Linda Mastandrea is a civil rights and disability attorney, author and former Paralympic athlete. She was a Paralympic and World champion in wheelchair racing.[1]

Linda Mastandrea
Personal information
BornChicago, Illinois, United States
Home townBolingbrook, Illinois
Alma materUniversity of Illinois
Chicago-Kent College of Law
Sport
Country United States
SportParalympic athletics
DisabilitySpastic diplegia
Disability classT34
Medal record
Paralympic athletics
Representing  United States
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1996 Atlanta 200m T32-33
Silver medal – second place 1996 Atlanta 100m T32-33
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1994 Berlin 200m T33
Gold medal – first place 1994 Berlin 400m T33
Gold medal – first place 1998 Birmingham 200m T34
Silver medal – second place 1998 Birmingham 100m T34
Silver medal – second place 1998 Birmingham 400m T34

Early life

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Linda is the youngest twin in a second set of twins, her twin sister is Laura. She and Laura have older twin siblings and they have a younger brother. Linda was diagnosed with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy at a very young age when she found walking difficult and was often carried around.[2][3]

Sporting career

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Mastandrea represented the United States in the 1990s, she participated at the 1996 Summer Paralympics, three World Para Athletics Championships, Parapan American Games and the Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Games winning a total of twenty medals, she had also set national, world and Paralympic records during her career. In 2010, she was the first female Paralympic athlete to be inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.[4][5]

In 2009, Mastandrea participated in the Chicago 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games bid trying to win the rights to host the 2016 Summer Olympics where she worked alongside the-then President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and mayor of Chicago Richard M. Daley. The 2016 Games were eventually won by Rio de Janeiro.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Linda Mastandrea - World Fit". World Fit. 9 January 2023.
  2. ^ "Linda Mastandrea - Paralympian". CerebralPalsy.com. 9 January 2023.
  3. ^ "I Define Me - Linda Mastandrea". The Oshman Firm. 19 May 2016.
  4. ^ "Linda Mastandrea - IPC Profile". International Paralympic Committee. 9 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Accepting the Wheel". University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 1 May 2010.
  6. ^ "Linda Mastandrea - Personal Website". Linda Mastandrea. 9 January 2023.