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Born | Downers Grove, Illinois, U.S. | April 2, 1992|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 5 ft 0 in (152 cm) [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 110 lb (50 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country | United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Paralympic Nordic skiing (Paralympic biathlon and Paralympic cross-country skiing), Paratriathlon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Disability class | LW11.5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Kendall Gretsch (born April 2, 1992) is an American triathlete, biathlete and cross-country skier. [1] [2] She was born with spina bifida. [1] She has competed in both Summer Paralympics and Winter Paralympics and has a unique distinction of winning gold medals in both Summer Paralympics and Winter Paralympics.
Gretsch attended Downers Grove North High School. Gretsch studied at Washington University in St. Louis where she earned a degree in Bio Medical Engineering. She was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi sorority. [3]
Gretsch made her Paralympic debut at the 2018 Winter Paralympics and created history in her first Paralympic appearance after claiming a gold medal in the women's 6km sitting biathlon event. [4] She eventually became the first American to claim a medal in a biathlon event in either the Olympics or the Paralympics. [5] Her medal was also the first gold medal achieved by the United States at the 2018 Winter Paralympics in the opening day of the multi-sport event. [6]
Gretsch also repeated her gold medal hunt at the 2018 Winter Paralympics after emerging as the winner in the women's 12km sitting event which is a part of the cross-country skiing event. [7] [8] This was her second Paralympic gold medal and the first gold medal that she achieved in cross-country skiing. [9]
Gretsch was one of two Paralympic gold winners representing the United States, the other being Daniel Cnossen, the first male biathlete to achieve a medal in either the Olympics or the Paralympics. [10] [11]
Gretsch made her debut Summer Paralympics appearance representing United States at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in paratriathlon event and it also marked her second Paralympic appearance after featuring in 2018 Winter Paralympics. [12] She went onto clinch her first Summer Paralympic medal in her maiden Summer Paralympic appearance. She became a Paralympic champion in the women's PTWC paratriathlon event whereas she notably defeated reigning world champion Lauren Parker of Australia to claim gold medal in the relevant competition. [13] [14]
She also became the fifth American and third American woman to have clinched gold medals in both Summer Paralympics and Winter Paralympics. [15]
She won the gold medal in the women's 7.5 km sitting cross-country skiing event at the 2021 World Para Snow Sports Championships held in Lillehammer, Norway. [16] [17] She also won gold medals in the women's 10 km sitting biathlon event [18] [19] and in the women's Individual sitting biathlon event. In cross-country skiing, she won the silver medal in the women's long-distance sitting event. [20] [21]
She competed in the Women's 6 kilometres Biathlon seated, winning a bronze medal. [22] [23]
Oksana Oleksandrivna Masters is an American multi-sport Paralympic athlete from Louisville, Kentucky. Having primarily specialized in rowing and cross-country skiing, she won the first ever United States medal in trunk and arms mixed double sculls at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London. She was also a part of the U.S. Nordic skiing team at the 2014 Winter Paralympics and the 2018 Winter Paralympics. She won two Paralympic medals in 2014 and five Paralympic medals in 2018, including two gold. She switched to para-cycling after the 2012 Paralympics and competed at the 2016 and 2020 Summer Paralympics, winning two gold medals at the latter. She competed at the 2022 Winter Paralympics, winning a gold medal in Biathlon – Women's 6 kilometres, sitting.
Anja Wicker is a German disabled cross-country skier and biathlete. She represented Germany at the 2014 Winter Paralympics claiming a gold and a silver medal in the biathlon events. She also represented Germany at the 2018 and 2022 Winter Paralympics.
Mikhalina Anatolyevna Lysova is a Russian visually impaired cross-country skier and biathlete. She has represented Russia at the Paralympics in 2010 and in 2014 competing in the cross-country skiing and biathlon events. She progressed to become one of the most consistent Paralympics Nordic skiers of Russia as she claimed 16 medals in her Paralympic career including 6 gold medals. She was also the recipient of the Order ''For Merit to the Fatherland'' and Order of Friendship awards.
