TeamJundt

03/20/2026

Lucas’s Backstory 5: How DID He Get Here? ��From Orphanage to World #21 Paratriathlete – And How Do We Help Him Keep Going? 💙🇺🇸🏅**

Abandoned baby in China, no fibulas in either leg → adopted at 7 into the Jundt family in Wisconsin (2011) → high school athlete on blades (football, track, swim) → now **gold medalist** at Americas Para Champs, top-10 World Para Cup finisher, ** #21 in the world** PTS3 men, training full-time at the USOPC in Colorado Springs!

One step, one “yes” from one family, one relentless decision at a time.

To qualify for **LA 2028**, he needs international races (Yokohama Para Series May 16-17, 2026 + more) - costs not covered by residency. $19,000 funds the 2026 campaign so talent, not money, decides.

Today: **$4,500+ raised** toward $8,000 immediate goal (58% there!). Every $ and share moves him forward.

This is bigger than one dream - it’s showing kids starting with nothing can reach the top if we stand with them.

Thank you to all donors! Let’s grow bigger.

Donate/share: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-lucas-stay-in-the-race-paralympic-campaign

Help finish: “How did Lucas get here? …Because YOU believed.” Tag friends who love inspiring stories! 💪❤️ ��

03/17/2026

Peter Jundt
Heidi Jundt

03/17/2026

Lucas’s Backstory 4: From First Blades to World #21 – Gold Medals & the Next Big Gates 🔥🇺🇸🏅

How did Lucas Jundt reach international podiums so fast? Faith + grit + refusing to accept “maybe.” 💪

In his first full international season (2025): �
- **Gold** at Americas Triathlon Para Championships
- **Top 10** (8th) at World Triathlon Para Cup
- Current **world ranking: 21st** in PTS3 men!

GLASA founder Cindy Housner sums it up: “No one trains like Lucas!”

To chase LA 2028, he needs mandatory 2026–2027 qualifiers for ranking points. Kicking off with **World Triathlon Para Series Yokohama, Japan - May 16-17, 2026**, plus Chile, New Zealand, Germany, and maybe Milwaukee.

Residency covers daily training—not travel, hotels, fees, recovery, etc. This GoFundMe removes those barriers: $19K total for 2026.

We’re over $4,500 raised toward $8K immediate goal (58% there!)—let’s hit it and stretch to $19K–$20K!

Help him hit the next gate:
👉 https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-lucas-stay-in-the-race-paralympic-campaign

Tag friends who believe in big comebacks. Share wide—the dream is real! ❤️ ��

03/13/2026

Lucas’s Backstory 3: From High School Track to Olympic Training Center Residency - The Relentless Grind 🔥🇺🇸**

How did Lucas end up training full-time at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs - the same place that builds Olympic & Paralympic legends?

It wasn’t luck. It was years of quiet, relentless work. 💪

After those first running blades in 2018 and adaptive competitions with GLASA in 2019, Lucas kept showing up - no matter the sport or setbacks (even through COVID shutdowns). He earned U.S. Paralympics Track & Field High School All-American honors, competed in wheelchair basketball, athletics, track (indoor/outdoor), football, and swimming. He set standards (and some records) at adaptive events nationwide with Team GLASA - always pushing limits, always reaching higher.

His breakthrough? Committing fully to paratriathlon. The swim-bike-run format fit his determination perfectly. In 2025, the USOPC noticed and invited him into the elite residency program.

Now he lives in athlete housing, trains daily under world-class coaches, shares the weight room and dining hall with the best. The kid from the orphanage who once wondered if he’d belong? He’s now an elite resident athlete, representing the next wave of American paratriathletes. 🏊‍♂️🚴‍♂️🏃‍♂️

Reality check: Residency covers living + daily training at the center, but **not** the international races needed for world ranking points and LA 2028 eligibility. Those gates - starting with Japan in May (World Triathlon Para Series Yokohama, May 16-17, 2026) - require travel, fees, lodging, and more. Without them, the dream stalls.

