| Arelle Middleton | |
| Sport: | Para-athletics |
| Event: | shot put |
| Disability Class: | F64 |
| Disability: | Congenital Femoral Deficiency |
| Birth Place: | Rancho Cucamonga, California, U.S. |
| Show-Medals: | yes |
Arelle Middleton is an American Paralympic athlete specializing in shot put and a wheelchair basketball player. She will represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.
Middleton has been involved in sports since five years old, playing, water polo, volleyball, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis, shot put and discus. She plays wheelchair basketball for the Rancho Halos in the junior division of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association. During the 2023–24 season she was named to the second team all-tournament and the female all-tournament teams.[1] [2]
She attends Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California, where she participates in track and field. During her freshman year in 2023, she won the California CIF High School Outdoor State Championship in shot put with a throw of 12.02 meters.[3] [4] She was subsequently named a 2023 U.S. Paralympics track and field high school All-American.[5]
Middleton made her international debut for the United States at the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships and won a silver medal in the shot put F64 event with a throw of 11.84 meters.[6] At 16 years old, she was the youngest member of team USA.[7]
In July 2024, during the U.S. Paralympic team trials, she had a throw of 11.79 meters and qualified to represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.[8] [9] At 16 years old, she is one of the youngest members on the team.[10]
Middleton was born with Congenital Femoral Deficiency which resulted in her left leg being six inches shorter than her right leg, and her left hip being underdeveloped. The difference has varied as she grows and had several surgeries to incrementally lengthen her leg.[4] Her mother, Sandra Van Embricqs, is a former professional basketball player, and is currently the girls basketball coach at Chino High School.[11] [12]