Tatyana McFadden
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Running |
| College team | University of Illinois Wheelchair Basketball and Wheelchair Track and Field teams |
Medal record | |
Tatyana McFadden is a Paralympian athlete from America competing mainly in category T54 sprint events.
Biography
Early life
Tatyana was born with spina bifida in St. Petersburg, Russia and was abandoned in an orphanage where she spent the first six years of her life. She was not expected to live. After being adopted by an American family, receiving her first wheelchair and medical attention, she began to thrive. Her family introduced Tatyana to swimming and from there she became “hooked” on sports and today is recognized as an elite athlete holding many USA and international records.
Tatyana was the youngest member of the USA Paralympic Track and Field Team in the Athens 2004 Paralympics and, at age 15 surprised the world by winning a silver and bronze medal in the 100m and 200m. During the 2006 IPC Athletics World Championships in the Netherlands, McFadden set a world record on her way to winning gold in the 100m and also took home silver medals in the 200m and 400m.
Sports career
Tatyana continued her pursuits in swimming, wheelchair basketball, scuba diving, downhill skiing, ice hockey, track and field. After graduating from high school on the honor roll, she represented the USA in track at the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing, wining 3 silvers and a bronze. During the Beijing Olympics/Paralympics, Tatyana was featured on the McDonald’s beverage cups nationwide and Hilton Hotel TV and print ads.
Disability Advocacy
Concerned that young people with disabilities did not have full access to high school sports, Tatyana was the plaintiff in a federal lawsuit which mandates public schools to provide access to sports for disabled students. Her action resulted in landmark legislation in Maryland - the first law America to allow and encourage students with disabilities to participate in sports in their schools; now a model for other states.
Tatyana has received widespread national press coverage appearing on NBC, CBS, ABC, PBS, and Voice of America and was featured in a 30 minute special on ESPN. She has spoken to many community groups, testified before the U.S.Senate Sub Committee on Adoption and was keynote speaker before an audience of 8,000 at the National Girl Scout Convention. McFadden holds USA records in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, and 1500m and is ranked 2nd in the world as a sprinter.
College Life
As a 21 year old junior, Tatyana attends the University of Illinois studying nutrition, playing on both their top ranked wheelchair basketball and track teams. As a well known sprinter, and never before having participated in marathons, Tatyana entered The Chicago Marathon in 2009 and took first place in the wheelchair division, edging out top placed world marathon competitors!
International track and field career
She competed in the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, Greece. There she won a silver medal in the women's 100 metres - T54 event, a bronze medal in the women's 200 metres - T54 event, finished fifth in the women's 400 metres - T54 event and went out in the first round of the women's 800 metres - T54 event. She also competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China. There she won a silver medal in the women's 200 metres - T54 event, a silver medal in the women's 400 metres - T54 event, a silver medal in the women's 800 metres - T54 event, a bronze medal in the women's 4 x 100 metre relay - T53-54 event and finished sixth in the women's 100 metres - T54 event
Major Achievements:
- 2008: Silver medal, 200m T54; silver medal, 400m T54; silver medal, 800m T54; bronze medal, Women's 4 x 100m relay T53/T54 - Paralympic Games, Beijing, China
- 2007: Two gold medals, 400m, 800m - Visa Paralympic World Cup, Manchester, United Kingdom
- 2007: First place, 200m (WR) - Boiling Point Wheelchair Track Classic, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
- 2007: Two first-place finishes, 200m, 800m - U.S. Paralympics Track & Field National Championships, Atlanta, Ga.
- 2007: Three second-place finishes, 200m, 400m, 800m - Meet in the Heat, Atlanta, Ga.
- 2006: Gold medal, 100m (WR); Two silver medals, 200m, 400m,) - IPC World Championships, Assen, The Netherlands
- 2005: Gold medal, 100m; Two silver medals, 400m, 800m; Bronze medal, 200m - IPC Open European National Championships, Espoo, Finland
- 2004: Silver medal, 100m; Bronze medal, 200m - Paralympic Games, Athens, Greece
- 2003: Member of U.S. Paralympics Track & Field National Team