Tatyana McFadden | My Greatest
My Greatest with Tatyana McFadden. US world and Paralympic champion Tatyana...
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Tatyana McFadden BiographyThere are very few athletes in history who have achieved so much under such unique circumstances. Born with spina bifida, Tatyana McFadden spent the first six years of her life in a Russian orphanage with virtually nothing, not even a wheelchair. Paralyzed from the waist down, and with no other way to move, she learned to walk on her hands simply to keep up with the other children. Little did she know that the powerful arms and hands she began to develop as a small child would someday carry her around the globe as one of the world’s greatest athletes.
In 1994, Deborah McFadden, then Commissioner of Disabilities for the U.S. Department of Health, came upon McFadden while visiting her orphanage on an otherwise routine business trip. She felt a connection, that they were meant to be together. Deborah adopted McFadden, brought her to the United States and gave her both a wheelchair and a new start on life.
Adjusting to her new home was not easy. Her lack of nutrition and proper healthcare in the orphanage made her weak and sickly. She enrolled in various sports groups in hopes that it would build her strength. McFadden tried every sport she could find; wheelchair basketball, swimming, ice hockey, and even scuba diving. From the start she fell in love with wheelchair racing— a sport in which her powerful arms immediately brought success. And so it began, McFadden’s extraordinary life as an athlete.
In 2004, at the age of 15, McFadden made her Paralympic debut in Athens. She was the youngest member of Team USA. She returned from Greece with her first two medals and a hunger to become the best. Two years later she won gold at the World Championships and set a new World Record in the 100-meter event.
At the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, at the age of 19, and still in the infancy of her athletic career, she earned four more medals. In London, in 2012, she added another four medals including three gold. One year later, at the 2013 World Championships, she became the first athlete in history to win six gold medals at the same competition. In 2014, at the Sochi Winter Paralympics, she won a silver in her debut in nordic skiing. In 2016, at the Rio Paralympics, McFadden continued her dominance in wheelchair racing by winning four gold and two silver medals. Currently, she holds 17 Paralympic medals (seven gold, seven silver, and three bronze, and 14 World Track and Field Championship medals (twelve gold, once silver, and one bronze).
McFadden challenged herself with the professional marathon circuit in 2009, coming in first place in the Chicago Marathon. In 2013 she became the first man or woman, able-bodied or disabled, to win the Grand Slam (four World Major Marathons in the same year). In 2014, 2015 and 2016 she repeated her wins of all four major marathons for an unprecedented four years in a row.
McFadden is now pursuing her graduate degree in Education at University of Illinois, having finished her undergraduate degree in Human Development and Family Studies there. When she isn’t racing or studying, she works encouraging all youth as a national advocate for healthy lifestyle thorough sports and nutrition, is a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts, and is on the board of the Spina Bifida Association of Illinois.
She is actively involved in advancing the rights of people with disabilities. McFadden’s efforts are credited for the passage of the Maryland Fitness and Athletics Equity for Students with Disabilities Act, requiring schools to give students with disabilities the opportunity to compete in interscholastic athletics, as well as federal legislation that ensures students with disabilities across the USA have equal access.
McFadden regularly speaks about her experiences as a person with a disability, an orphan and being an elite athlete. She has appeared on national and international television and radio often including The Ellen Show, The Today Show, Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, and Piers Morgan.
Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Tatyana McFadden and other top speakers and celebrities.
-Tatyana McFadden | My Greatest
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History-Making Paralympian Tatyana McFadden Is Here!
Meet Tatyana McFadden, Paralympic Wheelchair Racer
This September, when wheelchair racing sensation Tatyana McFadden competed in an unprecedented seven track and field events at the Paralympics in Rio de ...
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — As she rode the train to Moscow to begin her new life, Tatyana McFadden had no idea how appropriate the word she sang over and over ...
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There are very few athletes in history who have achieved so much under such unique circumstances. Born with spina bifida, Tatyana McFadden spent the first six years of her life in a Russian orphanage with virtually nothing, not even a wheelchair. Paralyzed from the waist down, and with no other way to move, she learned to walk on her hands simply to keep up with the other children. Little did she know that the powerful arms and hands she began to develop as a small child would someday carry her around the globe as one of the world’s greatest athletes.
In 1994, Deborah McFadden, then Commissioner of Disabilities for the U.S. Department of Health, came upon McFadden while visiting her orphanage on an otherwise routine business trip. She felt a connection, that they were meant to be together. Deborah adopted McFadden, brought her to the United States and gave her both a wheelchair and a new start on life.
Adjusting to her new home was not easy. Her lack of nutrition and proper healthcare in the orphanage made her weak and sickly. She enrolled in various sports groups in hopes that it would build her strength. McFadden tried every sport she could find; wheelchair basketball, swimming, ice hockey, and even scuba diving. From the start she fell in love with wheelchair racing— a sport in which her powerful arms immediately brought success. And so it began, McFadden’s extraordinary life as an athlete.
In 2004, at the age of 15, McFadden made her Paralympic debut in Athens. She was the youngest member of Team USA. She returned from Greece with her first two medals and a hunger to become the best. Two years later she won gold at the World Championships and set a new World Record in the 100-meter event.
At the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, at the age of 19, and still in the infancy of her athletic career, she earned four more medals. In London, in 2012, she added another four medals including three gold. One year later, at the 2013 World Championships, she became the first athlete in history to win six gold medals at the same competition. In 2014, at the Sochi Winter Paralympics, she won a silver in her debut in nordic skiing. In 2016, at the Rio Paralympics, McFadden continued her dominance in wheelchair racing by winning four gold and two silver medals. Currently, she holds 17 Paralympic medals (seven gold, seven silver, and three bronze, and 14 World Track and Field Championship medals (twelve gold, once silver, and one bronze).
McFadden challenged herself with the professional marathon circuit in 2009, coming in first place in the Chicago Marathon. In 2013 she became the first man or woman, able-bodied or disabled, to win the Grand Slam (four World Major Marathons in the same year). In 2014, 2015 and 2016 she repeated her wins of all four major marathons for an unprecedented four years in a row.
McFadden is now pursuing her graduate degree in Education at University of Illinois, having finished her undergraduate degree in Human Development and Family Studies there. When she isn’t racing or studying, she works encouraging all youth as a national advocate for healthy lifestyle thorough sports and nutrition, is a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts, and is on the board of the Spina Bifida Association of Illinois.
She is actively involved in advancing the rights of people with disabilities. McFadden’s efforts are credited for the passage of the Maryland Fitness and Athletics Equity for Students with Disabilities Act, requiring schools to give students with disabilities the opportunity to compete in interscholastic athletics, as well as federal legislation that ensures students with disabilities across the USA have equal access.
McFadden regularly speaks about her experiences as a person with a disability, an orphan and being an elite athlete. She has appeared on national and international television and radio often including The Ellen Show, The Today Show, Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, and Piers Morgan.
Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Tatyana McFadden and other top speakers and celebrities.
Tatyana McFadden is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics . The estimated speaking fee range to book Tatyana McFadden for your event is $10,000 - $20,000. Tatyana McFadden generally travels from Chicago, IL, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Brad Snyder, J.R. Martinez, Shannon Miller, Jim Morris and Dave Dravecky. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Tatyana McFadden for an upcoming event.
This September, when wheelchair racing sensation Tatyana McFadden competed in an unprecedented seven track and field events at the Paralympics in Rio de ...
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — As she rode the train to Moscow to begin her new life, Tatyana McFadden had no idea how appropriate the word she sang over and over ...
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This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.
All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.
If you are the talent, and wish to request removal from this catalog or report an issue with your profile, please click here.
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