, where he would compete against average height kids his age,” Mike said.
The Krajewski’s reached out to USA Badminton when they learned that they were beginning to develop a parabadminton program and Miles was invited to attend a coaching clinic in San Francisco.
“At that clinic, we met the parabadminton coach from England and he encouraged Miles to begin participating in international parabadminton tournaments. He told us about an upcoming tournament in Northern Island where there were going to be several other short stature players.
“He competed in that tournament in June 2016 at the age of 10. He then competed in two tournaments in Medellin, Colombia in November, where he won gold medals in singles and men’s doubles.” Mike said.
That led to several more tournaments and it was then announced that short stature would be a classification in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
Mike says Miles had several coaches work with him over the years and each one added something new and “elevated” his game, working with him all the way through the qualification process for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, where Miles just missed out on qualifying in Men’s Singles.
“The disappointment was so immense, Miles took some time off just to be a teenager, but following that year off, we had a lengthy discussion about what it would take to qualify for 2024, and he was willing to make that commitment,” Mike said.
Mike says last summer Miles was finally able to train with a professional badminton coach full time and the family was more than grateful for that opportunity, as the owners and coaching staff at Frisco Badminton Academy fully funded Miles’ training and volunteered their time and their facility to allow Miles to prepare for Paris.
Miles not only made it to Paris, but he and partner Simon came home with a silver medal, one never earned for Team USA in all of Olympic history.
“It has been an incredible journey to see him evolve from a sporty, athletic kid to a disciplined, driven world-class, elite athlete. It took several years, so the evolution was gradual, but when we look back on the thousands of hours he spent, the thousands of miles we drove, and the 32 tournaments he has competed in around the world, we can see certain critical transitions in his development. As a parent, to see him transition from an active 10-year old showing interest in a sport to a world-class, disciplined athlete who is committed to improving his game is immensely rewarding. He has learned that if he sets his mind to something and commits to doing the work, it will pay off,” Mike said.
Being involved for so long brings another level of appreciation and pride for all of the other athletes met along the way, according to Mike, “I have met so many great people because of this sport. Getting to watch not only our son compete, but also seeing so many world-class athletes with other impairments compete on a regular basis has been an amazing privilege.”
WHAT’S NEXT for MILES
Miles is taking a break for a few months following his big win in Paris, though they will be working on “laying out” his tournament schedule for 2025. Miles plans to attend the 2027 ParaPan American Games and hopes to see the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles in his future.
“We like to think for Miles the best part has been learning how hard work can pay off, but I think he has really enjoyed becoming a world traveler and getting to see so many different parts of the world, Mike said.
He added, “Overall, we have appreciated all of the love and support from friends and family all over the world, and especially those family members living near Venango, Brandon, Grant, and Ogallala!”