Para Sports
Who are the most successful athletes in the Paralympics history?
Here, we look at the most successful athletes in the short Paralympics history.
Trischa Zorn (Source: Team USA)
The Paralympics is considered to be one of the biggest sporting events of the world. Held for the first time in the year 1960 in Rome, the Paralympics helped athletes with various disabilities to come together and compete against each other to be crowned the best in the world.
Since its inception in 1960, the Paralympics has served as an inspiration to many across the globe and continues to do so. Thousands and thousands of athletes have competed in various para-sports at the Paralympics since 1960, and here we look at the most successful athletes in the short Paralympics history.
Trischa Zorn
A swimmer from the United States of America (USA), Trischa Zorn is the most successful athlete in the history of the Paralympics. Blind by birth, Zorn competed in the S12, SB12 and SM12 categories at the Paralympics.
Having made her debut at the quadrennial event during the 1980 Arnhem Games, Trischa Zorn was a regular at the Paralympics till the 2004 edition and won a total of 55 medals, including 41 gold, 9 silver and 5 bronze. Thanks to her stellar career, Trischa Zorn was inducted into the Paralympic Hall of Fame nine years back in 2012.
Ragnhild Myklebust
Ragnhild Myklebust is not a very popular name amongst sports fans. A Norwegian by nationality, Myklebust is a winter Paralympian skier. Having made her Paralympics debut during the 1988 Winter Paralympics at Innsbruck, Austria, she went to clinch a total of 27 medals, including 22 gold in her career at the Paralympics.
Ragnhild Myklebust mainly competed in Cross Country Skiing, Biathlon and Ice sledge speed racing.
Beatrice Hess
A swimmer from France, Beatrice Hess, was affected by cerebral palsy and competed in the women's S5 category at the Paralympics. She was a regular feature at the Paralympics from 1984 to 2004, and ended her career with a total of 25 medals, including 20 gold and 5 silver.
Reinhild Moeller
Reinhild Moeller is a winter Paralympian from Germany who used to compete in the sport of alpine skiing. She lost her leg during an unfortunate farm accident and has won a total of 23 medals, including 19 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze for Germany in alpine skiing.
Michael Edgson
The only male athlete to feature in the top five of most successful Paralympians, Michael Edgson is a former swimmer. A Canadian national, Edgson was visually impaired and played sports like ice hockey, football, and gymnastics before deciding to stick with swimming.
Michael Edgson has won a total of 21 medals, including 18 gold and 3 silvers in his Paralympics career.
