Mallory Weggemann (born March 26, 1989) is an American Paralympic swimmer.

Career

She became a

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paraplegic after an epidural injection to treat post-shingles back pain in 2008.Paralympic swimmer Mallory Weggemann sets US record
She broke many world records in the S7 classification, and won multiple gold medals at the IPC Swimming World Championships in 2009 and 2010. At the

2012 Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Gam ...

, she was controversially reclassified to S8, a class for swimmers with less impairment. She won the S8 50 metre freestyle event in a new Paralympic record time. Just under four months after becoming paralyzed Mallory was back in the pool, with her eyes on gold at the 2012 Paralympic Games. Having achieved that goal, she decided it was time to chase her dream, to walk again. For years, this was something that was deemed impossible, but a new possibility arose and in order to achieve her goal, Mallory reached out to the public to ask for their support through a crowd funding Indiegogo campaign. On November 16, 2013, Mallory was able to "walk" again for the first time in nearly six years, with the aid of customized leg braces and forearm crutches. Weggemann trained for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and actively building upon her career outside of the pool through motivational speaking. Mallory was featured in "The Current," a documentary produced by Make A Hero, a non-profit organization focused on inspiring individuals with disabilities to enjoy the freedom of adaptive sports. In June 2021 the US announced the 34 Paralympic swimmers who would be going to the delayed

2020 Summer Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, was an international multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the International Paralym ...

in Tokyo. The women's team was Weggemann,

Jessica Long Jessica Tatiana Long (born February 29, 1992) is a Russian-American Paralympic swimmer from Baltimore, Maryland, who competes in the S8, SB7 and SM8 category events. She has held many world records and competed at five Paralympic Games, winning ...

McKenzie Coan McKenzie Coan (born June 14, 1996) is an American swimmer. At the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, she swam the 400m Freestyle in the S8 category. Coan was one of four S8 category swimmers chosen to compete for Team USA at the games. She later ...

Rebecca Meyers Rebecca Meyers (born November 20, 1994, in Baltimore) is a Paralympic swimmer of the United States. She won three gold and one silver medals in Rio 2016. She was also a member of the 2012 Paralympic Team, and won a silver and bronze in London. Re ...

and

Elizabeth Marks Sergeant First Class Elizabeth Marks (born August 7, 1990) is an American Paralympic swimmer who specializes in the 100m breaststroke distance. Early life Marks was born to James Marks, a U.S. Marine veteran who served during the Vietnam Wa ...

. Weggmann would go on to win several medals and break two records during the Tokyo Games. On April 14, 2022, Weggemann was named to the roster to represent the United States at the

2022 World Para Swimming Championships The 2022 World Para Swimming Championships was the 11th edition of the World Para Swimming Championships, an international swimming competition for athletes with a disability. It was held in Madeira from 12 to 18 June. The competition was origin ...

Honors and awards

* World Disabled Swimmer of the Year - 2009, 2010 * USA Swimming Disabled Swimmer of the Year ( Trischa L. Zorn Award) - 2009, 2010, 2011 * Best Female Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award - 2011

Personal life

She lives in

Eagan, Minnesota Eagan ( ) is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota. It is south of Saint Paul and lies on the south bank of the Minnesota River, upstream from the confluence with the Mississippi River. Eagan and the other nearby suburbs form the southern section o ...

.Team USA: Mallory Weggemann
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References

External links

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Mallory Weggemann on Trans World Sport

Mallory Weggemann - "Triumph over Tragedy" TEDx UNPlaza

Mallory Weggemann - "The Journey of New Mobility" Part 1

ERM Speaking Engagement
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weggemann, Mallory 1989 births Living people American disabled sportspeople American female freestyle swimmers S8-classified Paralympic swimmers Paralympic swimmers of the United States Paralympic gold medalists for the United States Paralympic silver medalists for the United States Paralympic bronze medalists for the United States Paralympic medalists in swimming Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Swimmers at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Swimmers at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2015 Parapan American Games American people of German descent Medalists at the World Para Swimming Championships People with paraplegia World record holders in paralympic swimming Sportspeople from Lawrence, Kansas People from Eagan, Minnesota University of Minnesota alumni 21st-century American women American female medley swimmers