Miranda Uhl (born October 15, 1992) is an American

Paralympic The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaired ...

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

. She won a gold medal at the

2008 Summer Paralympics The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (), the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. It wa ...

. At the

Parapan American Games The Parapan American Games is an international multi-sport event for athletes with physical disabilities held every four years after every Pan American Games. The first Games were held in 1999 in Mexico City, Mexico. The 2003 Parapan American Ga ...

, Uhl won six gold medals and three

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, e ...

s. Born with

achondroplasia Achondroplasia is a genetic disorder with an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance whose primary feature is dwarfism. In those with the condition, the arms and legs are short, while the torso is typically of normal length. Those affected ha ...

, Uhl began to swim competitively at ten years old. She competed in the 2007 Parapan Games, where she won 8 medals.

Personal life

Uhl was born to Deanna and Alan Uhl on October 15, 1992. A day after being born, Uhl was determined to have

, restricting the growth of her limbs. She has a younger sister. When she was ten years old, Uhl started swimming competitively. She joined the

Dwarf Athletic Association of America The Dwarf Athletic Association of America (DAAA) is an American athletic organization that sponsors and organizes athletic events for people with dwarfism. History Founded in 1985, the DAAA's purpose is to develop, promote, and provide little peop ...

(DAAA) and started preparing for the

Paralympics The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaired ...

. At twelve years old, she joined the Gator Swim Club with Jennifer Davis as her coach. When she was fifteen years old, Uhl started having excruciating pain in her back and knees. Her coach, Jennifer Davis, convinced her to postpone surgery to straighten her

spine Spine or spinal may refer to: Science Biology * Vertebral column, also known as the backbone * Dendritic spine, a small membranous protrusion from a neuron's dendrite * Thorns, spines, and prickles, needle-like structures in plants * Spine (zoolo ...

. The surgery would have prevented Uhl from competing in the

, and Davis told her that anything could happen to her between the 2008 and 2012 Paralympics that might prevent her from competing in later Paralympics. According to Davis, "she's just an amazing swimmer — if she were normal size she'd be one of the best in the world, easily — and I would hate to see her lose an opportunity like this." Miranda Uhl swam two hours a day, six days a week. In middle school, Uhl attended St. Patrick's Catholic School in Gainesville,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

. She attended St. Francis High School, which is also in Gainesville, Florida. Her hometown is in Alachua,

. She attended

Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, and satellite campuses in Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, and Fort Pierce. FAU belongs to the 1 ...

, where she joined the swim team and was a

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditar ...

–

pre-medical Pre-medical (often referred to as pre-med) is an educational track that undergraduate students in the United States pursue prior to becoming medical students. It involves activities that prepare a student for medical school, such as pre-med course ...

major.

Swimming career

Miranda Uhl competed on the 2007 U.S. Parapan American swimming team. She won eight medals at the Parapan Games, five were gold and three were silver. In the

, Miranda Uhl won a gold medal in the 200-meter

individual medley Medley is a combination of four different swimming styles—backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle—into one race. This race is either swum by one swimmer as individual medley (IM) or by four swimmers as a medley relay. Individual ...

. She broke the world record in that competition with a 3:13.05 finish.

References

External links

US Paralympics Profile

Profile on the Official website of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uhl, Miranda 1992 births Living people American female freestyle swimmers Paralympic gold medalists for the United States Paralympic swimmers of the United States Sportspeople from Gainesville, Florida Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Paralympics World record holders in paralympic swimming Medalists at the 2008 Summer Paralympics People from Alachua, Florida Paralympic medalists in swimming 21st-century American women American female medley swimmers American female butterfly swimmers American female backstroke swimmers Medalists at the 2007 Parapan American Games S6-classified Paralympic swimmers