Paralympians in the Olympics

Has anyone ever competed in both the Olympics and the Paralympics? You probably know us well enough by now to know the answer is yes, and most people assume we are referring only to Oscar Pistorius, the South African blade runner now on trial for the murder of his girlfriend. In fact, it has happened 14 times, although 3 were sighted guides at the Paralympics. The first ever was Neroli Fairhall, the New Zealand archer who competed at the 1980 Paralympics and the 1984 Olympic Games. Fairhall was a paraplegic after a motorbike accident, and competed as an archer from her wheelchair.

Here are the 13 Olympians / Paralympians:

[table]

Athlete,NOC,Sport,Olympics,Paralympics

Orazio Fagone,ITA,STK,1988-94,2006

Neroli Fairhall,NZL,ARC,1984,1980

Paola Fantato,ITA,ARC,1996,1988-2004

Assunta Legnante,ITA,ATH,2008,2012

Craig MacLean,GBR,CYC,2000-04,2012 (sighted guide)

Robin McKeever,CAN,CCS,1998,2010 (sighted guide)

Natalia Partyka,POL,TTN,2008-12,2000-12

Oscar Pistorius,RSA,ATH,2012,2004-12

Marla Runyan,USA,ATH,2000-04,1992-96

Jeroen Straathof,NED,CYC/SSK,1994-2004,2000 (sighted guide)

Pál Szekeres,HUN,FEN,1988,1992-2012

Natalie du Toit,RSA,SWI,2008,2004-12

Sonia Vettenburg,BEL,SHO,1992,1984-88

Ilke Wyludda,GER,ATH,1992-2000,2012

[/table]

See also http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/friv/lists.cgi

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