Maureen McKinnon (formerly Maureen McKinnon-Tucker; born February 25, 1965) is an American
paralympian
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...
yachtswoman. In 2008 in
Beijing she became the first woman to represent the
United States in sailing at a
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...
and also the first woman to medal gold in Paralympic Sailing. At the games, McKinnon-Tucker and fellow skipper
Nick Scandone
Nicholas Salvatore Scandone (March 4, 1966 – January 2, 2009) was an American yachtsman who narrowly missed participating on the U.S. team at the 1992 Summer Olympics and won a gold medal as a paralympian at the 2008 Summer Games.
Biography ...
won a gold medal for the US, sailing in the
SKUD 18 class. Shortly after winning the gold in China, Nick died following a six-year battle with Lou Gehrig's disease.
McKinnon is the mother of two, has campaigned in four Paralympic cycles (Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016)
and has been named to the US Sailing Team a total of eight times. She has been nominated and awarded several honors during her career spanning more than a decade. Presently, McKinnon is campaigning again in the SKUD 18 boat for the Rio Games with Ryan Porteous, 22 of San Diego, California.
The story of their 2008 journey to win Gold in China while facing her teammate's terminal illness and her then 2-year-old son's brain cancer diagnosis is told in the book "Nick of Time" co-written by Cara Wilson.
See also
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United States at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
The United States sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China. A total of 213 U.S. competitors took part in 18 sports; the only 2 sports Americans did not compete in were soccer 5-a-side and 7-a-side. The America ...
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Sailing at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
Eighty athletes representing 25 countries in three keelboat classes - the 2.4mR, the SKUD 18, and the Sonar, took part in sailing in the 2008 Summer Paralympics. Sailing was held in two designated areas on the Yellow Sea, Qingdao, Shandong prov ...
References
External links
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1965 births
Living people
American female sailors (sport)
Paralympic sailors for the United States
Paralympic gold medalists for the United States
Paralympic medalists in sailing
Sailors at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
Medalists at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
Sportspeople from Marblehead, Massachusetts
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