United States at the Paralympics

Sporting event delegation
United States at the
Paralympics
IPC codeUSA
NPCUnited States Olympic & Paralympic Committee
Websitewww.teamusa.org/US-Paralympics
Medals
Ranked 1st
Gold
926
Silver
868
Bronze
827
Total
2,621
Summer appearances
Winter appearances

The United States of America (USA), represented by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, has participated in every Summer and Winter Paralympic Games and is currently first on the all-time medal table. The nation used to be a dominant Paralympic power in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, but has steadily declined since the 1990s to a point where it finished sixth in the 2012 Summer Paralympics medal count. The team then improved to a fourth-place finish in 2016, and third in 2020, and unexpectedly finished first at the 2018 Winter Paralympics.

The United States was the co-host of the 1984 Summer Paralympics in Stoke Mandeville and New York. It also hosted the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta and 2002 Winter Paralympics in Salt Lake City.

Medal tables

Red border color indicates host nation status.

Medals by Summer Games

Games Gold Silver Bronze Total Rank by Gold medals Rank by Total medals
Italy 1960 Rome 11 7 7 25 5 5
Japan 1964 Tokyo 50 41 32 123 1 1
Israel 1968 Tel-Aviv 33 27 39 99 1 1
West Germany 1972 Heidelberg 17 27 31 75 2 1
Canada 1976 Toronto 66 44 45 155 1 1
Netherlands 1980 Arnhem 75 66 54 195 1 1
United States 1984 New York
United Kingdom 1984 Stoke Mandeville
137 131 129 397 1 1
South Korea 1988 Seoul 91 90 88 269 1 1
Spain 1992 Barcelona 75 52 48 175 1 1
United States 1996 Atlanta 46 46 65 157 1 1
Australia 2000 Sydney 36 39 34 109 5 3
Greece 2004 Athens 27 22 39 88 4 4
China 2008 Beijing 36 35 28 99 3 3
United Kingdom 2012 London 31 29 38 98 6 4
Brazil 2016 Rio de Janeiro 40 44 31 115 4 4
Japan 2020 Tokyo 37 36 31 104 3 4
France 2024 Paris Future event
United States 2028 Los Angeles Future event
Australia 2032 Brisbane Future event
Total 808 736 739 2283 1 1


Medals by Winter Games

Games Gold Silver Bronze Total Rank by Gold medals Rank by Total medals
Sweden 1976 Örnsköldsvik 0 0 0 0
Norway 1980 Geilo 4 1 1 6 6 7
Austria 1984 Innsbruck 7 14 14 35 5 4
Austria 1988 Innsbruck 7 17 6 30 6 4
France 1992 Tignes-Albertville 20 16 9 45 1 1
Norway 1994 Lillehammer 24 12 7 43 3 3
Japan 1998 Nagano 13 8 13 34 3 4
United States 2002 Salt Lake City 10 22 11 43 2 1
Italy 2006 Turin 7 2 3 12 5 7
Canada 2010 Vancouver 4 5 4 13 6 5
Russia 2014 Sochi 2 7 9 18 8 3
South Korea 2018 Pyeongchang 13 15 8 36 1 1
China 2022 Beijing 6 11 3 20 5 4
Italy 2026 Milan-Cortina Future event
Total 117 130 88 335 2 2

Medals by summer sport

  Leading in that sport
SportGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Athletics3853893681142
Swimming283215226724
Archery2081745
Road cycling19282067
Wrestling152017
Table tennis14152453
Wheelchair basketball132823
Equestrian98320
Track cycling7131232
Weightlifting79925
Wheelchair tennis67417
Powerlifting63514
Paratriathlon5319
Goalball36312
Dartchery3328
Wheelchair rugby3227
Judo271322
Lawn bowls23712
Boccia2237
Volleyball2215
Sailing1337
Shooting1135
Football 7-a-side1001
Rowing0325
Snooker0202
Wheelchair fencing0123
Paracanoe0101
Parataekwondo0011
Totals (28 entries)8097387392286

The United States has never won a Paralympic medal in the following current summer sports or disciplines: badminton and football 5-a-side.

Medals by winter sport

  Leading in that sport
SportGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Alpine skiing929770259
Cross-country skiing9201039
Snowboarding67417
Biathlon56314
Para ice hockey5016
Totals (5 entries)11713088335

The United States has never won a Paralympic medal in the following current winter sport: wheelchair curling.