Oksana Shyshkova is a Ukrainian visually impaired cross-country skier and biathlete. She has competed at the Winter Paralympics thrice in 2010, 2014 and 2018. Oksana Shyshkova claimed 6 medals at the 2017 IPC World Championships, which is her notable achievement in the sport of Nordic skiing. She competed at the 2022 Winter Paralympics, winning a gold medal, in Women's 6 kilometres.
Sviatlana Sakhanenka is a Belarusian visually impaired cross-country skier and biathlete. She made her Paralympic debut during the 2018 Winter Paralympics and she competed in the biathlon and cross-country skiing events.
Daniel Cnossen is an American biathlete and cross-country skier competing at the 2022 Winter Olympics. He won gold in the Biathlon at the 2018 Winter Paralympics – Men's 7.5 kilometres in the sitting division. He is a native of Topeka, Kansas and a double amputee. He lost both legs, above the knees, in the War in Afghanistan due to an improvised explosive device while he was a Navy SEAL. Cnossen also competed at the 2014 Winter Paralympics. Cnossen graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2002. He earned a Master of Public Administration in 2016 from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and also a Master of Theological Studies in 2018 from the Divinity School.
Benjamin Daviet is a French male cross-country skier and biathlete. He has competed at the Winter Paralympics twice in his career in 2014 and 2018. Daviet claimed the first Paralympic gold medal of his career after winning the men's 7.5km standing biathlon event during the 2018 Winter Paralympics.
Liudmyla Liashenko is a Ukrainian cross-country skier and biathlete. She has competed at the Paralympics in 2014, 2018 and 2022.
Lidziya Hrafeyeva is a Belarusian cross-country skier and biathlete. She has competed at the Winter Paralympics in 2014 and 2018.
Dzmitry Loban is a Belarusian male cross-country skier and biathlete. He has competed at the Winter Paralympics in 2010, 2014 and 2018 claiming 2 medals in his Paralympic career.
Yury Holub is a Belarusian male visually impaired cross-country skier and biathlete. He made his Paralympic debut during the 2018 Winter Paralympics and went onto claim 3 medals so far in his first Paralympic appearance including a gold medal. He claimed his first Paralympic gold medal after winning the men's 12.5km visually impaired biathlon event during the 2018 Winter Paralympics.
Ihor Reptyukh is a Ukrainian male cross-country skier and biathlete. He has represented Ukraine at the Paralympics in 2014 and 2018 claiming 4 medals in his Paralympic career including a gold medal which he claimed during the 2018 Winter Paralympics.
Clara Klug is a German visually impaired cross-country skier and biathlete. She made her Paralympic debut at the 2018 Winter Paralympics for Germany. Klug claimed a bronze medal in the women's 10km visually impaired biathlon event as a part of the 2018 Winter Paralympics.
Sin Eui-hyun is a South Korean male cross-country skier and biathlete. He is the first South Korean Paralympic competitor to clinch a gold medal in Winter Paralympics as he achieved it in his home nation at the 2018 Winter Paralympics.
Taras Rad is a Ukrainian amputated male cross-country skier and biathlete. He made his Paralympic debut at the age of 18 for Ukraine at the 2018 Winter Paralympics competing in Cross-country skiing and Biathlon events. He also went onto claim his first Paralympic medal during the 2018 Winter Paralympics after clinching the gold medal in the men's 12.5km sitting biathlon event.
Oleksandr Kazik is a Ukrainian male visually impaired cross-country skier and biathlete.
Vilde Nilsen is a Norwegian Paralympic cross-country skier and biathlete.
Jacob Adicoff is an American visually impaired cross-country skier and biathlete. He competed at the Winter Paralympics in 2014 and 2018.
Anthony Chalençon is a French male visually impaired cross-country skier and biathlete who also formerly competed as an alpine skier. He switched from alpine skiing to take up Paralympic Nordic skiing after a disastrous start to his Paralympic career as an alpine skier in 2010. Anthony Chalençon clinched his first Paralympic medals after clinching a bronze medal in the 15km visually impaired biathlon event and gold in the Open Relay during the 2018 Winter Paralympics.
Emily Young, also known as Emily Weekes, is a Canadian female Paralympic cross-country skier and biathlete. She has competed formerly as a wrestler and triathlete for Canada in international and national competitions.