Disabled Athletes Who Competed in the Olympics Games

You might already be knowing the curious case of Oscar Pistorious, fondly called the blade runner, the first double-amputee athlete who competed in Olympic against the other able-bodied runners. The 25-years old South African double-amputee runner gained a lot of media coverage for running alongside men with both legs. But, there are other such disabled athletes who have competed against the able-bodied athletes in the prestigious Olympic Games. Here we are presenting a list of such disabled athletes who competed in the Olympics.

1. George Eyser

German-born American, George Eyser, lost his left leg in a train accident which was then fitted with a wooden leg. Despite having a wooden leg he joined a prestigious gymnastic club that participated in the 1904 Olympics. His wooden leg affected his performance in the first set of events. But, George Eyser then bounced back with an astounding performance. He won six Olympic medals in a single day including three gold medals in rope climbing, parallel bar, and vault.

2. Carlo Orlandi

He was an Italian boxer who fought in the boxing event for lightweight men. Carlo Orlandi participated in the 1928 Amsterdam games and won four straight fights to claim the gold medal in the lightweight division. And yes he was a deaf person who competed against the non-disabled boxers.

3. Donald Golan

He was a deaf and mute athlete from the UK. He participated in a rowing competition in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. His team won the silver medal at the event.

4. Oliver Halassy

A streetcar accident in his childhood made Oliver Halassy a left leg amputee below the knee. Despite his physical condition, he was one of the strongest players on the Hungarian water polo team. He won a silver medal at the 1928 Olympics and then grabbed golds in the 1932 and 1936 Olympics. He was also a freestyle swimming champion.

5. Karoly Takacs

Karoly Takacs was a Hungarian army sergeant who was one of the top pistol shooters in the world. A defective grenade explosion permanently mutilated his right hand. Karoly Takacs showed a true army and sportsman spirit by practicing shooting with his left hand. In the 1948 Olympics, he set a world record in a rapid-fire pistol event. He won his second gold medal in the 1952 Olympics. And again participated in the 1956 Olympics.

6. Lis Hartel

Danish Equestrian, Lis Hartel, suffered a polio attack at the age of 23 when she was pregnant with her second child. Intensive physical therapies brought the muscle power back to her upper body. She could not mount or dismount her horse herself but resumed riding competitively. Lis participated in the 1952 equestrian dressage event when, for the first time, women were allowed to participate. She came at the second position narrowly losing first place to Henri Saint Cyr of Sweden. Cyr, showing his sportsman spirit lifted her from her horse and carried her to the podium for the medal ceremony. In the 1956 Olympics again Lis Hartel won the second position while Saint Cyr got the first.

7. Neroli Fairhall

Hailing from New Zealand, Neroli Fairhall got paralyzed waist down in a motorcycle accident. She competed with other able-bodied archers from her wheelchair in several international events including the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Taking her lead, several other archers and shooters have competed in the Olympics sitting on their wheelchairs.

8. Jeff Float

He is a U.S. swimmer who became officially deaf in his infancy due to viral meningitis. He swam the third leg of the 4×200 meter freestyle relay swimming championship for his country in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

9. Jim Abbott

This U.S. baseball player was born without a right hand but made his place in the U.S. baseball team for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. His team won over Japan and claimed the gold medal. Jim Abbott kept on participating and playing well in other major national and international sporting events.

10. Marla Runyan

Stargardt disease caused Marla Runyan to be legally blind. Despite her blindness, she excelled at various events such as track and field, sprints, marathon, shot put, high jump and hurdles. She has won at several events in the Paralympics. Marla also participated in the 2000 Sydney Olympics where she finished at the eighth position in the 1500 meters women’s race. She again participated in the 5000 meters race in the 2004 Athens Olympic.

11. Natalie du Toit

This South African swimmer slightly missed a place in the 2000 Olympics. While returning from a practice session she met a road accident that ripped apart her bones and muscles of the left leg. She had to be amputated at the knee. She won several medals at the 2004 Paralympics and then went on to participate in the 2008 Olympics to fulfill her dream of participating in the Olympics. Natalie swam alongside the able-bodied swimmers without a prosthetic and finished at 16th out of 24 competitors.

This list is not exhaustive. There are other disabled athletes like Harold V. Connolly, Ildikó Újlaky-Rejtő, Sonia Vettenburg, Paola Fantato, Terence Parkin, Frank Bartolillo, Im Dong-Hyun, Natalia Partyka, Chris Colwill, David Smith, Zahra Nemati, Melissa ‘Milly’ Tapper, etc. who have competed against the able-bodied athletes in Olympics. And, the list will surely increase in the years to come because a disability might dis-able a body but cannot dis-able a fighting spirit.