Team USA’s Tatyana McFadden Achieves 21st Paralympic Medal
Tatyana McFadden from Team USA is nothing short of remarkable.
On Wednesday, McFadden, 35, claimed her 21st medal at the Paralympics, which ties her with Bart Dodson for the highest number of Paralympic medals achieved by an athlete from the U.S. in track and field.
She earned a silver medal in the women’s T54 100m event, specifically for wheelchair racers, clocking in at 15.67 seconds. McFadden finished second to Belgium’s Lea Bayekula, who set a new Paralympic record at 15.50 seconds, while Finland’s Amanda Kotaja secured the bronze with a time of 15.77 seconds.
After her performance, McFadden expressed her excitement: “This achievement is absolutely fantastic. It’s about staying in the sport for the long haul and pushing through all the ups and downs, whether it’s injuries or races that end in victory or disappointment. I’ve come to realize that it’s all about the journey,” she shared with NBC.
This silver medal marks McFadden’s first medal during the Paris Paralympic Games.
Along with her notable advocacy for disability rights, McFadden has participated and secured medals in every Summer Paralympics since the Athens 2004 Games. Over the years, she has earned medals in various track distances, including the 100m and 5,000m, as well as in the marathon. In addition, she represented the U.S. at the Winter Paralympics, winning a silver medal in the 1km sprint for cross-country skiing at the 2014 Sochi Games.
McFadden is gearing up to compete in the women’s T54 400m race on Thursday, an event where she previously clinched gold at both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Paralympics. Furthermore, she is slated to race in the women’s T54 marathon on the morning of September 8. Notably, she has triumphed five times in the New York City Marathon and earned a silver medal in the same event during the Rio Games.