Trischa Zorn (born June 1, 1964 in Orange, California)
is an American
Paralympic
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 ...
swimmer. Blind from birth, she competed in Paralympic swimming (S12, SB12, and SM12 disability categories).
She is the
most successful athlete in the history of the
Paralympic Games, having won 55 medals (41 gold, 9 silver, and 5 bronze),
and was inducted into the Paralympic Hall of Fame in 2012. She took the
Paralympic Oath
The Paralympic symbols are the icons, flags, and symbols used by the International Paralympic Committee to promote the Paralympic Games.
Motto
The Paralympic motto is "Spirit in Motion".
The motto was introduced in 2004 at the Paralympic Games ...
for athletes at the
1996 Summer Paralympics
The 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, were held from August 16 to 25. It was the first Paralympics to get mass media sponsorship, and had a budget of USD $81 million.
It was the first Paralympic Games where Internatio ...
in Atlanta.
Biography
Zorn studied special education at the
University of Nebraska
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...
and school administration and supervision at
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th st ...
and law at the
IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law.
She competed in the 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004 Paralympic Games and won a combined total of 55 medals (41 gold, 9 silver, 5 bronze).
In the
1996 Games in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, she won more medals than any other athlete: two gold, three silver and three bronze. She had also topped the individual medal table at the
1992 Paralympic Games in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
,
with ten gold medals and two silver. She had won seven gold medals during her first Games in
1980.
["Trischa Zorn Wins Fifth Gold"]
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', June 23, 1984
After the
Sydney Games in 2000, she also held eight world records in her disability category (50 m backstroke, 100 m backstroke, 200 m backstroke, 200 m individual medley, 400 m individual medley, 200 m breaststroke, 4×50 m medley relay, 4×50 m free relay).
On 1 January 2005, Zorn was one of eight athletes honoured during New Year celebrations in
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. The other seven were
Ian Thorpe
Ian James Thorpe, (born 13 October 1982) is an Australian retired swimmer who specialised in freestyle, but also competed in backstroke and the individual medley. He has won five Olympic gold medals, the most won by any Australian along wit ...
of Australia,
Nadia Comăneci
Nadia Elena Comăneci Conner (born November 12, 1961) is a Romanian retired gymnast and a five-time Olympic gold medalist, all in individual events. In 1976, at the age of 14, Comăneci was the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10 ...
of
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
,
George Weah
George Tawlon Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah (; born 1 October 1966) is a Liberian politician and former professional footballer who is the incumbent president of Liberia, in office since 2018. Prior to his election to the presidency, Weah served as ...
of
Liberia,
Françoise Mbango Etone
Françoise Mbango Etone (born 14 April 1976 in Yaoundé) is a Cameroonian-born female track and field athlete. She has competed internationally for France since 2010. While competing for Cameroon, Etone was a 2-time Olympic gold medalist in the ...
of
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
,
Gao Min of China,
Félix Sánchez of the
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...
and
Bart Conner
Bart Wayne Conner (born March 28, 1958) is a retired American Olympic gymnast. As a member of the US men's gymnastics team at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, Conner won two gold medals. He owns and operates the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy in No ...
of the United States. The eight athletes were "centre stage during the festivities in the countdown leading up to ringing in the New Year".
In 2012, she was inducted into the International Paralympian Hall of Fame.
Although no longer competing as a swimmer, Zorn works as a legal professional for the Department of Veterans Affairs and lives near Indianapolis, Indiana.
Paralympic medals
The medals without relay races from
1980 Summer Paralympics
The 1980 Summer Paralympics ( nl, Paralympische Zomerspelen 1980), branded as the Olympics for the Disabled, were the sixth Summer Paralympic Games. They were held in Arnhem, Netherlands, from 21 to 30 June 1980.
Background
The Soviet Union, ho ...
to
1988 Summer Paralympics
The 1988 Summer Paralympics () were the first Paralympics in 24 years to take place in the same city as the Olympic Games. They took place in Seoul, South Korea. This was the first time the term "Paralympic" was used officially.
Bidding pro ...
, are 46 (32, 9, 5) for IPC.
The relay team of
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, in the category of Zorn, won 5 gold and 1 silver in these three Paralympics. The question marks in the infobox refer however to 9 gold medals (not 5 gold and 1 silver medal), this is to confirm the total number of 55 (of which 41 gold), reported in many websites including that of the official IPC in another of his article.
See also
*
Athletes with most gold medals in one sport at the Paralympic Games
*
Wikinews interviews winner of 55 Paralympic medals, Trischa Zorn
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zorn, Trischa
Paralympic swimmers of the United States
Swimmers at the 1980 Summer Paralympics
Swimmers at the 1984 Summer Paralympics
Swimmers at the 1988 Summer Paralympics
Swimmers at the 1992 Summer Paralympics
Swimmers at the 1996 Summer Paralympics
Swimmers at the 2000 Summer Paralympics
Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
Paralympic gold medalists for the United States
Paralympic silver medalists for the United States
Paralympic bronze medalists for the United States
American female breaststroke swimmers
1964 births
Living people
American blind people
World record holders in paralympic swimming
Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis alumni
Medalists at the 1980 Summer Paralympics
Medalists at the 1984 Summer Paralympics
Medalists at the 1988 Summer Paralympics
Medalists at the 1992 Summer Paralympics
Medalists at the 1996 Summer Paralympics
Medalists at the 2000 Summer Paralympics
Medalists at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
Paralympic medalists in swimming
21st-century American women
S12-classified Paralympic swimmers