Mallory Weggemann

Mallory Weggemann

Mallory Weggemann and Olympic decathlete Bryan Clay at the Social Innovation Summit, December 2012
Personal information
Nationality American
Born (1989-03-26) March 26, 1989[1]
Lawrence, Kansas, USA[2]
Residence Minnesota, USA[2]
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[3]
Website malloryweggemannusa.com
Sport
Sport Swimming
Disability Paraplegia
Disability class S8, SB7, SM8
Club Rip Tide Swim Team[1]
Coached by Mike Parratto[1]
Medal record
Representing  United States
Swimming
Paralympic Games
2012 London 50m Freestyle S8
2012 London 4×100m Medley Relay 34pts
IPC Swimming World Championships
2009 Rio - SC 50m Freestyle S7
2009 Rio - SC 50m Butterfly S7
2009 Rio - SC 100m Freestyle S7
2009 Rio - SC 400m Freestyle S7
2009 Rio - SC 4x50m Freestyle Relay 20pts
2010 Eindhoven 50m Freestyle S7
2010 Eindhoven 100m Freestyle S7
2010 Eindhoven 400m Freestyle S7
2010 Eindhoven 50m Butterfly S7
2010 Eindhoven 100m Breaststroke SB6
2010 Eindhoven 200m Individual Medley SM7
2010 Eindhoven 4x100m Freestyle Relay 34pts
2010 Eindhoven 4x100m Medley Relay 34pts
2010 Eindhoven 100m Backstroke S7
Updated on 4 February 2013.

Mallory Weggemann (born March 26, 1989) is a Paralympic swimmer from the USA. She became paraplegic after an epidural injection to treat post-shingles back pain in 2008.[4][5] She broke many world records in the S7 classification, and won multiple gold medals at the IPC Swimming World Championships in 2009 and 2010.[6] At the 2012 Paralympics, she was controversially reclassified to S8, a class for swimmers with less impairment.[7][8] She won the S8 50 metre freestyle event in a new Paralympic record time.[9]

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 ultimate 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’s dream came true, and she was able to “walk” again for the first time in nearly six years with her loved ones by her side. [10] In order to accomplish this dream Mallory worked very closely with Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN to learn how to use her customized leg braces with the assistance of forearm crutches. Although, Mallory’s wheelchair will never be replaced by her customized leg braces and forearm crutches, they have allowed her to have short moments of upright mobility and the freedom of standing at her 5’ 9” stature again.

Currently, Weggemann continues to train in pursuit of the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and actively building upon her career outside of the pool through motivational speaking and other public appearances around the world. Mallory will also be 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. [11]

Honors and awards

References

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