SPOTLIGHT

Trischa Zorn has her hand over her heart during the playing of the national anthem at a medal ceremony

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Swimmer Trischa Zorn won an amazing 55 Paralympic medals

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Swimmer Trischa Zorn is the most successful athlete in the history of the Paralympic Games, having won 55 medals, including 41 gold medals, over seven Paralympics.

Zorn, who was born with a genetic eye condition that left her blind, first competed in the Paralympics at Arnhem 1980. Just 16, she won seven gold medals. She won six more gold medals at New York 1984 and continued on from there.

Zorn became the first visually-impaired athlete to earn an NCAA Division I scholarship, becoming a four-time All-American backstroker at the University of Nebraska. USA Swimming created the Trischa L. Zorn Award for a swimmer or relay team with a disability for outstanding performance and excellence.



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