The United States wheelchair rugby team got its quest for Paralympic gold off to a successful start Thursday with a 51-48 victory over rivals Canada in the group stage opener. The match marked a historic moment for Team USA, however, regardless of the result.

For the first time ever at the Paralympic Games, the U.S. wheelchair rugby squad featured a woman. And that woman, Sarah Adam, proved a vital part of the victory.

Adam started the matched and scored six tries on the day, third-most among the Americans behind Chuck Aoki (21) and Josh Wheeler (11). 

"We came out hot, really playing well and gelling well,” Adam said. "It's always been important to me that I'm going to be a contributor to this team and be seen as any other athlete. I think I was able to prove that today.”

Adam, 33, originally gravitated to the sport as an able-bodied volunteer while studying occupational therapy in graduate school. An MS diagnosis years later resulted in her being officially classed into the sport in 2019.

Wheelchair rugby has been a mixed-gender sport (men and women compete together) since it joined the Paralympics in 2000. However, the physical sport nicknamed “murderball” has long been heavily male-dominated. At the last Paralympics in Tokyo, just four of the 96 athletes were female. In Paris, that number has doubled to eight.

"It's just a really exciting time right now for women in sports, getting the attention I think we've always deserved,” Adam said. “And, for other females to see that, if this is where you want to play, go do it. Step outside that comfort zone and do it anyway.”