For para athletes, winning a gold medal is a great achievement. However, a few Paralympians have set records by winning many gold medals in different sports over several editions of the Games.
Here’s a list of the top 5 athletes with most gold medals in summer paralympic.
1. Trischa Zorn-Hudson (USA) – 32 gold medals
Trischa Zorn-Hudson from the USA is the most successful athlete in Paralympic history. The American swimmer earned 46 medals, which includes 32 golds, 9 silvers, and 5 bronze medals.
Zorn-Hudson was born blind due to a genetic eye condition. She took part in her first Paralympics at the age of 16 during the Arnhem 1980 Games, where she won seven gold medals.
In 2012, she was honored by being added to the International Paralympic Hall of Fame, and in 2022, she was also inducted into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame.
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2. Beatrice Hess (France) – 20
French para swimmer Béatrice Hess is ranked second on the list, with 20 gold medals earned in five Paralympic Games.
Hess started para swimming as part of her rehabilitation for cerebral palsy. She first competed in the Paralympics at the Stoke Mandeville and New York Games in 1984, where she won four gold medals.
She also carried the flag for France at the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games.
3. Sarah Storey (Great Britain) – 17
Sarah Storey is a British para swimmer and cyclist who will be competing in her ninth Paralympics, having been chosen for the upcoming Paris Games.
According to The Guardian, Storey was born without her left hand. This happened because her arm became wrapped in the umbilical cord while she was still in the womb, stopping her hand from fully developing.
Storey holds the title of the most successful British Paralympian ever. She first competed as a swimmer at the 1992 Barcelona Paralympics when she was 14, winning two gold medals. In the following Games in Atlanta, she earned three more golds in para swimming.
In 2008, at the Beijing Paralympics, she switched to para cycling and has since won 12 additional gold medals.
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4. Jonas Jacobsson (Sweden) – 17
Jonas Jacobsson is a para shooter from Sweden who took part in 10 Paralympic Games between 1980 and 2016.
Born with a disability that affected his lower body, Jacobsson used a wheelchair. He got into shooting thanks to the support of his parents and two brothers, who were also involved in the sport.
With 17 gold medals, he holds the record as the most successful male Paralympian ever.
5. Jessica Long (USA) – 16
Jessica Long is a para swimmer from the United States who will compete in the upcoming Paris Games.
She was born with a condition called fibular hemimelia, which means she was missing the fibulas, ankles, heels, and many other bones in her feet. At 13 months old, she was adopted from a Russian orphanage. Five months later, doctors amputated her legs below the knees so she could use prosthetic legs and learn to walk.
Jessica first competed in the Paralympics in 2004 in Athens, where she won three gold medals at just 12 years old. Since then, she has earned 13 more gold medals.
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