United States at the Paralympics

The United States of America (USA), represented by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, has participated in every Summer and Winter Paralympic Games and is currently first on the all-time medal table. The nation used to be a dominant Paralympic power in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, but has steadily declined since the 1990s to a point where it finished sixth in the 2012 Summer Paralympics medal count. The team then improved to a fourth-place finish in 2016, and third in 2020, and unexpectedly finished first at the 2018 Winter Paralympics.

United States at the Paralympics
Flag of the United States
IPC code	USA
NPC	United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee
Website	www.teamusa.org/US-Paralympics
Medals Ranked 1st	Gold 962 Silver 910 Bronze 854 Total 2,726
Summer appearances
1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Winter appearances
1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022

The United States was the co-host of the 1984 Summer Paralympics in Stoke Mandeville and New York. It also hosted the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta and 2002 Winter Paralympics in Salt Lake City.

Medal tables

See also: All-time Paralympic Games medal table

Red border color indicates host nation status.

Medals by Summer Games Games Gold Silver Bronze Total Rank by Gold medals Rank by Total medals 1960 Rome 11 7 7 25 5 5 1964 Tokyo 50 41 32 123 1 1 1968 Tel-Aviv 33 27 39 99 1 1 1972 Heidelberg 17 27 31 75 2 1 1976 Toronto 66 44 45 155 1 1 1980 Arnhem 75 66 54 195 1 1 1984 New York 1984 Stoke Mandeville 137 131 129 397 1 1 1988 Seoul 91 90 88 269 1 1 1992 Barcelona 75 52 48 175 1 1 1996 Atlanta 46 46 65 157 1 1 2000 Sydney 36 39 34 109 5 3 2004 Athens 27 22 39 88 4 4 2008 Beijing 36 35 28 99 3 3 2012 London 31 29 38 98 6 4 2016 Rio de Janeiro 40 44 31 115 4 4 2020 Tokyo 37 36 31 104 3 4 2024 Paris 36 42 27 105 3 3 2028 Los Angeles Future event 2032 Brisbane Future event Total 844 778 766 2388 1 1

Medals by Winter Games Games Gold Silver Bronze Total Rank by Gold medals Rank by Total medals 1976 Örnsköldsvik 0 0 0 0 – – 1980 Geilo 4 1 1 6 6 7 1984 Innsbruck 7 14 14 35 5 4 1988 Innsbruck 7 17 6 30 6 4 1992 Tignes-Albertville 20 16 9 45 1 1 1994 Lillehammer 24 12 7 43 3 3 1998 Nagano 13 8 13 34 3 4 2002 Salt Lake City 10 22 11 43 2 1 2006 Turin 7 2 3 12 5 7 2010 Vancouver 4 5 4 13 6 5 2014 Sochi 2 7 9 18 8 3 2018 Pyeongchang 13 15 8 36 1 1 2022 Beijing 6 11 3 20 5 4 2026 Milan-Cortina Future event 2030 French Alps Future event 2034 Salt Lake City Future event Total 117 130 88 335 2 2

Medals by summer sport   Leading in that sport Sport Gold Silver Bronze Total Athletics 395 403 382 1,180 Swimming 293 232 229 754 Archery 20 8 17 45 Road cycling 19 28 20 67 Wrestling 15 2 0 17 Table tennis 14 15 24 53 Wheelchair basketball 13 2 8 23 Equestrian 9 8 3 20 Track cycling 7 13 12 32 Weightlifting 7 9 9 25 Wheelchair tennis 6 7 4 17 Powerlifting 6 3 5 14 Paratriathlon 5 3 1 9 Goalball 3 6 3 12 Dartchery 3 3 2 8 Wheelchair rugby 3 2 2 7 Judo 2 7 13 22 Lawn bowls 2 3 7 12 Boccia 2 2 3 7 Volleyball 2 2 1 5 Sailing 1 3 3 7 Shooting 1 1 3 5 Football 7-a-side 1 0 0 1 Rowing 0 3 2 5 Snooker 0 2 0 2 Wheelchair fencing 0 1 2 3 Paracanoeing 0 1 1 2 Badminton 0 1 0 1 Parataekwondo 0 0 2 2 Totals (29 entries) 829 770 758 2,357 The United States has never won a Paralympic medal in the following current summer sport or discipline: football 5-a-side.

Medals by winter sport   Leading in that sport Sport Gold Silver Bronze Total Alpine skiing 92 97 70 259 Cross-country skiing 9 20 10 39 Snowboarding 6 7 4 17 Biathlon 5 6 3 14 Para ice hockey 5 0 1 6 Totals (5 entries) 117 130 88 335 The United States has never won a Paralympic medal in the following current winter sport: wheelchair curling.

