Chelsea McClammer

Chelsea McClammer (born March 1, 1994) is an American Track and Field athlete. With Team USA, she has won two silver medals and one bronze at the 2016 Summer Paralympics.

Chelsea McClammer
McClammer at the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships
Born (1994-03-01) March 1, 1994
Benton City, Washington
EducationUniversity of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

Early life

McClammer played both basketball, tennis and athletics as a child, but injured her spinal cord in a car accident when she was six years old and had to start with a wheelchair.[1]

Career

McClammer started competing in wheelchair racing when she was a tween.[2] She was introduced to wheelchair racing at a sports convention and hired coach Theresa Skinner to train her for competitive racing.[1] With Skinner as her coach, McClammer qualified for the U.S. Paralympics Track and Field Nationals at the age of 12.[3]

McClammer in 2018

As a freshman in high school, McClammer became the youngest member of Team USA in the 2008 Summer Paralympic Games in Beijing at 14 years old.[4] In Beijing, McClammer qualified for the T54 finals and bested her personal record.[5] She missed the first two weeks of school at Kiona-Benton City High School but upon her return, McClammer joined the school's cross country team. While competing with the team, she set a new state record with a time of 7:29 for 2.1 miles.[6] However, after undergoing surgery for scoliosis, she competed in class T53.[7]

In 2011, McClammer earned a bronze medal in the 800-meter race at the 2011 Parapan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.[8] She also earned a gold medal with a time of 34.55 in the women's 200m T53, and another at the 100m.[9] Upon graduating from high school, McClammer enrolled at the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign.[10]

As a student at the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, McClammer was named to Team USA's 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships team and competed in the Women's 200 metres.[11] McClammer won a bronze medal in the Women's 200 metres T53 race with a time of 31.95.[12] She later competed with Team USA at the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships.[13] She finished the competition placing fourth in the 800 T54 meter race.[14]

In 2016, McClammer won two silver medals and one bronze in the women's 5,000 meters-T53/54, 4×400 relay-T53/54, and 1500 meter races at the 2016 Summer Paralympics.[15] The next year, she competed with Team USA at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships where she won a silver medal with a time of 55.50.[16]

In 2019, McClammer tested positive for hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), a prohibited diuretic. USADA found that the HCTZ appeared as a trace contaminant in a permitted prescription drug, without McClammer's knowledge and without cause of negligence. As a result, she accepted a finding of no fault and was not disqualified from any past or future competitions.[17]

References
  1. Santoliquito, Joseph (April 27, 2009). "Paralympian McClammer's Talent Taking Her Places". maxpreps.com. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  2. "Benton City Athlete to Compete in Beijing Paralympics". nbcrightnow.com. August 16, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  3. Blanco, Annemarie (July 17, 2015). "Going for the Gold: How fate led Chelsea McClammer to the track". teamusa.org. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  4. Leaming, Sara (July 1, 2008). "Girl from Spokane team racing her way to Beijing". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  5. "Team St. Luke's Athlete Returns from 2008 Paralympics in Beijing". st-lukes.org. September 18, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  6. Lotze, Katherine (November 10, 2008). "Chelsea McClammer: State Champion and Veteran Paralympian". wa.milesplit.com. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  7. "McClammer has plenty of reasons to smile". teamusa.org. November 9, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  8. "Richland High senior wins gold at games". Tri-City Herald. November 17, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  9. "Three Track World Records Smashed on Day 4 of Parapan Athletics". paralympic.org. November 18, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  10. "Benton City wheelchair track athlete McClammer takes silver at Rio Paralympics". Tri-City Herald. September 11, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  11. Blanchard, Jamie M. (June 18, 2013). "TEAM USA NAMED FOR 2013 IPC ATHLETICS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS". teamusa.org. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  12. Blanchard, Jamie M. (July 21, 2013). "Tatyana McFadden wins first title at 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships". teamusa.org. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  13. Lau, Mary Kate (February 5, 2015). "Meet the 2015 IPC Marathon World Championship Team". teamusa.org. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  14. "Team USA Closes Paralympic Track And Field Worlds With 39 Medals". ehandicapworldrecords.org. October 31, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  15. "Benton City's McClammer earns 2 more silvers at 2016 Rio Paralympics". Tri City-Herald. September 15, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  16. Tammaro, Brianna (July 19, 2017). "Tatyana McFadden Completes Four-Event Sweep At World Para Athletics Championships". teamusa.org. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  17. "U.S. Paralympic Track & Field Athlete Chelsea McClammer Accepts Finding of No Fault". usada.org. March 8, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
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