As Lucas says: “Every international race is a gate. You don’t get to skip it, and you don’t get invited unless you show up ready.”

We’re more than halfway to our $8,000 immediate goal (full 2026 season stretch: $19,000 for travel, fees, PT, nutrition, etc.). Community makes legends happen!

Help him show up ready:
👉 Donate & share: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-lucas-stay-in-the-race-paralympic-campaign

Drop a 💪 if you’re all in! Share wide - let’s make unstoppable. ❤️

03/10/2026

Heidi Jundt
Peter Jundt

03/10/2026

Lucas’s Backstory Pt.2: From Orphanage to Olympic Training Center – How One "Yes" Sparked a Dream 🔥🇺🇸

How did Lucas get here? One family said “yes” – and never looked back. 💙
Adopted at 7 from an orphanage in Inner Mongolia, China, Lucas joined the Jundt family in 2011. In our faith-filled home, “With God, all things are possible” is more than words—it's our life.

Sports became his place of belonging, proving “different” doesn’t mean “less.” In 2018, a generous grant from Amputee Blade Runners gave him his first running blades, lighting the fire. He played high school football, ran track, and swam—all with prosthetics. His motto: “If I set my mind to it, I do whatever it takes.” 💪

Since 2019, coached by the amazing Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association (GLASA), he thrived on competition and team spirit.

Now in 2025–2026: Paratriathlon (swim-bike-run as a bilateral amputee) is his arena. He earned residency at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, training daily with the world's best! 🏊‍♂️🚴‍♂️🏃‍♂️

Breakout highlights:
- Gold at the Americas Triathlon Para Championships
- Top-10 at a World Triathlon Para Cup
- Current world ranking: 21st in PTS3 men

That’s his journey so far. To chase LA 2028, he needs international qualifiers (Japan in May, Chile, New Zealand, Germany & more)—costs not covered by residency. Your help covers flights, lodging, race fees, nutrition, recovery, and more.
We’ve raised over $4,500 toward our $8,000 immediate goal (full season stretch $19K–$20K). Every dollar keeps him racing! 🙌

Be part of the next chapter—donate & share today!

👉 https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-lucas-stay-in-the-race-paralympic-campaign

Tag a friend who loves comeback stories. Let’s build this movement together! ❤️

03/06/2026

A Backstory for the ages! From orphanage to elite training center: Lucas Jundt’s remarkable story!

Born without fibulas, abandoned in China, adopted at 7, amputations to chase his dreams → first blades in 2018 and the bold declaration: “I’m going to be a Paralympic athlete.”
Now full-time paratriathlete (PTS3) at the USOPC in Colorado Springs, gunning for LA 2028!

His next step: international comp in Japan this May. Help cover the costs and keep him racing.

Become part of TeamLucas 💪

👉 https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-lucas-stay-in-the-race-paralympic-campaign

Tag someone who needs this motivation today! 💙

03/04/2026

Peter Jundt
Heidi Jundt

LA 2028 Is the Dream – Let's Share to Make It Real for Lucas 🇺🇸💪
Team Lucas! 🙌

LA 2028 Paralympics is the ultimate goal—competing in Para Triathlon on home turf! To qualify, Lucas needs consistent international racing to earn ranking points, prove elite trajectory, and stay strong in USOPC programs/residency.

These required events build the pathway, but the costs (travel, lodging, entries, equipment transport) are steep. Your donations make them possible—thank you!

Now, let's amplify: Your shares reach new supporters who can help fund the full journey. One share could bring the donor needed for the next big race or training block.
Don’t leave him hanging! Tag 3 friends below who need to see this grit and heart! 👇

👉 Share + donate: https://gofund.me/9951b7f34
Grateful for every share pushing us toward LA 2028 ❤️

TeamJundt THIS-ABLED SPORTS

03/04/2026

LA 2028 Is the Dream – Let's Share to Make It Real for Lucas 🇺🇸💪
Team Lucas! 🙌

LA 2028 Paralympics is the ultimate goal—competing in Para Triathlon on home turf! To qualify, Lucas needs consistent international racing to earn ranking points, prove elite trajectory, and stay strong in USOPC programs/residency.

