Amanda McGrory explained
Amanda McGrory (born June 9, 1986)[1] is an American wheelchair athlete.
Biography
McGrory graduated from Unionville High School in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.She attended the University of Illinois, graduating in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in psychology and in 2018 with a masters in information science. While an undergraduate she competed both in basketball and in track and field.[2]
McGrory earned four medals during the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China: gold in the 5000 meters, silver in the marathon, and bronze in both the 800 meters and the 4×100 meter relay. She won both the 2009 London and 2006 New York Marathon wheelchair races.
She has also competed in the World Championships for Track and Field (2006, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017) and Marathon (2015), winning 10 medals over the years (3 gold, 3 silver, 4 bronze).
McGrory was diagnosed with transverse myelitis when she was five years old, after an allergy shot inflamed her spinal cord.[3] Such an occurrence was "I think there was one chance in six million", she said. "But I think it's usually better when you are young because kids are resilient. I couldn't ride a two-wheeler anymore, but my friends could still be outside. But I was the coolest kid in school because I had a wheelchair."[4]
In 2021, I Love Libraries announced that she had started to work as the staff archivist for the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).[5]
Selected results
- 2011: First Place- New York City Marathon[6]
- 2011: First Place- London Marathon[7]
- 2009: First Place- London Marathon[8]
- 2009: First place- Grandma's Marathon[9]
- 2008: Gold medal, 5000m T54; silver medal, Marathon T54; bronze medal, 800m T53; bronze medal, Women's 4 × 100 m 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.
- 2007: First place – Open Women's Division of the Shepherd Center Wheelchair Division of the AJC Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia with the time of 23:11:05.
- 2006: Gold medal (800m), silver medal (400m) – IPC Athletics World Championships, Assen, Netherlands
- 2006: First place – ING New York City Marathon, New York City, New York[10]
- 2006: Visa Paralympic World Cup, Manchester, United Kingdom
- 2005: Represented the US at the Jr. Pan-Am Games in Windsor, Ontario
- 2003, 2004: Traveled to Australia as a member of the USA Jr. Team
Notes and References
- Web site: Athlete Biography: McGrory, Amanda . . 2008 . May 19, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081201171336/http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRMP/ENG/BIO/Athlete/5/1200885.shtml . December 1, 2008 . dead .
- News: Amanda McGrory. https://web.archive.org/web/20180701222307/https://www.teamusa.org/para-track-and-field/athletes/Amanda-McGrory. dead. July 1, 2018. Team USA. July 1, 2018.
- News: Despite disability, Unionville's McGrory knows no limits . January 6, 2022 . Daily Local News . November 13, 2003.
- News: Pemstein . Bill . Paralympian Amanda McGrory Ensures 'No One Sits on the Sidelines' . January 6, 2022 . Patch . July 22, 2012.
- News: Simon . Lindsey . Meet the Athlete-Turned-Archivist Preserving Olympic and Paralympic Stories . 14 March 2024 . . 14 April 2021.
- News: Amanda McGrory Wins Women's Wheelchair Marathon In Record Time . . AP . New York City . November 6, 2011 . August 28, 2018.
- News: London Marathon 2011: David Weir wins fifth wheelchair title . Gareth A. . Davies . . April 17, 2011 . August 29, 2018.
- News: London Marathon: David Weir beaten in final sprint as Kurt Fearnley breaks course record . Gareth A. . Davies . . April 26, 2009 . August 29, 2018.
- News: Minn. native Raabe wins Grandma's Marathon . . Duluth . June 20, 2009 . August 29, 2018.
- Web site: ING New York City Marathon . . November 5, 2006 . August 29, 2018.
