SPOTLIGHT

Amanda McGrory nears the finish line in her racing wheelchair

TICKETS NOW

ON SALE

DISCOUNTS FOR MILITARY, FIRST RESPONDERS, SENIORS, GROUPS AND MORE!​

Sports rejuvenated Amanda McGrory, who became one of the world’s top wheelchair racers

Share

Amanda McGrory was just five years old when a rare virus left her paralyzed from the waist down. She long battled depression. It was a trip to an overnight camp for children with disabilities and the later discovery of wheelchair sports that rejuvenated McGrory.

She eventually attended the University of Illinois on an athletic scholarship, playing basketball and racing track, and has since become one of the world’s top wheelchair racers.

McGrory is a three-time Paralympian and eight-time Paralympic medalist. She also took her degree from Illinois, in library and information science, and works as the archives and collections curator for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee while continuing to train.



More in Spotlight
40 years later, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Digital Museum looks back at key events and moments from Lake Placid 1980, where the U.S. Men's Ice Hockey Team pulled off the Miracle on Ice and speed skater Eric Heiden won an unprecedented five gold medals.
More in spotlight
Skip to content