Best results in non-medalling sports:

Summer
Sport Rank Athlete Event & Year
Badminton Did not participate
Football 5-a-side Did not participate
Winter
Sport Rank Athlete Event & Year
Wheelchair curling 4th Augusto Perez
Patrick McDonald
James Pierce
Jacqui Kapinowski
James Joseph
Steve Brown
Mixed tournament in 2010

Flagbearers

Summer Paralympics
Games Athlete Sport
Italy 1960 Rome Not documented
Japan 1964 Tokyo
Israel 1968 Tel-Aviv
West Germany 1972 Heidelberg
Canada 1976 Toronto
Netherlands 1980 Arnhem
United States 1984 New York
United Kingdom 1984 Stoke Mandeville
South Korea 1988 Seoul
Spain 1992 Barcelona
United States 1996 Atlanta
Australia 2000 Sydney Mike Dempsey Table tennis
Greece 2004 Athens Kevin Szott Judo
China 2008 Beijing Jennifer Armbruster Goalball
United Kingdom 2012 London Scott Danberg Athletics
Brazil 2016 Rio de Janeiro Allison Jones Cycling
Japan 2020 Tokyo Chuck Aoki Wheelchair rugby
Melissa Stockwell Paratriathlon
Winter Paralympics
Games Athlete Sport
Sweden 1976 Örnsköldsvik Not documented
Norway 1980 Geilo
Austria 1984 Innsbruck
Austria 1988 Innsbruck
France 1992 Tignes-Albertville
Norway 1994 Lillehammer
Japan 1998 Nagano
United States 2002 Salt Lake City
Italy 2006 Turin Chris Devlin-Young Alpine skiing
Canada 2010 Vancouver Heath Calhoun Alpine skiing
Russia 2014 Sochi Jonathan Lujan Alpine skiing
South Korea 2018 PyeongChang Mike Schultz Snowboarding
China 2022 Beijing Tyler Carter Alpine skiing
Danelle Umstead Alpine skiing

Records

Summer Paralympics

Multi-medalists

Athletes who have won at least three gold medals or five medals at the Summer Paralympics. Bold athletes are athletes who are still active.

No. Athlete Sport Years Games Gender Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Trischa Zorn Swimming 1980-2004 7 F 41 9 5 55
2 Jessica Long Swimming 2004-2020 5 F 16 8 5 29
3 Erin Popovich Swimming 2000-2008 3 F 14 5 0 19
4 Bart Dodson Athletics 1984-2000 5 M 13 3 4 20
5 John Morgan Swimming 1984, 1992 2 M 13 2 0 15
5 Elizabeth Scott Swimming 1992-2000 3 F 10 2 5 17
6 Edward Owen Athletics
Swimming
1964-1988 7 M 9 2 2 13
7 Tatyana McFadden Athletics 2004-2020 5 F 8 7 4 19
8 Brad Snyder Swimming 2012-2020 3 M 6 2 0 8
9 Jean Driscoll Athletics 1988-2000 4 F 5 3 4 12
10 Marla Runyan Athletics 1992-1996 2 F 5 1 0 6
11 David Larson Athletics 1988-2000 4 M 5 0 3 8
12 Dennis Oehler Athletics 1988-1996 3 M 4 3 3 10
13 Brian Frasure Athletics 2000-2008 3 M 4 3 2 9
14 Tony Volpentest Athletics 1992-2000 3 M 4 1 0 5
15 Paul Nitz Athletics 1992-2012 6 M 4 0 1 5
16 Danny Andrews Athletics 2000-2008 3 M 4 0 0 4
16 Raymond Martin Athletics 2012 1 M 4 0 0 4
18 David Wagner Wheelchair tennis 2004-2016 4 M 3 3 2 8
19 Freeman Register Athletics 1992-2000 3 M 3 1 2 6
20 Mallory Weggemann Swimming 2012-2020 3 F 3 1 1 6
21 Nick Mayhugh Athletics 2020 1 M 3 1 0 4
22 Kelley Becherer Swimming 2008-2012 2 F 3 0 4 7
23 Justin Zook Swimming 2004-2012 3 M 3 0 1 4
24 Royal Mitchell Athletics 2000-2008 3 M 3 0 0 3
25 Jeremy Campbell Athletics 2008-2012 2 M 3 0 0 3
26 Ross Davis Athletics 1992-2000 3 M 2 4 3 9
27 Cheri Madsen Athletics 1996-2016 6 F 2 4 2 8
28 Roy Perkins Swimming 2008-2016 3 M 2 3 3 8
29 Scot Hollonbeck Athletics 1992-2004 4 M 2 3 0 5
30 Gregory Burns Swimming 1996-2000 3 M 2 2 1 5
31 Marlon Shirley Athletics 2000-2008 3 M 2 2 1 5
32 Karissa Whitsell Cycling 2004-2008 2 F 2 1 2 5
33 Cortney Jordan Swimming 2008-2016 3 F 1 8 3 12
34 Amanda McGrory Athletics 2008-2016 3 F 1 2 4 7
35 Cheri Blauwet Athletics 2000-2008 3 F 1 1 4 6
36 Aimee Bruder Swimming 1996-2008 4 F 0 1 4 5

Multi-gold medalists at single Games

This is a list of athletes who have won at least two gold medals in a single Games. Ordered categorically by gold medals earned, sports, then year.

