Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | Grand Haven, Michigan, U.S. | January 31, 1980|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 130 lb (59 kg) [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Website | MelissaStockwell.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Military service | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Branch/service | United States Army | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years of service | 2002–2005 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rank | First lieutenant | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Unit | 1st Cavalry Division | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Battles/wars | Iraq War | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Melissa Stockwell (born January 31, 1980 [2] ) is an American two-time Paralympic triathlete, swimmer and former U.S. Army officer. Competing in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in three swimming events, she returned to race in the 2016 Paralympic Games and won a bronze medal in the inaugural triathlon event on September 11, 2016.
She joined the ROTC at the University of Colorado in her sophomore year and was a senior in college when the September 11, 2001 attack happened. She had Transportation Officer Basic Course training in Virginia before being assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas. She was deployed in March 2004 to Iraq. [3]
A first lieutenant, she was the first female soldier to lose a limb in the Iraq War. She lost her left leg when a roadside bomb exploded when she was leading a convoy in Baghdad. [4] For her service in Iraq she was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. [5] Following her retirement from the military she works as a prosthetist [6] and served on the board of directors of the Wounded Warrior Project from 2005 to 2014. [6]
She subsequently became the first Iraq veteran chosen for the Paralympics. [7] She competed in three swimming events, the 100 m butterfly, 100 m freestyle, and 400 m freestyle, at the 2008 Summer Paralympics, and finished sixth, fifth, and fourth in her heats, respectively. [8] She was the U.S. team's flag bearer at the closing ceremonies. [5]
Turning to triathlon after the Beijing Paralympics, Stockwell was selected to represent the US in the 2010 ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Budapest. She won the Women's TRI-2 (above knee amputee) class, then successfully defended her TRI-2 World Champion title in 2011 and 2012. [9] She is a multiple US National Paratriathlon Champion in her classification, [10] [11] and was named USAT Paratriathlete of the Year in 2010 [12] and 2011. [13] As of January 2013 [update] Stockwell is at the top of the ITU's rankings in the women's TRI-2 class. [14] She won a bronze medal in the PT2 category at the 2016 Paralympics. [15]
Stockwell is a Level 1 USAT Triathlon coach and co-founder of Dare2Tri, a Chicago-based triathlon club specifically for athletes with disability. [6] [16]
Sarah Reinertsen is an American Paralympic triathlete and former track athlete. She was born with proximal femoral focal deficiency, a bone-growth disorder; her affected leg was amputated above the knee at age seven.
Sandra "Sandy" Dukat is an American Paralympic athlete. Born with proximal femoral focal deficiency, she had her right leg amputated above the knee at the age of four. She has competed internationally in alpine skiing, swimming and triathlon. As of February 2013, she holds the marathon world record for above-knee amputee women.
Marayke Caroline Jonkers is a retired Australian Paralympic swimmer and paratriathlete. She won two bronze medals at the 2004 Athens Paralympics and a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, along with a bronze medal at the 2010 Budapest ITU Triathlon World Championships.
Miriam Sheppard is a former New Zealand athlete. She was the 2009 ITU Paratriathlon World Champion in TRI3 classification. In addition, she represented New Zealand at the 2004 Summer Paralympic Games. in Athens, Greece, in swimming, as well as at the 2005 CPISRA World Games – in both swimming and track & field. Jenkins is affected by mild cerebral palsy in her left side.
Lindy Hou, is an Australian tandem cyclist and triathlete from Hong Kong. Arriving in Australia with her family in 1974, she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa in the mid-1980s and became legally blind in 1996. She has won six medals at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Paralympics.
Claire McLean is an Australian Paralympic cyclist and paratriathlete. She represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics when paratriathlon made its debut at the Paralympics.
Warrior Champions: From Baghdad to Beijing is a 2009 American documentary film directed by the Renaud Brothers. The films tells the individual stories of four American soldiers who lost limbs or suffered paralysis in the Iraq War, and of their training to try for a position on the 2008 U.S. Paralympic team and their journey to the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing.
Paratriathlon classification is the classification system for athletes participating in paratriathlon. It is governed by the World Triathlon The sport has been included in the 2016 Summer Paralympics.
Claire Cashmore, is a Paralympic Swimming Champion and PTS5 classified British paratriathlete. She has been to four Paralympic Games with swimming and has won 4 bronze, 3 silver, and 1 gold medal. Cashmore also broke the world record in the SM9 100m Individual Medley in 2009. She decided to switch to competing in paratriathlon after winning gold and silver at the Paralympic Games in 2016, and became ITU World Champion in the PTS5 classification in 2019. Claire Cashmore is based in Loughborough, England. She was born in Redditch, England, without a left forearm.
Bill Chaffey is an Australian paratriathlete who won his fifth world championship in 2015. He represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics when paratriathlon made its debut at the Paralympics.
Clare Cunningham is a retired Paralympic swimmer and triathlete who represented Great Britain. She was born without her left forearm.
Faye McClelland is a British paratriathlete who competes in the PT4 category. As of May 2016, she is the 3rd-ranked women's PT4 athlete internationally. She finished fourth at the 2016 Summer Paralympics. Previously she won the ITU world title in her classification in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, placing second in 2014. In 2016 Faye competed in the Paralympics in Rio, placing 4th.
Jane Egan is a British paratriathlete. She competes using a handcycle and a racing wheelchair. She was 2010, 2011 and 2013 World Champion and 2010, 2011 and 2012 and 2013 European Champion in her classification.
Sally Pilbeam (1978) is an arm amputee Australian paratriathlete. In 2014, she won a gold medal at the 2014 World Triathlon Series Final in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Kate Næss is an Australian paraequestrian and paratriathlete. She won a bronze medal at the 2015 World Triathlon Grand Final. She represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics when paratriathlon made its debut at the Paralympics.
Brant Garvey is an Australian leg amputee paratriathlete. He represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics when paratriathlon made its debut at the Paralympics.
Melissa Reid is a visually impaired British paratriathlete who competes in the PTVI classification. She is a Paralympic bronze medallist and a former World and European Champion. She is based in Falmouth in Cornwall.
Allysa Seely is an American paratriathlete and gold medalist at the 2016 and 2020 Summer Paralympics.
Megan Fisher is a Canadian-American Paralympic athlete. She has won one gold, two silver, and one bronze medal for Team USA at the Paralympic Games.
George Peasgood is a British paratriathlete who competes in the PTS5 classification. He represented Great Britain at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, where he finished seventh. Peasgood has won the GBR Paratriathlon National Championships four times- 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019. George Peasgood is based in Loughborough, England where he trains at the Loughborough Performance Centre. He was born in Saffron Walden, Essex.