RAVENNA, Ohio — An open track is where 24-year-old Jenna Fesemyer feels at home.
The road getting there? Hard, but she would take on the challenge over and over again.
"The doctor said I would be the last one to sit up and crawl or stand, tnd they said I would never be able to walk," the Ravenna native said.
Jenna was born with a complex birth defect, known as proximal femoral focal deficiency, that can cause one leg to be shorter than the other. Jenna's case was extreme.
"Because my leg never grew, they amputated my foot, so I would then wear a prosthetic," she explained.
But that doctor who cautioned that Jenna would never be able to do keep up with her siblings? Jenna didn't waste time proving them wrong.
"I'm a triplet, and so of course I wanted to do everything that my siblings did," she shared. "I was quite competitive with them through those milestones."
Sports? Jenna didn't hesitate. She played on teams early on and through middle and high school at Southeast in Portage County, basketball, golf and track, to name a few. She excelled in discus under the guidance of her coach, who also happened to be her mom.
"I said, 'Either you can take care of business or you can just sit down and cry about it,'" Cindy Fesemyer remembered. '"And so you've got to take your pick: Which one you want to do?' And so, she took care of business."
"I really owe a lot of thanks to my mom and in her open heart and being able to coach me," Jenna said.
With her family pushing her and boosting her confidence, it paved the way for Jenna to try a new challenge.
"I started wheelchair racing in 2013, which would have been my sophomore year of high school, and that was because the Ohio High School Athletic Association added wheelchair events to the state track meet," she recalled. "I fell in love with wheelchair racing right away after that."
She has competed ever since, now training at the University of Illinois, one of the wheelchair racing hubs for professional athletes. With guidance from Coach Adam Bleakney, Jenna's training schedule is intense.
"We train over 100 miles a week," Jenna expained. "Wheelchair racing is so sports-specific; the movement is so unique. The majority of our sessions are just getting into miles and trying to get used to different conditions, the humidity, the rain, all those different variables."
The work Jenna puts in is paying off in big races.
"I competed in 2019 at the pair of Pan American Games in Lima, Peru," she said. "I was able to come home with gold in the 800m, 1500m and 5000m."
Jenna is a champion, with one more goal to reach.
"You kind of reached the pinnacle of your career when you qualify for the Paralympic Games," she said, "especially in America, you know, as a wheelchair racer."
At trials in Minneapolis last month, Jenna qualified in three events: the 1500m, the 5000 and the marathon, too. When asked what the accomplishment means to her, Jenna gets emotional.
"Racing the 1500 at the Paralympic trials and crossing that finish line, that was a moment where I knew that I could have sealed the deal and be able to punch my ticket to Tokyo," she gushed. "That feeling is something I hope I remember forever."
Jenna's legacy won't be tallied in trophies or medals. Rather, she hopes it will be measured by those who come after her.
"It's great to have the fitness and to be able to have the running resume gold medals and world records, but to be able to create a community for other athletes and help them grow, that's everything," she said. "That'd be the goal."
A purpose Jenna carries with her to Tokyo. For all athletes come with their own strengths and challenges, and each one has a place on the track.
The Paralympic Games begin on Aug. 24 in Tokyo. One thing's for sure: We will all be rooting for Jenna.