Melissa Stockwell
 Stockwell lights the cauldron at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs April 30 to officially kick off the 2012 Warrior Games. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
April 23, 1980 Grand Haven, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 130 lb (59 kg)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||
Melissa Stockwell (born April 23, 1980) is an American paratriathlete and former Paralympic swimmer and U.S. Army officer.
Military career
A first lieutenant, she was the first female soldier to lose a limb in the Iraq War. She lost her left leg when a roadside bomb exploded when she was leading a convoy in Baghdad.[2] For her service in Iraq she was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.[3] Following her retirement from the military she works as a prosthetist[4] and served on the board of directors of the Wounded Warrior Project from 2005-2014.[4]
Sport
She subsequently became the first Iraq veteran chosen for the Paralympics.[5] She competed in three swimming events, the 100 m butterfly, 100 m freestyle, and 400 m freestyle, at the 2008 Summer Paralympics, and finished sixth, fifth, and fourth in her heats, respectively.[6] She was the U.S. team's flag bearer at the closing ceremonies.[3]
Turning to triathlon after the Beijing Paralympics, Stockwell was selected to represent the USA in the 2010 ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Budapest. She won the Women's TRI-2 (above knee amputee) class, then successfully defended her TRI-2 World Champion title in 2011 and 2012.[7] She is a multiple US National Paratriathlon Champion in her classification,[8][9] and was named USAT Paratriathlete of the Year in 2010[10] and 2011.[11] As of January 2013 Stockwell is at the top of the ITU's rankings in the women's TRI-2 class.[12]
Stockwell is a Level 1 USAT Triathlon coach and co-founder of Dare2Tri, a Chicago-based triathlon club specifically for athletes with disability.[4][13]
Filmography
- Warrior Champions: From Baghdad to Beijing, a documentary film by directors Brent Renaud and Craig Renaud.[14][15]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Melissa Stockwell". Triathlon.org. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
- ↑ Stein, Ann. "Stories of Inspiration: Melissa – Amputee, First female soldier to lose limb in Iraq discovers new life after injury". CMS.carepages.com. Retrieved 2008-07-03.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Dugan Kusumoto, Tara (September 16, 2008). "Melissa Stockwell, Iraq War Veteran, Elected as Flag Bearer for Closing Ceremonies". United States Olympic Committee. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Board of Directors – Melissa Stockwell". Wounded Warrior Project. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
- ↑ "First Iraq war veteran chosen for Paralympics Melissa Stockwell, who lost leg to roadside bomb, makes U.S. swim team". Associated Press. April 6, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-03.
- ↑ Melissa stockwell's profile on paralympic.org
- ↑ "Melissa Stockwell: Results". International Triathlon Union.
- ↑ "Paratriathletes compete for slots and title at USA Paratriathlon National Championship". everymantri. Aug 2011.
- ↑ "Top Paratriathletes Earn USA Paratriathlon National Titles". USA Triathlon. May 2012.
- ↑ "USA Triathlon Announces Paratriathletes Of The Year". Jan 2011. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
- ↑ "Melissa Stockwell, JP Theberge Named USA Paratriathlon Athletes of the Year". USA Triathlon. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
- ↑ "Rankings Tri2 Women" (PDF). Triathlon.org. 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2013-01-26.
- ↑ "Dare2Tri". Retrieved January 18, 2013.
- ↑ Warrior Champions, Austin Film Festival
- ↑ New Jersey. "Stockton to host screening of 'Warrior Champions: From Baghdad to Beijing'". NJ.com. Retrieved 2013-01-18.