Top US wheelchair racer could go home with 5 golds

Story posted September 17, 2016 in Sports, 2016 Paralympics Games by Anna Pitingolo

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Tatyana McFadden of the U.S. races to victory in the women's 5000m T54 race at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016. She claimed her third gold medal and fourth overall of the games.
Photo by Antonella Crescimbeni

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Tatyana McFadden came into the Rio Paralympics with a chance to win seven gold medals, from the 100 meters to the marathon, an unprecedented feat for a wheelchair racer.

Depending on how she does this weekend, she'll go back to the United States with anywhere between four and six medals, at least three of them gold.

A disappointment? Nope. Not for an athlete who is probably America's best known Paralympian.

"The 100 meters is one of the toughest races, especially being a marathoner," McFadden said after she closed hard but failed to catch China's Liu Wenjun on Sept. 9. "The 100 is really, really hard, so I was really proud with a silver."

The other tough moment came Thursday, when McFadden's 4 X 400-meter relay team lost to China and then got disqualified for a lane violation.

The highlights came in between, as McFadden staged her own mini-gold rush.

VGF0eWFuYSBNY0ZhZGRlbiwgY2VudGVyLCBob2xkcyBhIGZsYWcgYXMgc2hlIHdvbiBoZXIgdGhpcmQgZ29sZCBtZWRhbCBvZiB0aGUgZ2FtZXMsIENoZWxzZWEgTWNDbGFtbWVyLCBsZWZ0LCB3b24gdGhlIHNpbHZlciBhbmQgQW1hbmRhIE1jR3Jvcnkgd29uIHRoZSBicm9uemUgYXQgdGhlIDIwMTYgUGFyYWx5bXBpYyBHYW1lcyBpbiBSaW8gZGUgSmFuZWlybywgQnJhemlsLCBvbiBUaHVyc2RheSwgU2VwdC4gMTUsIDIwMTYuIFRoZSBVbml0ZWQgU3RhdGVzIHN3ZXB0IHRoZSB3b21lbiYjMDM5O3MgNTAwMG0gVDU0IHJhY2UuIA==Tatyana McFadden, center, holds a flag as she won her third gold medal of the games, Chelsea McClammer, left, won the silver and Amanda McGrory won the bronze at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016. The United States swept the women's 5000m T54 race. Photo by Antonella Crescimbeni

McFadden nabbed her first gold of the games in the 400 meters last Sunday, over a second ahead of the silver medalist, her teammate Cheri Madsen.

From there, she continued her dominance with her teammates in the 1,500 and 5,000, with the United States sweeping the podium in both events.

As part of an international sporting festival that is among the world's biggest, yet gets little attention in the United States, McFadden has become an established name. With sponsorships from BMW USA, BP, Coca-Cola and Nike, McFadden is embracing her role.

"I'm so thankful and so grateful for every opportunity that comes my way," she said. "I work so hard at it and it's an honor. I love everything about this sport."

Her teammates don't begrudge her the attention.

"Tatyana's been awesome, she goes above and beyond to get interviews and to get newspapers and news stations to cover our races," said Chelsea McClammer, McFadden's training partner, who was part of the U.S. podium sweeps in the 1,500 and 5,000.

Up next is the 800 on Saturday.

The marathon, one of the Paralympics' final events, is where McFadden has been most successful in her career. Since coming in ninth place in the event in the 2012 Paralympics, she has completed the marathon grand slam, winning Boston, London, Chicago and New York all in the same calendar year.

She was the first person — able-bodied or otherwise — to do so. And she went on to do it three years in a row.

Deborah McFadden has seen her daughter's prominence grow immensely since London. After growing up in a generation where people with disabilities were almost hidden, Deborah finds it refreshing.

"Things are changing, but we haven't had a hero or an icon like you have your baseball or football icons," Deborah said. "I think she's changing perceptions not just in the games but in the world. She shows that it doesn't matter what you have or don't have, it's a matter of what you do with your body. She represents that."

VGF0eWFuYSBNY0ZhZGRlbiBvZiB0aGUgVS5TLiBjbGFpbXMgdmljdG9yeSBpbiB0aGUgd29tZW4mIzAzOTtzIDUwMDBtIFQ1NCByYWNlIGF0IHRoZSAyMDE2IFBhcmFseW1waWMgR2FtZXMgaW4gUmlvIGRlIEphbmVpcm8sIEJyYXppbCwgb24gVGh1cnNkYXksIFNlcHQuIDE1LCAyMDE2LiBTaGUgY2xhaW1lZCBoZXIgdGhpcmQgZ29sZCBtZWRhbCBhbmQgZm91cnRoIG92ZXJhbGwgb2YgdGhlIGdhbWVzLiA=Tatyana McFadden of the U.S. claims victory in the women's 5000m T54 race at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016. She claimed her third gold medal and fourth overall of the games. Photo by Antonella Crescimbeni

Born with spina bifida, McFadden is paralyzed from the waist down and spent the first six years of her life in a Russian orphanage.

She wasn't expected to live long, but that all changed when she was adopted by Deborah, who brought her back to the United States and raised her with her longtime partner, Bridget O'Shaughnessey, in Maryland.

On Thursday, McFadden was awarded the Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award, given to the male and female athletes who best exemplify the spirit of the Paralympic Games and the Paralympic values.

McFadden doesn't shy away from documenting her life on social media, from her family, to her training. And with the Paralympics coming to a close on Sunday, shortly after the marathon medal ceremony, she is hopeful that the momentum created by the games will continue.

"I love telling my story and putting it on social media and having people just go 'wow,'" McFadden said. "And having coverage on TV is huge for us back in the States, so I think having it grow that way in popularity is huge for us and it's a plus. Hopefully it'll just keep growing, growing, growing."

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(Anna Pitingolo is a senior majoring in journalism at Penn State University. Penn State and the University of Georgia partnered with The Associated Press to supplement coverage of the 2016 Paralympics. This story was first published by AP in Summer Games 2016.)

About the Contributors

Antonella Crescimbeni's photo

Antonella Crescimbeni

Senior / Visual Journalism

Antonella is a senior majoring in Photojournalism and Fine Art Photography. She works for her University’s paper, The Daily Collegian, as the Photo Editor. She also works as a freelance photographer for Penn State University where she has done numerous events ranging from charity events, magazine covers, portraits of the president, senior vice-president etc. This past summer she covered both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions for the McClatchy newspaper company. Antonella will be traveling to Rio de Janeiro in September to provide coverage of the Paralympic Games for the Associated Press. Follow her on twitter @antonellacres and her instagram @antonellac_photography.

Anna Pitingolo's photo

Anna Pitingolo

Senior / Broadcast Journalism

Anna Pitingolo is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. A member of the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism, Anna was recently a part of a reporting trip to Rio de Janeiro to cover the 2016 Paralympic Games for the Associated Press. On campus, Anna is involved with ComRadio, where she co-hosts a talk show, the Association for Women in Sports Media and writes for GoPSUsports.com. Anna has interned at Fox Business Network and Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics. Anna’s ultimate career goal is to be a writer at Sports Illustrated. You can follow her on Twitter @piting21 or email her at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).