Mallory Weggemann

Mallory Weggemann
Mallory Weggemann and Olympic decathlete Bryan Clay at the Social Innovation Summit, December 2012
Personal information
Nationality American
Born (1989-03-26) March 26, 1989[1]
Lawrence, Kansas, USA[2]
Residence Minnesota, USA[2]
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[3]
Website malloryweggemannusa.com
Sport
Sport Swimming
Disability Paraplegia
Disability class S8, SB7, SM8
Club Rip Tide Swim Team[1]
Coached by Mike Parratto[1]
Updated on 4 February 2013.

Mallory Weggemann (born March 26, 1989) is a Paralympic swimmer from the USA. She became a T10-complete paraplegic after an epidural injection to treat post-shingles back pain in 2008.[4][5][6] She broke many world records in the S7 classification, and won multiple gold medals at the IPC Swimming World Championships in 2009 and 2010.[7] At the 2012 Paralympics, she was controversially reclassified to S8, a class for swimmers with less impairment.[6][8] She won the S8 50 metre freestyle event in a new Paralympic record time.[9]

Just under four months after becoming paralyzed Mallory was back in the pool, with her eyes on Gold at the 2012 Paralympic Games. Having achieved that goal, she decided it was time to chase her ultimate dream, to walk again. For years, this was something that was deemed impossible, but a new possibility arose and in order to achieve her goal, Mallory reached out to the public to ask for their support through a crowd funding Indiegogo campaign. On November 16, 2013 Mallory was able to "walk" again for the first time in nearly six years, with the aid of customized leg braces and forearm crutches.[10] Although Mallory’s wheelchair will never be replaced by her braces and crutches, they have allowed her to have short moments of upright mobility and the freedom of standing at her 5’ 9" stature again.

Currently, Weggemann continues to train in pursuit of the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and actively building upon her career outside of the pool through motivational speaking and other public appearances around the world. Mallory will also be featured in "The Current," a documentary produced by Make A Hero, a non-profit organization focused on inspiring individuals with disabilities to enjoy the freedom of adaptive sports.[11]

Honors and awards

References

  1. 1 2 3 IPC infostradasports: Mallory Weggemann
  2. 1 2 Team USA: Mallory Weggemann
  3. ↑ "Mallory Weggeman: Turning the odds, in and out of the pool". American Public Media. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  4. ↑ "Athlete swimming to greatness after paralysis". CNN. 21 August 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  5. ↑ Paralympic swimmer Mallory Weggemann sets US record Archived 2011-07-08 at the Wayback Machine.
  6. 1 2 "Paralympics: Mallory Weggemann shocked by classification change". BBC. Retrieved 4 February 2013. I'm a T10 complete paraplegic, I have no feeling or movement from my belly button down and I'm competing against people who are bi-lateral double amputees below the knee, who have, from below the knee up, full function.
  7. ↑ "2010 IPC Swimming World Championships: Recaps and Results". Swimmers World Magazine. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  8. ↑ "The thin line: Paralympic classification causes controversy". CNN. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  9. ↑ "2012 London Paralympics: Mallory Weggemann Earns Redemption With Gold Medal After Reclassification". Swimming World Magazine. 2 September 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  10. ↑ "Paralympic star Mallory Weggemann walks for second time". BBC. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
  11. ↑ "Mallory Weggemann Shares Inspiring Story with the Today Show". NBC. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
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