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WEEKLY NEWS 3: Teen Wheelchair Athlete Races With Team

On Thursday, April 20, 2006, Tatyana McFadden, a sophomore at Atholton High School in Howard County, Maryland, lived her dream. She was allowed to race with her classmates at a track meet.

Due to spina bifida, Tatyana is in a wheelchair. Abandoned at birth, doctors told her adoptive mother that Tatyana only had 2 weeks to live. Despite what doctors had to say, her mother continued the adoption process, and brought her from Russia to America.

In her 17 years, Tatyana has played basketball, ice hockey, has learned to drive, and has even won a gold medal at the Para-Olympics. That's why it came as such a shock when school officials refused to allow her to compete in track meets, except for special races for athletes in wheelchairs.

Tatyana and her mother Deborah refused to take no for an answer. They sued the Howard County school system in Federal court for 2 years. Tatyana won her battle, and was finally able to race with, but not against, her classmates on Thursday. Her teammates were proud to have her racing beside them.

"I was definitely supporting her. I couldn't understand why she couldn't compete against anyone else. I know she would never cause an accident. She has never done that before," teammate Katie Fitzenreiter told ABC News.

Howard County officials claim that mixing the two types of competition would change the nature of the sport and cause a safety issue. Despite their concerns, the race went smoothly. "That was the first time I got to run with everyone. People saw how I competed. The crowds went wild. It was so exciting," Tatyana told ABC News. She called the race the best 4 minutes and 37 seconds of her life.

--Written by Sara Dean

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