Tatyana McFadden
Encyclopedia
Tatyana McFadden is a Paralympian
athlete
from America
competing mainly in category T54 sprint events.
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.
, wheelchair basketball
, scuba diving
, downhill skiing, ice hockey
, track and field
. After graduating from Atholton 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.
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.
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!
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:
Paralympian
A Paralympian is an athlete who has participated in the Paralympic Games.A Paralympic athlete has a physical disability. The disability can be amputation, spinal cord injuries, visual impairment or cerebral palsy. An exception is the sighted guides for athletes with a visual impairment...
athlete
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
from America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
competing mainly in category T54 sprint events.
Early life
Tatyana was born with spina bifidaSpina bifida
Spina bifida is a developmental congenital disorder caused by the incomplete closing of the embryonic neural tube. Some vertebrae overlying the spinal cord are not fully formed and remain unfused and open. If the opening is large enough, this allows a portion of the spinal cord to protrude through...
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 swimmingSwimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, wheelchair basketball
Wheelchair basketball
Wheelchair basketball is basketball played by people in wheelchairs and is considered one of the major disabled sports practiced. The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation is the governing body for this sport. It is recognized by the International Paralympic Committee as the sole...
, scuba diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
, downhill skiing, ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
. After graduating from Atholton High School
Atholton High School
Atholton High School is a high school in Columbia, Maryland and is a part of the Howard County public school system. The school opened in 1966, is scheduled for a major systemic renovation in FY12 and hosts a JROTC program. The mascot is the Raider and colors are green and white. It features...
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
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
, and Voice of America and was featured in a 30 minute special on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
. 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 basketballWheelchair basketball
Wheelchair basketball is basketball played by people in wheelchairs and is considered one of the major disabled sports practiced. The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation is the governing body for this sport. It is recognized by the International Paralympic Committee as the sole...
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 Paralympics2004 Summer Paralympics
The 2004 Summer Paralympics were held in Athens, Greece, from September 17 to September 28. The twelfth Paralympic Games, an estimated 4,000 athletes took part in the Athens programme, with ages ranging from 11 to 66. Paralympic events had already taken place during the 2004 Summer Olympics as...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. 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
2008 Summer Paralympics
The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao....
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. 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 CupParalympic World CupThe Paralympic World Cup is an annual international multi-sport event for elite athletes with a disability, that has been hosted in Manchester, England since 2005. It is organized by the British Paralympic Association in coordination with the International Paralympic Committee .As of 2011, the...
, Manchester, United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... - 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