Kelly Elmlinger received a gold medal in the women’s 200 meters at the 2017 Invictus Games at the York Lions Stadium in Toronto, Canada, on Sept. 24, 2017. (James K. McCann/U.S. Army)

Kelly Elmlinger heard stories about Olympians and Paralympians pushing themselves even harder after a first taste of competing at the highest level.

The former Army captain said after competing in the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021, she understands that feeling. And she could guarantee herself a spot at the 2024 games in Paris by winning Saturday at a triathlon event in the French capital.

“It is not a wonder why others – whether you’re a Paralympian, Olympian – want to continue to do that for another four years to have that same experience,” the 44-year-old said in a recent Zoom interview. “Not that I didn’t get it before, but now, oh, I really get it.

“I want that feeling again.”

The Attica, Ohio, native said the family feel of the paratriathlon group harkens back to her military career. A former medic with the 82nd Airborne Division, she deployed once to Afghanistan and twice to Iraq between 2002 and 2005. Elmlinger also nursed troops with severe combat wounds at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio from 2011 to 2018.

She was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma, a rare, soft-tissue tumor found next to her tibia in 2013. Eventually, it led to her left leg being amputated below the knee.

That didn’t stop her from pursuing sports. She played basketball and ran while growing up. After the amputation, she eventually settled on the triathlon, consisting of a 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike ride and 5-kilometer run.

Kelly Elmlinger races a wheelchair during the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto, Canada Sept. 24, 2017. ( EJ Hersom/Defense Department)

Kelly Elmlinger powers her way up a tough incline during the women’s cycling event at High Park, Toronto, Canada, Sept. 26, 2017 during the Invictus Games. (Robert Whetstone/U.S. Army)

Then-Capt. Kelly Elmlinger, an Army nurse, checks on patient Papa Ndiaye while Army Spc. Jeremy Allred looks on in the 4 West inpatient ward at San Antonio Military Medical Center, Oct. 23, 2015. (Robert Shields/U.S. Army)

The American contingent consists of a mixture of veterans and non-veterans, and Elmlinger said the group is as tight knit as any.

“Previous to triathlon, I did some sports with some other groups, and it just didn’t really click that well,” she said. “It didn’t really feel like home. It didn’t really feel like this is where I’m supposed to be.

“Coming into triathlon, just seeing how close the group was, it was very familiar to how it was in the military, and it was very familiar to the core group of individuals that I had when I deployed so many times.”

The 2023 World Triathlon Para Cup Paris course starts at the iconic Pont Alexandre III bridge and includes a stint along the famous Champs-Elysees. It’s the same course that will be used at the games.

“I love that mental imagery, I love being able to see myself going through that race many times,” Elmlinger said. “I may get to the Paris Games and have done this course two times with practice and the actual race, but in my head, I’ve done it thousands of times. For me, that’s huge. That’s a lot of confidence.”

If Elmlinger wins Saturday or during the 2023 World Triathlon Championship Finals in Pontevedra, Spain, on Sept. 23, she will qualify automatically for the games. Even if she doesn’t win either event, though, she’s currently likely to get a spot.

She’s No. 3 on World Triathlon’s Paralympic qualifying rankings and the sport’s top competitors also generally get invited to the games.

Elmlinger sits in third despite having earned 1,000 points after two races, while the two ahead of her – Great Britain’s Hannah Moore (1,099.74) and Germany’s Elke Van Engelen (1,035.50) – have three qualifying races during the July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024, ranking period.

Unlike in Tokyo, crowds are expected to be allowed in Paris. So her daughter Jayden might be able to see her compete in person and celebrate her 16th birthday in the City of Light.

“To be able to have my daughter there, that would be extremely special,” Elmlinger said. “She’s really been through a lot herself. To be able to take her along and to show her what it’s all about, have her get some of those experiences, that’s something I think about all the time.”

Elminger said she would love to inspire young people, especially those who are facing similar challenges in their lives. And she notes that the recent success of Paralympic events seems to be doing that as well.

Wheelchair athletes have competed at the Ohio High School Athletic Association State Track and Field Championships in the 100, 400 and 800, as well as the shot put, since 2013.

Elmlinger has worked with South Texas Regional Adaptive and Para Sports in San Antonio. STRAPS’ mission is to organize, promote and administer adaptive and Paralympic-style sports to wounded service members, veterans, adults and youths.

She said she has seen organizations such as STRAPS grow in recent years, while kids are getting more opportunities to compete in adaptive sports across the United States.

“For them to be able to see adults be successful and a lot of us have families and to live a very normal life, that’s the part I want them to take away,” Elmlinger said. “Yeah, you can grow up and do whatever you want to do and be successful and have the things you want and the things that you dream of.”