These required events build the pathway, but the costs (travel, lodging, entries, equipment transport) are steep. Your donations make them possible—thank you!

Now, let's amplify: Your shares reach new supporters who can help fund the full journey. One share could bring the donor needed for the next big race or training block.
Don’t leave him hanging! Tag 3 friends below who need to see this grit and heart! 👇

👉 Share + donate: https://gofund.me/9951b7f34
Grateful for every share pushing us toward LA 2028 ❤️

TeamJundt THIS-ABLED SPORTS

03/02/2026

Spotlight on the Bike Segment: How Lucas Powers Through 20km Toward LA 2028! 🚴‍♂️💪
Hey Team Lucas! 🙌

In paratriathlon sprint races, the 20km bike leg is brutal and exhilarating. Here's how Lucas crushes it as a PTS3 athlete—no special bike, just elite setup + everyday walking prosthetics custom-fitted for clip-ins and powerful pedaling.

Lightweight carbon-fiber road/tri bike, aero design, multi-gears for any terrain. He transitions from swim, attacks the course with high cadence, smart pacing, and sharp handling—saving legs for the run on blades.

Trained hard at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center: endurance rides, intervals, drills. It's paying off—gold at Americas Para Champs, climbing rankings, eyes on 2028 Paralympics!

Your donations fuel it: travel, lodging, race fees, meals, and more. Every $ helps him compete and chase history.

Support here: https://gofund.me/9951b7f34

Tag a triathlete or adaptive sports fan who needs this inspiration! What's your favorite part of the bike leg in triathlon? Comment below! ❤️

Grateful for every pedal stroke,
TeamJundt THIS-ABLED SPORTS

02/26/2026

Swimming Without Feet: How Lucas Powers the 750m in Paratriathlon! 🏊‍♂️💪

Hey incredible Team Lucas! 🙌

We've gotten some awesome questions lately:
"How does Lucas swim the full 750m paratriathlon swim when he doesn't have feet?"
Thanks for the curiosity—let's clear it up with the real story!

Lucas was born with bilateral fibular hemimelia (no fibulas in either leg), making his lower legs shorter and his feet malformed and painful. After his adoption from China in 2011 (at age 7), his feet were amputated at the ankles to boost his quality of life and mobility.
In the water? No feet, and no prosthetics during the swim (they'd add drag!). But Lucas crushes it anyway:

Standard 750m freestyle in PTS3—no adaptations or aids allowed.
Arms do the heavy lifting: powerful pulls from intense training at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center.

Kick: strong, whip-like flutter from his knees and shortened lower legs—great propulsion, high hips, streamlined body! Super efficient.

Bonus: Less surface area = naturally more hydrodynamic. Many leg-amputee swimmers turn this into a real speed/endurance edge.�

Years of hard work have paid off: gold medals at Americas Para Champs, top-10 World Cup finishes, and climbing PTS3 world rankings!

Next up? World Triathlon Para Series Yokohama, Japan – May 16-17, 2026. That 750m swim kicks off a big push for LA 2028 ranking points. 🇯🇵🔥

These international races need real support: travel, lodging, entries, and more. Your donations keep him powering through every day! ⛽

Click here to join Team Lucas and donate: https://gofund.me/424556cac

Sharing this + the link brings more supporters who love these behind-the-scenes stories—he truly can't do it without YOU! ❤️

Thanks for your questions, belief, and support. Tag a swimmer or adaptive sports fan who needs to see this!

Grateful every stroke of the way,
Team Lucas & Team Jundt THIS-ABLED SPORTS