2. Sir Philip Craven
Sir Philip is a British sports
administrator and a former
athlete. He is the second and
current President of the
International Paralympic
Committee. He represented
Great Britain in wheelchair
basketball at 5 editions of the
Paralympic games and also
competed in track and field
and swimming. He won
many medals at these games.
Sir Philip broke his back in a
climbing accident when he
was 17.
Sources: widipedia.com and
independent.co.uk
3. Natalie Du Toit
Natalie is a 28 year old
swimmer from South Africa.
First amputee ever to qualify
for the Olympics in 2008.
She has won many medals
competing against able-
bodied athletes at national
and international
competitions. She holds a
Bachelor of Science degree in
Genetics and Physiology.
Natalie carried her country’s
flag at the 2008 Olympics
ceremony, making it the first
athlete to carry a flag in both
Olympics and Paralympics in
a single year.
Source: Wikipedia.com
4. Marla Runyan
Legally blind as a result of
Stargardt’s disease, Marla had
already won five gold medals in
the Paralympics when she
qualified for the US team at
1,500 meters at the Athens
Olympics. She placed eighth in
the final. Marla won many
marathons, such as the New
York Marathon in 2002, as well
as many international
competitions against able-
bodied and in a variety of track
and field events.
Source: Wikipedia.com
5. Michael Phelps
Michael Fred Phelps II is an American
swimmer and the most decorated
Olympian of all times with a total of 22
medals. He also holds the all-time record
for Olympic Gold medals (18), Olympic
Gold medals in an individual event (11),
and Olympic medals in individual event for
a male (13), and most first-place finishes
(8) at an Olympic Game in 2008.
Phelps was diagnosed with Attention-
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
when he was in 6th grade.
Source: Wikipedia.com
6. Oscar Pistorius
Oscar is a South African
sprint runner who has
double below-knee
amputations. His flex-foot
cheetah prostheses,
although controversial, have
allowed him to compete in
the Olympics and
Paralympics Games. He has
won many medals and holds
records for the 100 m (T44).
Affectionately known as “the
fastest man on no legs.”
Source: Wikipedia.com
7. Natalia Partyka
Natalia is a Polish table
tennis player. Born
without a right hand and
forearm, she participates
in competitions against
able-bodied athletes.
She has competed in 3
consecutive Olympic and
Paralympic games,
where she won gold and
silver medals in
individual and pair
competition.
8. David Smith
David is a 28 year old, middle
blocker for the male USA
Volleyball Team. Has helped
his team win many national
and international medals and
participated in the 2012
London games. He is
considered to be one of the
best blockers the US team has
ever had. David has 90%
hearing loss.
Source: teamusa.org
9. Im Dong-Hyun
Im is a South Korean
archer who is visually
impaired in both
eyes. He has set
numerous world
records in the ranking
rounds and has
successfully
participated in the
last 3 Olympic games.
He was gold medalist
in the 2008 and 2012
Olympic games.
10. Bruce Jenner
Once known as “the world’s
greatest athlete,” Bruce was
an American champion in
the decathlon and won a
gold medal at the 1976
Summer Olympics, setting a
world record of 8,934 points.
Jenner is also well known as
a motivational speaker and
on TV as part of the
Kardashian family. Jenner is
dyslexic.
Source: Wikipedia.com
and brucejenner.com
11. Carl Lewis
Carl was an American
track and field athlete,
who won 10 Olympic
medals, and 10 World
Championship medals.
He was mostly known as
a sprinter and long
jumper. He had a
learning disability.
12. Jean Driscoll
Jean is an American
wheelchair racer, who won
this division at the Boston
Marathon 8 times, more than
any other female athlete in
any division. In the
Paralympic games she also
won many medals in various
events. She was born with
spina bifida and began using
a wheelchair in high school.
13. Paola Fantato
Paola is an Italian archer, who won 8
medals (5 gold) at 5 consecutive
Summer Paralympic games. At age
8, she was afflicted with poliomyelitis
and was bound to a wheelchair since.
She also competed at the 1996
Summer Olympics where she won
bronze in women’s individual and gold
in women’s team.
Source: Wikipedia.com
14. Miranda Uhl
Miranda is an American
Paralympic swimmer, who
won a gold medal at the
2008 summer games and
broke the world record on
200 m individual medley.
She was born with
achondroplasia, which
restricts the growth of her
limbs. She currently trains
and attends classes at
Florida Atlantic University.
Sources: wikipedia.com
And fau.edu
15. Matt Stutzman
Known as “the armless archer,”
Matt was born without arms.
He won silver at the 2012
Paralympic games. He
currently holds the world
record, even among able-
bodied archers, for the longest
accurate shot, having
successfully struck a target
from 230 yards in 2011.
Sources: telegraph.co.uk and
inspirationalarcher.com
16. George Eyser
George was a German-
American gymnast who
competed in the 1904
Summer Olympics,
earning six medals in
one day, including 3
golds and 2 silvers. He
competed with a
wooden prosthesis for a
left leg, having lost his
real leg after being run
over by a train.
Source: widipedia.com
17. Oliver Halassy
Oliver was a Hungarian water polo
player and freestyle swimmer who
competed in the 1928, 1932, and 1936
Olympic games. He won one silver
and 2 gold medals at the Olympics. He
was the first amputee swimmer to
compete in the Olympics. Oliver lost
his leg at age 8 in an accident.
Source: wikipedia.com
18. Lis Hartel
Lis was an equestrian who won
two Olympic silver medals for
Denmark in the 1950s despite
being paralyzed below the knees
because of Polio. She won
many national and international
competitions and was named
one of Denmark’s all-time top 10
athletes in 2005.
Together with her therapist, Lis
founded Europe’s first
Therapeutic Riding Center. This
form of therapy is now widely
accepted as an invaluable tool.
Source: simplymarvelous.wordpress.com
19. Ildikó Rejtö
Ildikó was a Hungarian foil
fencer who was born deaf.
She communicated with her
trainers using pieces of paper.
Ildikó competed in five
Olympics, earning 2 gold
medals, 1 silver and 2 bronzes.
She also holds the unusual
distinction of being the only
Summer Olympian to win
medals using three different
names, having married twice
during her Olympic career.
Source: wikipedia.com
20. Jeff Float
Jeff is an American
swimmer, world record
holder, World Champion,
and Olympic gold medalist.
At 13 months of age, he
lost most of his hearing
and nearly his life to viral
meningitis. He is the first
legally deaf athlete from
the United States to win an
Olympic gold medal.
Source: wikipedia.com
21. Neroli Fairhall
Neroli was a New Zealand athlete,
who was the first paraplegic
competitor in the Olympic games.
Paralyzed from the waist down
after a motorbike accident, she
competed while seated in a
wheelchair. She was also a national
champion for many years and won
many international competitions
Source: wikipedia.com
22. Terence Parkin
Terence is a South African
silver-medal-winner, who is
100% deaf since birth, so a
strobe light was used to
communicate to him the
start of the race. He also
competed in the 2004
Summer Olympics, as well
as the 2005 Deaflympics in
which he took home two
gold medals. In 2011, he
saved a young boy from
drowning.
Source: widipedia.com
