Miranda Uhl

Last updated

Miranda Uhl
Personal information
NationalityFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Born (1992-10-15) October 15, 1992 (age 31)
Gainesville, Florida, United States
Height4 ft 2 in (1.27 m) [1]
Sport
Sport Swimming
Strokes Individual medley, butterfly, freestyle, backstroke
ClubGator Swim Club
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Paralympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2008 Beijing 200 m individual medley
Paralympic World Cup
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2007 Manchester 100 m butterfly
Parapan American Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2007 Rio de Janeiro 50 m butterfly
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2007 Rio de Janeiro 100 m backstroke
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2007 Rio de Janeiro 100 m breaststroke
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2007 Rio de Janeiro 100 m breaststroke
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2007 Rio de Janeiro 200 m individual medley
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2007 Rio de Janeiro 400 m freestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2007 Rio de Janeiro 500 m freestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2007 Rio de Janeiro 100 m backstroke
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2007 Rio de Janeiro 4 x 100 metre medley

Miranda Uhl (born October 15, 1992) is an American Paralympic swimmer. She won a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Paralympics. At the Parapan American Games, Uhl won six gold medals and three silver medals.

Contents

Born with achondroplasia, Uhl began to swim competitively at ten years old. She competed in the 2007 Parapan Games, where she won 8 medals.

Personal life

Uhl was born to Deanna and Alan Uhl on October 15, 1992. [2] [3] A day after being born, Uhl was determined to have achondroplasia, [2] restricting the growth of her limbs. [4] She has a younger sister. [2] When she was ten years old, Uhl started swimming competitively. She joined the Dwarf Athletic Association of America (DAAA) and started preparing for the Paralympics. [3]

At twelve years old, she joined the Gator Swim Club with Jennifer Davis as her coach. [5] When she was fifteen years old, Uhl started having excruciating pain in her back and knees. [5] Her coach, Jennifer Davis, convinced her to postpone surgery to straighten her spine. [5] The surgery would have prevented Uhl from competing in the 2008 Summer Paralympics, and Davis told her that anything could happen to her between the 2008 and 2012 Paralympics that might prevent her from competing in later Paralympics. According to Davis, "she's just an amazing swimmer — if she were normal size she'd be one of the best in the world, easily — and I would hate to see her lose an opportunity like this." [5] Miranda Uhl swam two hours a day, six days a week. [6]

In middle school, Uhl attended St. Patrick's Catholic School in Gainesville, Florida. [6] She attended St. Francis High School, which is also in Gainesville, Florida. [7] Her hometown is in Alachua, Florida. [8] She attended Florida Atlantic University, where she joined the swim team and was a biologypre-medical major. [1]

Swimming career

Miranda Uhl competed on the 2007 U.S. Parapan American swimming team. [9] She won eight medals at the Parapan Games, [10] five were gold and three were silver. [3] [11] In the 2008 Summer Paralympics, Miranda Uhl won a gold medal in the 200-meter individual medley. [12] She broke the world record in that competition with a 3:13.05 finish. [13] [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Wayte</span> American swimmer (born 1965)

Mary Alice Bradburne is an American former competition swimmer, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and television sports commentator. During her international swimming career, Wayte won ten medals in major international championships, including four golds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Long</span> Russian-American Paralympic swimmer

Jessica Tatiana Long is a Russian-American Paralympic swimmer from Baltimore, Maryland, who competes in the S8, SB7 and SM8 category events. She has held many world records and competed at five Paralympic Games, winning 29 medals. She has won over 50 world championship medals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Serio</span> American wheelchair basketball player

Steven Dillon Serio is a wheelchair basketball player. As a co-captain of the USA Men's National Wheelchair Basketball Team, he led the American men to their first Paralympic gold medal since 1988 at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games and defended the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. He currently plays for the New York Rolling Knicks in the NWBA Championship Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States at the 2008 Summer Paralympics</span> Sporting event delegation

The United States sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China. A total of 213 U.S. competitors took part in 18 sports; the only 2 sports Americans did not compete in were soccer 5-a-side and 7-a-side. The American delegation included 16 former members of the U.S. military, including 3 veterans of the Iraq War. Among them were shot putter Scott Winkler, who was paralyzed in an accident in Iraq, and swimmer Melissa Stockwell, a former United States Army officer who lost her left leg to a roadside bomb in the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellie Simmonds</span> British Paralympic swimmer

Eleanor May Simmonds, OBE is a British former Paralympian swimmer who competed in S6 events. She came to national attention when she competed in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, winning two gold medals for Great Britain. She was the youngest member of the team, at the age of 13.

Stephanie Dixon, is a Canadian swimmer. Prior to the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, Dixon had accumulated fifteen Paralympic medals and is considered to be one of the best swimmers with a disability in the world.

Erin Popovich is a three-time United States Paralympic swimmer. She has won 14 career Paralympic gold medals, and 19 total.

