Tracy Otto Explained

Tracy Otto
Country:United States
Alma Mater:University of Tampa
Birth Date:28 November 1995
Birth Place:Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Hometown:Plant City, Florida, U.S.
Disability:Quadriplegic
Disability Class:W1
Sport:Para-archery

Tracy Otto (born November 28, 1995) is an American Paralympic archer. She represented the United States at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.

Career

Otto began practicing para-archery in March 2021.[1]

Otto made her international debut for the United States at the 2023 World Para Archery Championships where she finished in ninth place.[2] In November 2023 she represented the United States at the 2023 Parapan American Games where she won a gold medal in the individual W1 event.[3] [4] She then competed at the 2024 Para Pan American Championships in April 2024 and won a gold medal in the mixed team W1 with Jason Tabansky, and a gold medal in the individual W1 event.[5] [6] [7]

On May 13, 2024, she was named to the roster to represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.[8] [9]

Otto finished eighth in the Paralympic women's individual W1 event.[10] She again competed with Jason Tabansky in the Paralympic mixed team W1 event, where the duo finished sixth.[11]

Otto aims to compete in the 2028 Summer Paralympics in Los Angeles.[12]

Personal life

Otto is from Florida. Before October 2019, Otto was an "aspiring fitness model".

On October 24, 2019, Otto's ex-boyfriend, Francpiero Del Medico, broke into her home and attacked Otto and her new boyfriend, Rick Riessle. Riessle was shot eight times with a pellet gun and stabbed in the back puncturing his lung.[13] Otto was shot five times and stabbed in the back of the neck. One pellet so severely damaged her left eye, surgeons had to remove it. He also shot a pellet down her throat, and sexually assaulted her with the weapon while firing it as he did.[14] [15] As a result of the attack, Otto was left paralyzed from the chest down, making her a C5 quadriplegic. She uses a wheelchair.

Following her rehabilitation, Otto's family placed her in a nursing home in Chicago.[16] Riessle brought Otto back to Florida, where he is now her full-time caregiver and arrow agent.[17] [18] In September 2024, Otto announced her engagement to Riessle and that she was pregnant, with her due date in January.[19]

Awards

In December 2024, Tracy Otto was included on the BBC's 100 Women list.[20]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2024-08-27 . Tracy Otto: Paralysed by her ex-boyfriend, now a Paralympian . 2024-09-01 . BBC Sport . en-GB.
  2. Web site: Tracy Otto aims for the Paralympics . gohawkeye.org . April 27, 2024 . July 15, 2024.
  3. Web site: November 22, 2023 . Otto adds another quota slot and more gold as USA tops the medal table at the Para Pan American Games . July 15, 2024 . USA Archery.
  4. Web site: Para Archery: USA Wins Gold Thanks to Tracy Otto . santiago2023.org . November 22, 2023 . July 15, 2024.
  5. Web site: April 26, 2024 . Otto and Tabansky seek to set the tone for the weekend in claiming the USA's first gold in Brazil . July 15, 2024 . USA Archery.
  6. Web site: April 27, 2024 . Golden finish for the USA at the 2024 Para Pan American Championships . July 15, 2024 . USA Archery.
  7. Web site: Tracy Otto . teamusa.com . July 15, 2024.
  8. Web site: Plant City Paralympian To Take Her Shot In Paris . Plant City Observer . Michelle . Caceres . June 27, 2024 . July 15, 2024.
  9. Web site: Plant City para archer qualifies for Paralympics after surviving brutal attack . . Allie . Corey . July 15, 2024 . July 15, 2024.
  10. Web site: Otto opens with a win before exiting to eventual back-to-back Paralympic champion . 2024-11-06 . . en.
  11. Web site: Paris 2024, where medals and memories meets marriage and motherhood . 2024-11-06 . . en.
  12. Web site: Back from Paris, Tracy Otto now practicing for Los Angeles . 2024-11-06 . baynews9.com . en.
  13. Web site: January 17, 2024 . Tracy Otto, chasing her dreams through archery, is keen to be a light in the world . July 15, 2024 . USA Archery.
  14. Web site: Riverview man sexually assaulted woman with pellet gun. She may never walk again. . . Tony . Marrero . October 25, 2019 . July 15, 2024.
  15. Web site: Hillsborough woman aims for Paralympics after pellet gun, knife attack . . Tony . Marrero . March 30, 2023 . July 15, 2024.
  16. Web site: Pugmire . Jerome . 2024-08-29 . Five years after brutal attack severed her spine, Tracy Otto proudly calls herself a Paralympian . 2024-09-01 . ABC News . en . Associated Press.
  17. Web site: Hillsborough woman finds passion for archery after brutal attack leaves her paralyzed from chest down . . Allie . Corey . April 18, 2023 . July 15, 2024.
  18. Web site: I was paralyzed by my jealous ex when he caught me in bed with a new man — now I’m a Paralympian . . Jane . Herz . March 2, 2023 . July 15, 2024.
  19. Web site: Paralympic Archer Tracy Otto Announces She's Pregnant Hours After Fiancé Proposes Under the Eiffel Tower . 2024-11-06 . People.com . en.
  20. News: BBC 100 Women 2024: Who is on the list this year?. BBC. 3 December 2024. 3 December 2024 .

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