eInsights - October 2008

Paralympics and Olympics Wrap-up

As the Beijing Paralympic and Olympic Games have ended, we would like to extend our congratulations to all of the athletes who participated. Your triumph and spirit are an inspiration to all of us. The Spina Bifida Community is proud to have been so wonderfully represented at both Games.

Tatyana Wins Three Silver Medals and One Bronze

Nineteen-year-old Tatyana McFadden ends her Beijing Paralympics medal quest with a total of four medals-three silvers and one bronze - breaking US records. She set a personal best of 28.43 in the 200m final to win a silver medal and then went on to win a second silver medal in the 800m with a personal best time of 1:46:95. She clinched her final race with a bronze medal in the 400m.

Now Tatyana prepares for a number of speaking engagements and then off to her first year of college.

A Boxer's Love for His Daughter

Tell 22-year-old heavyweight Deontay Wilder that boxing inspiration comes from the soul, and he will go one better and tell you that it also comes from your child. Wilder who won the only U.S. medal in boxing at this year's Olympic Games in Beijing channels his inspiration from his four-year-old daughter Naieya who was born prematurely and with Spina Bifida.

The 200 pound boxer who stands at 6'7" went to Beijing with a mission to win for his daughter, his country, and himself. Vanquishing his opponents, Wilder's bronze medal victory culminated in a great show of athleticism and sportsmanship. As Wilder went round by round with the best boxers in the world, a tattoo on his chest of Naieya spurred him to press on.

His love for his daughter is bigger than his physical presence and when you hear him speak about her, it is evident. He says, "I put her first before anything. My love for her makes all things possible. You should see her playing with my medal which is her medal too."

According to boxing experts, he was the most inexperienced boxer at the Olympics. However, his determination and will propelled him to the top as the star of the U.S Boxing Team.

Just a few years ago Deontay was a truck driver for Budweiser in Tuscaloosa , Alabama . He set his dreams of being a basketball player aside when he and his girlfriend were told their unborn child had Spina Bifida. He had to make a choice between pursuing a basketball season at a local junior college or going to work to support his family. He opted for the latter, but his athletic ambition still tugged at his heart.

One day he walked into a boxing gym in Tuscaloosa and realized that he could resurrect his athletic dreams. In less than three short years, he won several local and national amateur titles and made it to the Olympics. After the Beijing Games, he joined Shelly Finkel Management who has managed careers of boxing greats like Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield.

As Wilder enters the professional boxing arena he says everything will continue to be about his daughter. He is fighting for her just as she fights for herself every day.

Deontay Wilder's Amateur Boxing Record

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