Rebecca Meyers

Last updated
Rebecca Meyers
Paralympian Becca Meyers - 51336792266 (cropped).jpg
Meyers during a visit to the Maryland State House in July 2021
Personal information
Nickname(s)Becca
Born (1994-11-20) 20 November 1994 (age 28)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Website Meyers on teamusa.org
Sport
CountryFlag of the United States.svg  USA
Sport Paralympic swimming
Disability class S12
Club Nation's Capital Swim Club
Medal record
Women's Swimming
Representing the Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Event1st2nd3rd
Paralympic Games 321
Deaflympics 001
Total322
Paralympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2016 Rio de Janeiro 400 m freestyle S13
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2016 Rio de Janeiro 100 m butterfly S13
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2016 Rio de Janeiro 200 m medley SM13
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2012 London 200 m medley SM13
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2016 Rio de Janeiro 100 m freestyle S13
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2012 London 100 m freestyle S13
Deaflympics
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2009 Taipei 4×200m freestyle relay

Rebecca Meyers (born November 20, 1994, in Baltimore [1] ) is a Paralympic swimmer of the United States. [2] She won three gold and one silver medals in Rio 2016. She was also a member of the 2012 Paralympic Team, and won a silver and bronze in London. [3] Rebecca Meyers has also competed at the 2009 Summer Deaflympics which was held in Taiwan, which is also her only appearance at the Deaflympics. [4] [5] She also clinched a bronze medal in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay event in the 2009 Summer Deaflympics. [6]

Contents

Biography

Meyers has Usher syndrome and has been deaf since she was born. [7] Since she was young she has used a cochlear implant, an electronic device that allows her to hear. [8] Meyers is also losing her vision to a disease called retinitis pigmentosa (RP), and has a Seeing Eye dog named Birdie, who helps her navigate the world. [9]

In 2015 and 2017, Meyers received a Best Female Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award. [10] She won gold in record time at the 2016 Summer Paralympics. [11]

She grew up in Baltimore, attended Notre Dame Prep and went on to graduate from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania where she studied history with a concentration in Disability Studies. She was a club swimmer with Loyola Blakefield Aquatics for eleven years. In 2012, she joined North Baltimore Aquatic Club where Michael Phelps trained. Becca then switched to Nation's Capital Swim Club located in Bethesda, MD, where she trains under Bruce Gemmell, Katie Ledecky's coach. [12] She holds multiple world records in the S13 and S12 classes.

In June 2021 the US announced the 34 Paralympic swimmers who would be going to the delayed 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo. The women's team was Meyers, Jessica Long, McKenzie Coan, Elizabeth Marks and Mallory Weggemann. [13] On July 20, 2021, Meyers withdrew from the Paralympics after being denied her request for a personal care assistant due to reduced allocation of staff members amid the COVID-19 pandemic. [14]

International

2019: London, England World Para Swimming Championships

[15]

2017: Mexico City, Mexico World Para Swimming Championships

[16]

2015: Glasgow, Scotland IPC Swimming World Championships

2014: Pasadena, California Pan Pac Para-Swimming Championships

2013: Montreal, Canada IPC Swimming World Championships

2011: Coimbra, Portugal 3rd World Deaf Swimming Championships

2009 Deaflympics Taipei, Taiwan

Awards and honors

2017:

2016:

2015:

2011

See also

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References

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