Deja Young
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| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | June 10, 1996 Dallas, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Paralympic athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disability | Brachial plexus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disability class | T46 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Wichita State University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Deja Young (born June 10, 1996) is an American Paralympic athlete from Dallas, Texas. She participates in the T46 sprinting events.
Biography
Deja Young is the youngest daughter of Don and Delora Young and she has an older sister Dyani. She was born with brachial plexus or shoulder dystocia which has caused nerve damage and limited mobility in her right shoulder.[1] This was caused during childbirth by a panicked doctor who pulled on her head too hard and her right shoulder to dislocate, she had to undergo three surgeries to reduce her discomfort.[2]
Sporting career
Young was once a standout volleyball and softball player in high school however her disability hinders her performance and decided to do track and field athletics. When she took part in doing track events as a freshman, she discovered speed and has been interested from then on. Young has been an athlete in two Missouri Valley Conference championship teams in 60m and 100m events and was also a relay team participant in the Wichita State's 400m relay as a freshman and junior.[3]
Young participated in her first international athletics event in 2015 in Doha, Qatar. She won her first gold medal in 100 metres by five tenths of a second for beating Wang Yanping to gain a silver and Alicja Fiodorow to earn a bronze.[4] In the 200 metre final, Young won a silver after being beaten by Cuban athlete Yunidis Castillo by half a second.[5]
References
- ^ "Deja Young Profile". Team USA. August 9, 2018. Archived from the original on August 9, 2018.
- ^ "Shoulder deformity motivates WSU Paralympian Deja Young". Kansas.com. September 6, 2016. Archived from the original on August 9, 2018.
- ^ "Shoulder deformity motivates WSU Paralympian Deja Young". Kansas.com. September 6, 2016. Archived from the original on August 9, 2018.
- ^ "Event Overview - Women's 100m T47". World Para Athletics. August 9, 2018. Archived from the original on August 9, 2018.
- ^ "Event Overview - Women's 200m T47". World Para Athletics. August 9, 2018. Archived from the original on August 9, 2018.
External links
- Deja Young at Team USA (archived)
- Deja Young at the International Paralympic Committee
- Deja Young at IPC.InfostradaSports.com (archived)
- 1996 births
- Living people
- Paralympic track and field athletes of the United States
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Paralympics
- Medalists at the 2016 Summer Paralympics
- People from Mesquite, Texas
- Sportspeople from the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
- Track and field athletes from Texas
- Wichita State Shockers women's track and field athletes
- World Para Athletics Championships winners
- Paralympic medalists in athletics (track and field)
- Paralympic gold medalists for the United States