Calahan Young exclusive: how Team USA’s goalball captain plans on bringing home the gold at Paris 2024
Team USA’s goalball captain, Calahan Young, has his sights set on avenging the United States’ fourth place finish in Tokyo and landing on top of the podium at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
The 6-foot-7 athlete sat down with Olympics.com for an exclusive interview in the countdown to Paris to talk strategy for leading his team’s campaign for gold, while also diving into how the sport has shaped the life that he is so grateful for today.
“15 years ago,” he wrote on his Instagram, “I had the same dreams as most other kids playing sports, becoming a professional athlete.”
He explained how his visual impairment led to an early realization that he may not be cut out for the NFL, NBA or MLB, and continued by saying “but I still wanted my opportunity to compete and to achieve my dreams."
“This is where goalball comes in," he said. "It was a team sport that my vision deficits were no longer a factor in my success or failures, giving me the confidence and knowledge that through dedication and commitment I could still achieve my aspirations on and off the court.”
So, as an ambassador for the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes, Young leads the American team in their charge for the gold, while goalball sets up to have a breakout year in Paris, already posting record-breaking ticket sales.
USA men's goalball team poses for a photo at the Team USA Welcome Experience ahead of Paralympics Paris 2024 on August 22, 2024 in Paris, France.
Young’s strategy as captain
After the “devastating” fourth place finish left the Americans without a spot on the podium at Tokyo 2020, Young is using his position as captain to hone in on the importance of cohesion and chemistry that are crucial both on and off of the court.
"I think the thing that a lot of people miss, is team sports [require] so much chemistry that goes into it; the off the court stuff.
“And if those things really don't come together, as soon as you find yourself in a bad situation, [like] some sort of adversity during a tournament, you really don't have the coping skills to regroup.”
Young, at 29 years old, said that he is still learning how to communicate with his team in a constructive but uplifting way, while managing a balance between captain and friend to the other players.
“We have really gelled together,” he said.
“I've been really working on working on communicating and being a better agent of change in terms of…learning what they need to thrive and how I can better lead them as a captain”
“Like, instead of just being a friend, I need to be more of ‘we need to be doing this if we want to go into Paris and get a gold medal.’”
As of Sunday, 1 September, Young and his team have clocked two wins in the preliminaries, including their 14-7 victory over Iran, where Young scored six goals. They fell to Brazil in the first game of the tournament, but have been climbing their way back with the two wins since.
Tyler Merren and Calahan Young of USA compete during the Goalball Men's Preliminary Round match against France at the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games at South Paris Arena on August 31, 2024.
Young’s life changing start in goalball
Young was a teenager when he learned about the game of goalball, and as someone who was an avid lover of team sports, this one seemed like the perfect combination of athleticism and comradery, all while everyone played blindfolded.
And though he loved the sport of football during his formative years, it was only when Young found the para-sport that he really found his footing and was no longer restricted by his substantial loss of peripheral vision.
“I was just thinking about this in the days that I used to play sports like football,” he told Olympics.com.
“I would be like the practice team punt returner [or] practice team running back and I would just get destroyed because I could see the ball or I could see the quarterback handing me the ball, and then I couldn't see anything else.
“As soon as I looked up, [I would] get destroyed.”
He remembered his time fondly, though, despite the challenges, as it set him up for the athletic career that he has today, where he serves as an ambassador for the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes.
He explained how he also credits goalball with so much of what he cherishes today, saying “I wouldn't have met my fiancé, I wouldn't have a puppy. It would just be a whirlwind of different things and I couldn't even begin to tell you.”
Calahan Young of USA competes during the Goalball Men's Preliminary Round match against France at the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games at South Paris Arena on August 31, 2024.
‘Cooking with Cal’ and Young’s many hats
It’s not all business for the 6-foot-7 team captain, who had a warm and humorous presence when sitting down with Olympics.com in New York.
He made time for the interview on top of his elite-level training schedule with the additional responsibilities as captain, as well as his full-time consulting job and the upkeep of his beloved social-media cooking show, ‘Cooking with Cal.’
“I'm an expert baker, in my opinion,” he laughed. **“**I review my own work, so like, I think it's pretty good.”
But, he admitted, the presentation element that goes into baking isn’t quite his strongest suit.
“My fiance gets mad because nothing looks presentable,” he said. “Like, my cinnamon rolls look like a blind guy made them,” he laughed. “And it is because a blind guy made them.”
After Young and the rest of Team USA finish their campaign for Paralympic gold in Paris, things will hardly slow down for him, as he will continue to serve as an ambassador for Team USA, while working full-time, as well as doing so much more.
The 29-year-old also has a wedding on the horizon, where he and fianceé Eliana Mason, a two-time goalball Paralympic medalist, will tie the knot in the near future.