Amanda McGrory
Making her first appearance at the Paralympic Games in 2008, Amanda McGrory made every moment count by medaling in four out of her five races. In the grueling 5,000m T54, McGrory won her first-ever gold medal in thrilling fashion, edging out Canada's Diane Roy by one hundredth of a second.
Amanda McGrory's racing roots can be traced back to a Variety Club Camp she attended in Pennsylvania as a youngster. A new sports program was starting for kids with physical disabilities and McGrory wanted nothing more than to take part.
She started out playing basketball, and then moved on to track and field. While she continues to compete in both sports at the University of Illinois, she says track and field is definitely her favorite.
"It's just something I loved from the time I was little," says McGrory. "I love being on the track, pushing my body, seeing how fast and how far I can go... how far I can take it. I also like the independent aspect, competing with myself, setting new goals for myself."
At the University of Illinois, McGrory is coached by U.S. Paralympics National Team member Adam Bleakney, to whom she credits her improvement in strength and speed over the past year.
McGrory is a student at the University of Illinois, where she is majoring in psychology. When not studying or racing, McGrory says she loves to go read and go shopping.
Major Achievements:
- 2009: First Place- London Marathon
- 2009: First place- Grandma's Marathon
- 2008: Gold medal, 5000m T54; silver medal, Marathon T54; bronze medal, 800m T53; bronze medal, Women's 4 x 100m relay T53/T54 - Paralympic Games, Beijing, China
- 2007: First place (5000m), second place (400m), third place (800m) - Meet in the Heat, Atlanta, Ga.
- 2007: Third place, 1500m - Boiling Point Wheelchair Track Classic, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
- 2007: Third place, 800m - U.S. Paralympics Track & Field National Championships, Atlanta, Ga.
- 2006: Gold medal (800m), silver medal (400m) - IPC Athletics World Championships, Assen, The Netherlands
- 2006: First place - ING New York City Marathon, New York, N.Y.
- 2006: Visa Paralympic World Cup, Manchester, United Kingdom
- 2005: Represented the USA at the Jr. Pan-Am Games in Windsor, Ontario
- 2003, 2004: Traveled to Australia as a member of the USA Jr. Team
