Tatyana McFadden (russian: Татьяна Макфадден; born April 21, 1989) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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 ...

athlete An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-de ...

of Russian descent competing in the category T54. McFadden has won twenty Paralympic medals in multiple

Summer Paralympic Games The Summer Paralympics also known as the Games of the Paralympiad, are an international multi-sport event where athletes with physical disabilities compete. This includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebra ...

Biography

McFadden was born in

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, then

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

, on 21 April 1989. She was born with

spina bifida Spina bifida (Latin for 'split spine'; SB) is a birth defect in which there is incomplete closing of the spine and the membranes around the spinal cord during early development in pregnancy. There are three main types: spina bifida occulta, men ...

, a

congenital disorder A birth defect, also known as a congenital disorder, is an abnormal condition that is present at birth regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disabilities that may be physical, intellectual, or developmental. The disabilities c ...

that paralyzed her from the waist down. After her birth mother abandoned her in an

orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or a ...

that was too poor to afford a

wheelchair A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), ce ...

for her, she walked on her hands for the first six years of her life. The doctors told her she was so sick that she had very little time to live. While in the orphanage, she met Deborah McFadden, who was visiting Russia as a commissioner of disabilities for the

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is " ...

. Deborah and her partner Bridget O'Shaughnessy adopted Tatyana and took her to live in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

."After legal wrangle, teen wheelchair racer competes against peers"
, ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'', April 19, 2006. Retrieved 2013-04-20. McFadden took up a variety of sports while growing up to strengthen her muscles: first swimming, then gymnastics, wheelchair basketball, sled hockey and track and field. McFadden attended the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Uni ...

studying for a degree in Human Development and Family Studies, was a member of the Theta chapter of

Phi Sigma Sigma Phi Sigma Sigma (), colloquially known as Phi Sig, was the first collegiate nonsectarian sorority to allow membership of women of all faiths and backgrounds. The sorority was founded on November 26, 1913, and lists 60,000 initiated members, 115 ...

, and was on the University of Illinois

wheelchair basketball Wheelchair basketball is basketball played by people with varying physical disabilities that disqualify them from playing a non-disabled sport. These include spina bifida, birth defects, cerebral palsy, paralysis due to accident, amputations (of ...

team."Last three weeks a marathon for McFadden"
, by John Jeansonne, November 7, 2010, ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and fo ...

''. Retrieved 2013-04-23.

Competition

McFadden began racing at the age of eight. Competing in the

2004 Summer Paralympics ) , nations = 136 , athletes = 3,806 , events = 519 in 19 sports , opening = 17 September , closing = 28 September , opened_by = President Costis Stephanopoulos , cauldron = Georgios Toptsis , stadium = Olympi ...

Athens, Greece Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

, she won a

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, et ...

in the women's 100 metres – T54 event; a

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receiv ...

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 The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (), the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. It was f ...

Beijing, China } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, where 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. Until 2009, McFadden specialized in shorter distance sprints. She entered the

Chicago Marathon The Chicago Marathon is a marathon (long-distance foot race) held every October in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the six World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also a World Athletics Label Road Race. The Chicago Marathon is the fourth-largest r ...

in 2009 as a lark. Unexpectedly, she won, finishing so soon that her mother didn't have her camera ready to record the victory. That was the first of a series of marathon victories for her, including

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 2010, Chicago in 2011, London in 2011, and Boston and New York in 2015."Tatyana McFadden looking to go far and fast at Paralympics"
, by Kevin Cowherd, ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by T ...

'', August 25, 2012
Also online
at the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

''. Retrieved 2013.04.23. McFadden's coach at the

is Adam Bleakney, himself a veteran wheelchair racer. Tatyana and her sister Hannah competed in the same

final (100m – T54 in

London 2012 The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, th ...

). McFadden became the first athlete to win six

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have be ...

s at a championships during the

2013 IPC Athletics World Championships The 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships was the biggest track and field competition for athletes with a disability since the 2012 Summer Paralympics. It was held in Lyon, France, and lasted from 20 to 28 July. Around 1,100 athletes competed, ...

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

. She claimed gold in every event from the 100 meters through to the 5,000 meters. McFadden also won the Boston, Chicago, London, and New York marathons in 2013. This made her the first person – non-disabled or otherwise – to win the four major marathons in the same year. She also set a new course record for the

(1 hour, 42 minutes, 35 seconds). McFadden began 2014 by returning to the country of her birth, Russia, to compete in the Winter Paralympic Games in Sochi. After winning silver medal in the Sprint sitting cross-country skiing event; McFadden claimed she was "fulfilled" after winning the medal in front of all of her family including her biological mother. McFadden finished in 5th place in the Women's . Just over a month after Sochi, McFadden returned to wheelchair racing at the London Marathon, where she successfully defended her title in a new course record time. In 2015 McFadden won the NYC marathon, and broke its women's course record by seven minutes and 20 seconds (her time was 1 hour, 43 minutes and four seconds). On October 8, 2017, McFadden won the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. On April 16, 2018, McFadden won the 122nd Boston Marathon. On October 10, 2021, McFadden won the Bank of Chicago Marathon.

Activism

McFadden had difficulty competing at high school.

Atholton High School Atholton High School is a high school in Columbia, Maryland, United States and is a part of the Howard County public school system. The school hosts an Army JROTC program. The school mascot is the Raider. History Atholton takes its name from a ...

would not allow her to race at the same time as non-disabled runners, with officials saying her racing chair created a safety hazard and gave her an unfair advantage (as the best wheelchair racers are noticeably faster than runners over long distances). She competed in separate wheelchair events at high school meets, meaning that she would circle around an otherwise empty track by herself, which embarrassed her. In 2005 Tatyana and Deborah McFadden filed suit against the Howard County Public School System and won the right for her to race at the same time as the runners starting in 2006, though her score would not be counted for her team. Her legal victory led to its own controversies, though. In 2006, one of her Atholton teammates lost her victory in the 1600 meters at the state championships after McFadden was ruled to have been acting as a " pacer" for her, by encouraging her rather than racing on her own. And in 2008, a rival runner and McFadden collided after a 200-meter race, causing the other runner her miss her conference title meet from the injuries. McFadden's lawsuit is credited for the eventual passage of the

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

Fitness and Athletics Equity for Students with Disabilities Act in 2008, which made Maryland the first state to require schools to provide equal physical education and athletic opportunities for students with disabilities. It is called Tatyana's Law."Public schools open sports to athletes with disabilities"
, by Glenn Graham and Jeff Seidel, ''

'', March 25, 2010. Retrieved 2013.04.23. She was also a leader of an ultimately unsuccessful effort against a 2012 Russian law to prohibit adoptions of Russian children by American parents."Russia’s Move to Block U.S. Adoptions Sets Off a Wave of Worry"
, by Erik Eckholm, ''

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 ...

'', December 22, 2012. Retrieved 2013.04.23.

Achievements

Women's wheelchair, London Marathon 2011

*2003: Member of U.S. Paralympics Track & Field National Team *2004: Silver medal, 100m; Bronze medal, 200m –

*2005: Gold medal, 100m; Two silver medals, 400m, 800m; Bronze medal, 200m – IPC Open European National Championships, Espoo, Finland *2006: Gold medal, 100m (WR); Two silver medals, 200m, 400m,) – IPC World Championships, Assen, The Netherlands *2007: Three second-place finishes, 200m, 400m, 800m – Meet in the Heat, Atlanta, Ga. *2007: Two first-place finishes, 200m, 800m – U.S. Paralympics Track & Field National Championships,

Atlanta, Ga 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 ...

. *2007: First place, 200m (WR) – Boiling Point Wheelchair Track Classic, Windsor,

Ontario, Canada Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

*2007: Two gold medals, 400m, 800m – Visa

Paralympic World Cup The 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 (BPA) in coordination with t ...

, Manchester,

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

*2008: Silver medal, 200m T54; silver medal, 400m T54; silver medal, 800m T54; bronze medal, Women's 4 × 100 m relay T53/T54 –

. *2010: Won the Open Women's Division of the

Shepherd Center Shepherd Center is a private, not-for profit hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1975, the 152-bed hospital focuses on the medical treatment, research and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injury and disease, acquired brain injury, ...

Wheelchair Division of the AJC

Peachtree Road Race The Peachtree Road Race (branded AJC Peachtree Road Race for sponsorship reasons) is an American 10-kilometer run held annually in Atlanta. After being held on Independence Day from 1970 to 2019, the race was cancelled because of the COVID pand ...

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital city, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, the mos ...

with the time of 23:47:66. *2011: Won the 2011 Open Women's Division of the

Wheelchair Division of the AJC

with the time of 23:39:26. *2012: Won the 2012 Open Women's Division of the

Wheelchair Division of the AJC

with the time of 23:53:08. *2012: 100m T54; 400m T54; gold medal, 800m T54; 1500m T54; marathon –

2012 Summer Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Ga ...

. *2013: Won the women's wheelchair divisions of the Boston, Chicago, London, and New York City marathons in 2013. This makes her the first person – non-disabled or otherwise – to win four major marathons in the same year. She also set a new course record for the Chicago Marathon (1 hour, 42 minutes, 35 seconds). *2013: Became the first athlete to win six gold medals at a championships during the

in Lyon. She claimed gold in every event from the 100 meters through to the 5,000 meters. *2014: Won the 2014

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was ...

wheelchair division. *2014: Won gold at the

London Marathon The London Marathon is an annual marathon held in London, United Kingdom, and is the 2nd largest annual road race in the UK, after the Great North Run in Newcastle. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically he ...

, in a new course record. *2014: Won the 2014 Open Women's Division of the

Wheelchair Division of the AJC

with the time of 23:17:42. *2014: Won the women's wheelchair division of the

2014 New York City Marathon The 2014 New York City Marathon was the 44th running of the annual marathon race in New York City, United States, which took place on November 2. The elite men's race was won by Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich of Kenya with a time of 2:10:59 and the ...

with a time of 1:42:16. *2015: Won gold at the

, in a new course record. *2015: Won the 2015 Open Women's Division of the

Wheelchair Division of the AJC

with the time of 23:57:23 *2015: Won the women's wheelchair division of the

2015 New York City Marathon The 2015 New York City Marathon was the 45th running of the annual marathon race in New York City, United States, which took place on November 1. The event was organised by the New York Road Runners and sponsored by Tata Consultancy Services ( ...

. *2016: Won the 2016

wheelchair division. *2016: Won the 2016 Open Women's Division of the

Wheelchair Division of the AJC

with the time of 23:14.56 *2016: Won gold at the 2016

wheelchair division. *2016: Won silver in the 100 meters at the

2016 Summer Paralympics The 2016 Summer Paralympics (), the 15th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for disabled sports, athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, fro ...

. *2017: Won the Bank of America Chicago Marathon wheelchair division. *2018: Won the 2018

wheelchair division. *2021: Won the 2021 Open Women's Division of the

Wheelchair Division of the AJC

with the time of 24:07.52 *2021: Won the 2021 Chicago Marathon wheelchair division, earning her 9th Chicago Marathon title.Tatyana McFadden Reclaims Crown with 2021 Chicago Marathon Victory at NBC Chicago Published 10/10/2021
/ref>

References

External links

* * *
Tatyana McFadden's Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:McFadden, Tatyana 1989 births Living people American adoptees American female sprinters Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Cross-country skiers at the 2014 Winter Paralympics Illinois Fighting Illini Paralympic athletes Medalists at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2014 Winter Paralympics Medalists at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Paralympic cross-country skiers of the United States Paralympic gold medalists for the United States Paralympic silver medalists for the United States Paralympic bronze medalists for the United States Paralympic track and field athletes of the United States Paralympic wheelchair racers People with spina bifida People with paraplegia Russian emigrants to the United States Athletes from Saint Petersburg Track and field athletes from Baltimore American female wheelchair racers American female cross-country skiers Atholton High School alumni People from Howard County, Maryland Paralympic medalists in athletics (track and field) Paralympic medalists in cross-country skiing 21st-century American women 20th-century American women