Best results in non-medalling sports:

Summer
Sport	Rank	Athlete	Event & Year
Football 5-a-side	Did not participate
Winter
Sport	Rank	Athlete	Event & Year
Wheelchair curling	4th	Augusto Perez Patrick McDonald James Pierce Jacqui Kapinowski James Joseph Steve Brown	Mixed tournament in 2010

Flagbearers

Summer Paralympics Games Athlete Sport 1960 Rome Not documented 1964 Tokyo 1968 Tel-Aviv 1972 Heidelberg 1976 Toronto 1980 Arnhem 1984 New York 1984 Stoke Mandeville 1988 Seoul 1992 Barcelona 1996 Atlanta 2000 Sydney Mike Dempsey Table tennis 2004 Athens Kevin Szott Judo 2008 Beijing Jennifer Armbruster Goalball 2012 London Scott Danberg Athletics 2016 Rio de Janeiro Allison Jones Cycling 2020 Tokyo Chuck Aoki Wheelchair rugby Melissa Stockwell Paratriathlon 2024 Paris Steve Serio Wheelchair basketball Nicky Nieves Sitting volleyball

Winter Paralympics Games Athlete Sport 1976 Örnsköldsvik Not documented 1980 Geilo 1984 Innsbruck 1988 Innsbruck 1992 Tignes-Albertville 1994 Lillehammer 1998 Nagano 2002 Salt Lake City 2006 Turin Chris Devlin-Young Alpine skiing 2010 Vancouver Heath Calhoun Alpine skiing 2014 Sochi Jonathan Lujan Alpine skiing 2018 PyeongChang Mike Schultz Snowboarding 2022 Beijing Tyler Carter Alpine skiing Danelle Umstead Alpine skiing

Records

Summer Paralympics

Multi-medalists

Athletes who have won at least three gold medals or five medals at the Summer Paralympics. Bold athletes are athletes who are still active.

No.	Athlete	Sport	Years	Games	Gender	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Trischa Zorn	Swimming	1980–2004	7	F	41	9	5	55
2	Jessica Long	Swimming	2004–2020	5	F	16	8	5	29
3	Erin Popovich	Swimming	2000–2008	3	F	14	5	0	19
4	Bart Dodson	Athletics	1984–2000	5	M	13	3	4	20
5	John Morgan	Swimming	1984, 1992	2	M	13	2	0	15
5	Elizabeth Scott	Swimming	1992–2000	3	F	10	2	5	17
6	Edward Owen	Athletics  Swimming	1964–1988	7	M	9	2	2	13
7	Tatyana McFadden	Athletics	2004–2020	5	F	8	7	4	19
8	Brad Snyder	Swimming	2012–2020	3	M	6	2	0	8
9	Jean Driscoll	Athletics	1988–2000	4	F	5	3	4	12
10	Marla Runyan	Athletics	1992–1996	2	F	5	1	0	6
11	David Larson	Athletics	1988–2000	4	M	5	0	3	8
12	Dennis Oehler	Athletics	1988–1996	3	M	4	3	3	10
13	Brian Frasure	Athletics	2000–2008	3	M	4	3	2	9
14	Tony Volpentest	Athletics	1992–2000	3	M	4	1	0	5
15	Paul Nitz	Athletics	1992–2012	6	M	4	0	1	5
16	Danny Andrews	Athletics	2000–2008	3	M	4	0	0	4
16	Raymond Martin	Athletics	2012	1	M	4	0	0	4
18	David Wagner	Wheelchair tennis	2004–2016	4	M	3	3	2	8
19	Freeman Register	Athletics	1992–2000	3	M	3	1	2	6
20	Mallory Weggemann	Swimming	2012–2020	3	F	3	1	1	6
21	Nick Mayhugh	Athletics	2020	1	M	3	1	0	4
22	Kelley Becherer	Swimming	2008–2012	2	F	3	0	4	7
23	Justin Zook	Swimming	2004–2012	3	M	3	0	1	4
24	Royal Mitchell	Athletics	2000–2008	3	M	3	0	0	3
25	Jeremy Campbell	Athletics	2008–2012	2	M	3	0	0	3
26	Ross Davis	Athletics	1992–2000	3	M	2	4	3	9
27	Cheri Madsen	Athletics	1996–2016	6	F	2	4	2	8
28	Roy Perkins	Swimming	2008–2016	3	M	2	3	3	8
29	Scot Hollonbeck	Athletics	1992–2004	4	M	2	3	0	5
30	Gregory Burns	Swimming	1996–2000	3	M	2	2	1	5
31	Marlon Shirley	Athletics	2000–2008	3	M	2	2	1	5
32	Karissa Whitsell	Cycling	2004–2008	2	F	2	1	2	5
33	Cortney Jordan	Swimming	2008–2016	3	F	1	8	3	12
34	Amanda McGrory	Athletics	2008–2016	3	F	1	2	4	7
35	Cheri Blauwet	Athletics	2000–2008	3	F	1	1	4	6
36	Aimee Bruder	Swimming	1996–2008	4	F	0	1	4	5

Multi-gold medalists at single Games

This is a list of athletes who have won at least two gold medals in a single Games. Ordered categorically by gold medals earned, sports, then year.

