The Olympics gathers people around the world to compete in various sports every four years, and most of us are familiar with the myriad of events that the games host. In 2024, Paris will be hosting the event.

The Paralympics, however, are not necessarily as familiar. These inclusive games also take place every four years and are open to those with mental and physical disabilities.

“There are six broad Paralympics categories: amputee, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, wheelchair, vision impairment, and “others”. The amputee category is defined as one where the athlete has lost at least one major musculoskeletal joint; the ankle, knee, and elbow are common examples.” (encyclopedia.com)

Paris will be hosting these games in 2024, also. There are many who participate, but one of the most successful athletes in the games has been Trischa Zorn, a blind swimmer who’s one of the most successful Paralympic athletes in the world.

Trischa Zorn was born on June 1, 1964, with an eye condition called aniridia. This condition causes the eye to stop developing early on which leads to blindness or partial vision. LATimes stated that “Zorn started swimming at 8, after she heard about a team that was being formed in her hometown of Tustin. Though she had been involved in dancing and gymnastics, Zorn chose swimming when her mother urged her to concentrate on one sport.”

According to USOPM, the first time she competed in the Paralympics was in Arnhem 1980 and she won seven gold medals at 16 during her debut as a Paralympic swimmer.

USOPM mentions that in 1984, during her second time at the Paralympics, she won six more gold medals. She then continued to compete in the Paralympics until 2004 where she decided that she wanted to focus on her studies. USOPM also mentioned that she was in the Paralympian hall of fame and that she is now an attorney with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.