Track and Field

Athletics events have been a part of the Paralympic program since the first Paralympic Games in Rome, Italy, in 1960.

Events include track, throwing, jumping and the marathon.The rules of Paralympic track and field are almost identical to those of its non-disabled counterpart. Certain allowances are made to accommodate certain disabilities.

For example, the blind and more severely visually impaired runners compete with guide runners, who are often attached by the wrist with a tether to the runner. Paralympic track and field competition is open to male and female athletes with physical disabilities such as dwarfism, amputation/limb loss, blindness/visual impairment, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke.

Tatyanna McFadden

She is a 5-time Paralmpian with 17 medals in Track and Field. In the Rio 2016 Games, she won gold in the 400m, 800m. and 5000m races. She also won a grand slam with 5 marathons in a row. Born with spina bifida that left her paralyzed below the waist, she walked on her hands and did not use a wheelchair until moving to the United States at age 6.