No.	Athlete	Sport	Year	Gender	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
Athletics
1	David Larson	Athletics	1992	M	4	0	0	4
	Marla Runyan	Athletics	1992	F	4	0	0	4
3	Danny Andrews	Athletics	2004	M	3	0	0	3
4	Dennis Oehler	Athletics	1988	M	3	0	1	4
5	Jean Driscoll	Athletics	1996	F	2	1	1	4
6	Curt Brinkman	Athletics	1980	M	2	1	0	3
	Joe Gaetani	Athletics	1992	M	2	1	0	3
8	Maureen Gaynor	Athletics	1988	F	2	0	0	2
Cycling
1	Karissa Whitsell Guide: Katie Compton	Cycling	2004	F	2	1	1	4
2	Barbara Buchan	Cycling	2008	F	2	0	0	2
Swimming
1	Trischa Zorn	Swimming	1988	F	12	0	0	12
2	John Morgan	Swimming	1992	M	8	2	0	10
3	Erin Popovich	Swimming	2004	F	7	0	0	7
	Elizabeth Scott	Swimming	1992	F	7	0	0	7
5	Jessica Long	Swimming	2012	F	5	2	1	7
6	McKenzie Coan	Swimming	2016	F	3	1	0	4
	Rebecca Meyers	Swimming	2016	F	3	1	0	4
	Brad Snyder	Swimming	2016	M	3	1	0	4
9	Gregory Burns	Swimming	1996	M	2	1	0	3
10	Kelley Becherer	Swimming	2012	F	2	0	2	4
Wheelchair tennis
1	Randy Snow	Wheelchair tennis	1992	M	2	0	0	2
Multiple sports
1	Ed Owen	Athletics	1968	M	4	0	1	7
		Swimming			2	0	0
2	Sharon Hedrick	Athletics	1980	F	3	1	0	5
		Wheelchair basketball			0	0	1

Multi-medalists at single event

This is a list of athletes who have won at least three medals in a single event at the Summer Paralympics. Ordered categorically by medals earned, sports, then gold medals earned.

No.	Athlete	Sport	Event	Years	Games	Gender	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Trischa Zorn	Swimming	100m backstroke	1980–2004	7	F	5	1	1	7
2	Jessica Long	Swimming	400m freestyle	2004–2016	4	F	3	1	0	4
3	Ross Davis	Athletics	100 metres	1992–2000	3	M	2	1	0	3
	Bart Dodson	Athletics	200 metres	1992–2000	3	M	2	1	0	3
	Rudy Garcia-Tolson	Swimming	200m individual medley	2004–2012	3	M	2	1	0	3
	Roy Perkins	Swimming	50m butterfly	2008–2016	3	M	2	1	0	3
7	David Larson	Athletics	400 metres	1988–1996	3	M	2	0	1	3

Athletes with most appearances

Summer Paralympics

This is a list of athletes who have competed in four or more Summer Paralympics. Active athletes are in bold. Athletes under 15 years of age and over 40 years of age are in bold.

No.	Athlete	Sport	Birth Year	Games Years	First/Last Age	Gender	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Pamela Fontaine	Table tennis  Wheelchair basketball	1964	1984–2016	20 - 52	F	0	1	1	2
2	Trischa Zorn	Swimming	1964	1980–2004	16 - 40	F	44	9	5	55
3	Lex Gillette	Athletics	1984	2004–2016	20 - 32	M	0	4	0	4

Winter Paralympics

Prize money

When a US athlete wins an Olympic medal, as of 2016, the USOPC paid the winner $25,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver, and $10,000 for bronze.^[1] The USOPC increased the payouts by 25% to $37,000 for gold, $22,500 for silver, and $15,000 for bronze beginning in 2017.^[2] These numbers are significantly lower than in other countries, where Olympic gold medalists receive up to $1 million from their governments for a gold medal.^[3][4] Since 2018, payouts to Paralympic athletes have been the same as to the Olympians. The International Paralympic Committee noted that "'Operation Gold Awards' for [American] Paralympic athletes [would] be increased by as much as 400 percent."^[5]

See also

• United States at the Olympics

References

1. Cao, Athena Cao (15 August 2016) Uncle Sam goes for gold, too: Up to $9,900 per Olympic gold medal First Coast News via USA Today
2. "USOC Increases 'Operation Gold' Payouts By 25% Beginning in 2017". Swimswam.com. December 14, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
3. Many Countries Pay Big Bonuses For Olympic Medals. This One Is Shelling Out $2.7 Million.
4. Some countries pay more than six figures to athletes who bring home a medal -- but not the U.S.
5. Paralympians to earn equal payouts as Olympians in the USA