Alexa Halko

Alexa Halko
Personal information
Nationality  United States
Born (2000-06-28) June 28, 2000
Midwest City, Oklahoma
Height 168 cm (5 ft 6 in)
Sport
Country United States
Sport Athletics
Disability class T34
Event(s) sprint / middle distance
Coached by Drew Mearns
Achievements and titles
Paralympic finals 2016
Medal record
Women's Paralympic athletics
Representing  United States
Summer Paralympics
2016 Rio400 m – T34
2016 Rio800 m – T34
2016 Rio100 m – T34
IPC World Championships
2015 Doha100m - T34
2015 Doha400m - T34
2015 Doha800m - T34
2017 London400 m T34
2017 London800 m T34
2017 London100 m T34

Alexa Halko (born June 28, 2000) is a parasport athlete from the United States competing mainly in T34 classification sprint and middle distance events.[1] She competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio, where she won a bronze and two silver medals for her country.

Personal history

Halko was born in Midwest City, Oklahoma, USA in 2000. Presently residing in Williamsburg, Virginia she attends Jamestown High School.[2] Halko has cerebral palsy.[1]

Athletics career

Halko started out in parasports at the age of seven after being approached at a farmer's market by a member of the Greater Oklahoma Disabled Sports Association. She had never used a wheelchair prior, but uses one to race. Classified as a T34 athlete, she entered her first senior competition in 2015, competing at a Grand Prix in Mesa, Arizona. That same year Halko was chosen to represent the United States at the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha.[1] She entered three events and won silver medals in two, the 100 metres and the 400 metres. In both she was beaten by Great Britain's Hannah Cockroft, the long-time dominant competitor in the women's T34 sprint events, but with a time of 18.55 seconds in the 100 metres, Halko set a new North America record.

The following year she qualified for the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio, where at the age of 16 she was the youngest member of the American track and field team.[3] In her first race, the 100 metres (T34) she edged out Amy Siemons of the Netherlands by one hundredth of a second to take the bronze medal.[3] She took her second medal a few days later with a silver in the 400 metres (T34), splitting the British pairing of Cockroft (gold) and Kare Adenegan (bronze).[4] Halko finished her first Paralympics with a second silver, finishing again behind Cockroft in the 800 metres (T34).[5]

The following year Halko travelled to London to compete in her second World Championship, winning bronze in the 100 metres and silver in both the 400 metres and 800 metres.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Halko, Alexa". Paralympic.org. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  2. ↑ Hodges, Ty (November 27, 2015). "Jamestown Sophomore, American Record Holder Has Eyes Set on 2016 Rio Paralympics". Williamsburg Yorktown Daily. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Alexa Halko wins bronze in first race at Rio Paralymics". Williamsburg Yorktown Daily. September 10, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Williamsburg's Alexa Halko wins silver in 400-meter wheelchair race at Rio Paralympics". Richmond Times Dispatch. September 14, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Halko adds another silver in final Rio race". The Virginia Gazette. September 16, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
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