Tatyana McFadden

Tatyana McFadden (born April 21, 1989) is an American Paralympic athlete of Russian descent in the T54 category. Born in Leningrad, she was diagnosed with spina bifida, a condition that left her paralyzed from the waist down. Abandoned by her birth mother, she spent her early years in an orphanage, where she walked on her hands due to the lack of a wheelchair. Adopted by Deborah McFadden and Bridget O'Shaughnessy, she moved to Baltimore. McFadden pursued various sports to strengthen her muscles, starting with swimming and then gymnastics. Eventually, she found her passion in wheelchair racing and became one of the most successful Paralympic athletes, winning twenty medals in multiple Summer Paralympic Games.