No. Athlete Sport Year Gender Gold Silver Bronze Total
Athletics
1 David Larson Athletics 1992 M 4 0 0 4
Marla Runyan Athletics 1992 F 4 0 0 4
3 Danny Andrews Athletics 2004 M 3 0 0 3
4 Dennis Oehler Athletics 1988 M 3 0 1 4
5 Jean Driscoll Athletics 1996 F 2 1 1 4
6 Curt Brinkman Athletics 1980 M 2 1 0 3
Joe Gaetani Athletics 1992 M 2 1 0 3
8 Maureen Gaynor Athletics 1988 F 2 0 0 2
Cycling
1 Karissa Whitsell
Guide: Katie Compton
Cycling 2004 F 2 1 1 4
2 Barbara Buchan Cycling 2008 F 2 0 0 2
Swimming
1 Trischa Zorn Swimming 1988 F 12 0 0 12
2 John Morgan Swimming 1992 M 8 2 0 10
3 Erin Popovich Swimming 2004 F 7 0 0 7
Elizabeth Scott Swimming 1992 F 7 0 0 7
5 Jessica Long Swimming 2012 F 5 2 1 7
6 McKenzie Coan Swimming 2016 F 3 1 0 4
Rebecca Meyers Swimming 2016 F 3 1 0 4
Brad Snyder Swimming 2016 M 3 1 0 4
9 Gregory Burns Swimming 1996 M 2 1 0 3
10 Kelley Becherer Swimming 2012 F 2 0 2 4
Wheelchair tennis
1 Randy Snow Wheelchair tennis 1992 M 2 0 0 2
Multiple sports
1 Ed Owen Athletics 1968 M 4 0 1 7
Swimming 2 0 0
2 Sharon Hedrick Athletics 1980 F 3 1 0 5
Wheelchair basketball 0 0 1

Multi-medalists at single event

This is a list of athletes who have won at least three medals in a single event at the Summer Paralympics. Ordered categorically by medals earned, sports, then gold medals earned.

No. Athlete Sport Event Years Games Gender Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Trischa Zorn Swimming 100m backstroke 1980-2004 7 F 5 1 1 7
2 Jessica Long Swimming 400m freestyle 2004-2016 4 F 3 1 0 4
3 Ross Davis Athletics 100 metres 1992-2000 3 M 2 1 0 3
Bart Dodson Athletics 200 metres 1992-2000 3 M 2 1 0 3
Rudy Garcia-Tolson Swimming 200m individual medley 2004-2012 3 M 2 1 0 3
Roy Perkins Swimming 50m butterfly 2008-2016 3 M 2 1 0 3
7 David Larson Athletics 400 metres 1988-1996 3 M 2 0 1 3

Athletes with most appearances

Summer Paralympics

This is a list of athletes who have competed in four or more Summer Paralympics. Active athletes are in bold. Athletes under 15 years of age and over 40 years of age are in bold.

No. Athlete Sport Birth Year Games Years First/Last Age Gender Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Pamela Fontaine Table tennis
Wheelchair basketball
1964 1984-2016 20 - 52 F 0 1 1 2
2 Trischa Zorn Swimming 1964 1980-2004 16 - 40 F 44 9 5 55
3 Lex Gillette Athletics 1984 2004-2016 20 - 32 M 0 4 0 4
Winter Paralympics

Prize money

When a US athlete wins an Olympic medal, as of 2016, the USOPC paid the winner $25,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver, and $10,000 for bronze.[1] The USOPC increased the payouts by 25% to $37,000 for gold, $22,500 for silver, and $15,000 for bronze beginning in 2017.[2] These numbers are significantly lower than in other countries, where Olympic gold medalists receive up to $1 million from their governments for a gold medal.[3][4] Since 2018, payouts to Paralympic athletes have been the same as to the Olympians. The International Paralympic Committee noted that "'Operation Gold Awards' for [American] Paralympic athletes [would] be increased by as much as 400 percent."[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ Cao, Athena Cao (15 August 2016) Uncle Sam goes for gold, too: Up to $9,900 per Olympic gold medal First Coast News via USA Today
  2. ^ "USOC Increases 'Operation Gold' Payouts By 25% Beginning in 2017". Swimswam.com. 14 December 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  3. ^ Many Countries Pay Big Bonuses For Olympic Medals. This One Is Shelling Out $2.7 Million.
  4. ^ Some countries pay more than six figures to athletes who bring home a medal -- but not the U.S.
  5. ^ Paralympians to earn equal payouts as Olympians in the USA
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