NEW YORK — Ten-time Paralympic track medalist Tatyana McFadden capped an precedented year of road racing by winning the New York City Marathon wheelchair event Sunday.
McFadden, born in St. Petersburg, Russia, with spina bifida that left her paralyzed from the waist down, became the first person to complete a marathon Grand Slam — capturing titles at major 26.2-mile races this year in Boston, Chicago, London and New York.
“I’ve had an incredible year,” said McFadden, a longtime sprinter who started doing marathons in 2009. “It’s taken me a long time to get where I am. I didn’t just wake up and this all happened.”
She finished in 1 hour, 59 minutes, 13 seconds with a pace of 4:33 per mile. She won by 3:41, adding to her 2010 title in New York. American Amanda McGrory, a four-time 2008 Paralympic medalist, took fourth.
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In July, she became the first person to win six gold medals at a single IPC Athletics World Championships.
What’s next for McFadden?
She’s on track to graduate from the University of Illinois with a degree in human development in December.
Also in December, McFadden, 24, is scheduled to begin the Paralympic cross-country skiing World Cup season with an eye on making the U.S. Paralympic Team in Sochi.