Ashley Tara Tappin, also known by her married name Ashley Doussan, is an American former competition swimmer and three-time Olympic champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yip Pin Xiu</span> Singaporean Paralympic swimmer

Yip Pin Xiu is a Singaporean backstroke swimmer. She is a five-time Paralympic gold medallist and 5 time World Champion, with two world records in the 50 m backstroke S2 and the 100 m backstroke S2. Yip is Singapore's most decorated Paralympian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Rogers</span> American Paralympic athlete

Jessica Rogers is an American wheelchair basketballer, wheelchair racer and swimmer. She is also the founder of the International Sacral Agenesis/Caudal Regression Syndrome Association, or iSACRA, an organization for information sharing, support, and networking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Edmondson</span> Australian Paralympic swimmer

Elizabeth Mary Edmondson PLY is an Australian Paralympic competitor and current Australian Masters competitor in swimming. She became a paraplegic after contracting polio as a small child. She won several medals in the 1964 and 1968 Summer Paralympics. She subsequently retired from swimming, only taking up the sport again in 2006 to compete in the 2008 FINA World Masters Championships in Perth.

Sarah Bowen, OAM(born 15 April 1984) is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. She was born in Geelong with achondroplasia dwarfism. She competed in four events at the 2004 Athens Games and won a gold medal in the Women's 100m Breaststroke SB6 event, for which she received a Medal of the Order of Australia. At the 2008 Beijing Games, she competed in three events and won a silver medal in the Women's 100m Breaststroke SB6 event.

Aurélie Rivard is a Canadian Paralympic swimmer. After winning three Paralympics gold medals, claiming a silver Paralympic medal and setting two World Records and a Paralympic Record at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the Paraswimmer was named Canada's flag-bearer for the closing ceremony.

Chelsey Gotell is a Canadian Paralympic swimmer and 12-time medalist. She has oculocutaneous albinism which causes her to have poor vision.

Andrea Cole is a Canadian former Paralympic swimmer. She competed as a member of Team Canada at the 2000 Summer Paralympics, 2004 Summer Paralympics, and 2008 Summer Paralympics. She set a Canadian record in the women's SM8 200-m individual medley in 2002 with a time of 3:03.04, which was beaten in 2016.

Morgan Bird is a Canadian Paralympic swimmer who competes in international level events, she specialises in freestyle. She won a bronze medal, at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, in Women's 34pts 4x100m relay. She is a double Parapan American Games champion and double World silver medalist.

Nadia Soledad Báez is a blind Argentine Paralympic swimmer who competes in international level events. She competed at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, winning a bronze medal. She competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.

Arianna Hunsicker is a Canadian Paralympic swimmer who competes in the S10 class.

Daniela Giménez is an Argentine Paralympic swimmer who competes in international level events, she mostly participates in breaststroke events. She competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics, 2012 Summer Paralympics, 2016 Summer Paralympics, and 2020 Summer Paralympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cecília Jerônimo de Araújo</span> Brazilian Paralympic swimmer

Cecília Kethlen Jerônimo de Araújo is a Brazilian Paralympic swimmer. She represents Brazil in elite international competitions. She represented Brazil at the 2016 and 2020 Summer Paralympics.

References

  1. 1 2 King, Chuck (November 7, 2011). "Don't sell her short". FAUOwlAccess. Archived from the original on December 15, 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 Kirkland, Gary (September 6, 2003). "She's short in stature, long on accomplishment". The Gainesville Sun . Archived from the original on July 28, 2019. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 "Miranda Uhl". Paralympics. Archived from the original on August 25, 2008. Retrieved September 12, 2008.
  4. Cox, Craig (September 11, 2008). "Going for gold: Local girl leaves her mark in history". Alachua County Today . Archived from the original on September 18, 2008. Retrieved September 12, 2008.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Hyppolite, Karl (September 6, 2008). "American Uhl stands tall in pool". The Gainesville Sun . Archived from the original on September 20, 2008. Retrieved September 12, 2008.
  6. 1 2 Bornstein, Adam (April 10, 2007). "Paralympic hopeful is making a splash". The Gainesville Sun . Archived from the original on June 15, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2008.
  7. "2008-2009 Athletic Accomplishments: Swimming" (PDF). St. Francis High School . 2009. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 22, 2010. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
  8. Cox, Craig (August 14, 2008). "Girl to represent Alachua, U.S. at Paralympics in China". Alachua County Today . Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2008.
  9. "Athletes Nominated for 2007 U.S. Parapan American Swimming Team". USOC . March 26, 2007. Retrieved September 12, 2008.[ permanent dead link ]
  10. Bleiker, Ann (August 21, 2007). "Swimming: U.S. Swim team wraps up competition with 57 medals at Parapan Am Games". USOC . Archived from the original on June 7, 2007. Retrieved September 12, 2008.
  11. "Britain Celebrates Successful World Cup". Women Sport Report. May 11, 2008. Retrieved September 12, 2008.[ permanent dead link ]
  12. "World and Paralympic records flood the Water Cube". Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games . September 7, 2008. Retrieved September 12, 2008.
  13. "Uhl wins gold after setting world mark". The Gainesville Sun . September 7, 2008. Archived from the original on June 15, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2008.
  14. Schwarz, Alan (September 7, 2008). "Gold for a Swimmer Who Gets Faster as He Goes". The New York Times . Retrieved September 13, 2008.