Tatyana McFadden decided at age 9 that she wanted to be a paralympic athlete. “When I tried wheelchair racing, I knew that was for me,” she says.
Tatyana was born in Russia with spina bifida. At age 6 she was adopted and moved with her parents to Baltimore, Maryland in the US. Tatyana had not received any medical treatment before being adopted, so her parents decided to enroll her in a sports program to help her become healthy. “I tried everything,” shares Tatyana. Basketball, ice hockey, downhill skiing, swimming, and archery were all sports Tatyana tried out.
But it was wheelchair racing that she fell in love with. “What I started to notice about sports,” says Tatyana, “was that I was getting healthy and independent and strong. I was learning to live life normally and successfully.” Participating in sports gave Tatyana the confidence to set goals for herself.
Today, Tatyana is a decorated athlete. Here are just some of her accomplishments:
- 17 paralympic medals
- world record holder in every track event for wheelchair racing
- 5 paralympic records in Rio for the 2016 paralympics
- first person to win all 4 of the world’s major marathons in 1 year (3 years in a row!)
Share Tatyana’s story to show how setting goals and working hard can lead to great accomplishments.