At the University of Illinois Tatyana McFadden?s teammates on the school?s wheelchair racing team have nicknamed her Beast. Why? Because Tatyana is strong. In the gym people stop and gawk at how much she is lifting. In a road race spectators marvel at how she flies up hills that bring other racers to a crawl. On the track her competitors hang their heads as they see Tatyana?s rippling shoulders cross the finish line ahead of them. Tatyana is strong as a beast. When Tatyana hears the nickname, however, she giggles. Being strong is not something Tatyana has ever had to think about, it is something that she has embodied her whole life.
Major Achievements :
2009: First place, Chicago Marathon
2008: Silver medals, 200m, 400m, 800m; bronze medal, Women’s 4 x100m relay – Paralympic Games, Beijing, China.
2007: Gold medals, 200m, 800m – U.S. Paralympics Track & Field National Championships, Atlanta, GA; Gold medals 400m, 800m – Visa Paralympic World Cup, Manchester, UK; Gold medal 200m (WR) – Boiling Point Wheelchair Track Classic, Windsor, Canada
2006: Gold medal, 100m (WR); Silver medals, 200m, 400m – IPC World Championships, Assen, The Netherlands
2005: Gold medal, 100m; Silver medals, 400m, 800m; Bronze medal, 200m – IPC Open European National Championships, Espoo, Finland
2004: Silver Medal, 100m; Bronze medal, 200m Paralympic Games, Athens, Greece