Meet Cynthia Ranii, the 78-year-old Santa Cruz resident going for Paralympic gold

Cynthia Ranii, a Santa Cruz resident and elite table tennis player, is competing for a slot in the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympic Games.

Ranii became paralyzed from the chest down in 2005 at age 58 after sudden onset of a rare neuro-immunologic disorder known as transverse myelitis. Ranii was at the peak of her career as a school district superintendent, she had a loving family that was expanding and she was athletic, active and healthy. Everything changed almost overnight.

Ranii was suddenly thrust into a new reality where almost nothing was comfortable or familiar. And it was then that she turned to one of her life’s constants: athletics.

After pursuing wheelchair tennis for a while, Ranii found she had a knack for table tennis and she began competing at the highest levels against both seated and able-bodied opponents. Now, at 78, she’s ready for a new challenge and is focusing all her efforts on medaling at the Paralympics. Should she succeed in doing so, she would likely be the oldest individual to ever compete — let alone medal — at the Paralympic or Olympic games.

Ranii recently joined Talk of the Bay to us all about her journey, which is only  just beginning.

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Santa Cruz Sentinel: https: santacruzsentinel.com/2025/10/04/at-58-cynthia-ranii-was-paralyzed-from-the-chest-down-20-years-later-her-sights-are-set-on-a-paralympic-medal/

Photo: Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel