BALTIMORE, September 11, 2024 – Marylander Tatyana McFadden is now the most decorated American Paralympian for the sport of track and field. McFadden, a wheelchair racer, won the silver medal in the women’s 100 meters T54 and the bronze medal in the universal relay at the Paralympic Games in Paris, which ended on Sept. 8.
Photography Credit: Debbie McFadden
McFadden got her start in competitive sports with the Bennett Blazers Physically Challenged Sports Program, a youth adaptive sports program at Kennedy Krieger Institute. She was one of four Blazer athletes who competed in Paris this year; this was her seventh time at the international competition. Wheelchair racer Daniel Romanchuk also won two medals—a gold medal in the men’s 5000 meters T54 and a bronze medal in the men’s 400 meters T54. This was his third time competing at the Paralympics. Taylor Winnett competed in swimming and Noah Hanssen in fencing.
McFadden’s latest two medals raise the total number of Paralympic medals she holds to 22. Twenty-one of those medals are for track and field and one medal is for cross country skiing. Bart Dodson, a wheelchair racer from Tennessee, held the previous track and field record.
“It has been wonderful to watch Tatyana’s career as she set and achieved each of her goals. We were rooting for her to break this record and become the new record holder,” said Gerry Herman, who co-directs the Bennett Blazers with his wife, Gwena Herman.
Throughout this year’s Paralympic Games, current Bennett Blazers athletes gathered to watch the four alumni compete, including Romanchuk’s gold medal win in the 5000 meters, and the Hermans provided regular social media updates on McFadden’s progress toward the new medal record.
The unprecedented but welcomed media attention for the Paralympics brings new opportunities to raise awareness about adaptive sports and the opportunities for both children and adults, Gwena Herman said.
“Our hope is that children will see these elite athletes and be encouraged to pursue sports, too,” she said.
- Click here to learn about the Bennett Blazers program at Kennedy Krieger.
- Click here to learn about Team USA’s Paralympians.
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About Kennedy Krieger Institute:
Kennedy Krieger Institute, an internationally known nonprofit organization located in the greater Baltimore-Washington, D.C., region, transforms the lives of more than 27,000 individuals a year through inpatient and outpatient medical, behavioral health and wellness therapies; home and community services; school-based programs; training and education for professionals; and advocacy. Kennedy Krieger provides a wide range of services for children, adolescents and adults with diseases, disorders and injuries that impact the nervous system, ranging from mild to severe. The Institute is home to a team of investigators who contribute to the understanding of how disorders develop while at the same time pioneering new interventions and methods of early diagnosis, prevention and treatment. Visit KennedyKrieger.org for more information about Kennedy Krieger.
