Samantha Heyison
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | August 5, 2005 Adamstown, Maryland, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||
| Education | Wake Forest University | |||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Para-athletics | |||||||||||||||||
| Disability | Constricted band syndrome | |||||||||||||||||
| Disability class | F64 | |||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | discus throw shot put | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Samantha Heyison (born August 5, 2005), is an American Paralympic athlete specializing in throwing events. She will represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.
Early life and education
Heyison played soccer, softball and basketball growing up, before focusing on track and field.[1] She attended Urbana High School in Ijamsville, Maryland. During the 2021 Maryland 4A state championship she finished in second place in discus and fifth in shot put.[2] She was the 2022 Maryland 4A state champion in discus and the 2023 Maryland 4A state champion in both discus and shot put.[3][4] She was named a two-time U.S. Paralympics track and field high school Athlete of the Year.[5][6]
She attends Wake Forest University and is a member of their track and field team.[7]
Career
Heyison made her international debut for the United States at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships and won bronze medals in the discus throw and shot put events. [8]
In July 2024, during the U.S. Paralympic team trials, she qualified to represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in discus throw and shot put.[9][10]
Personal life
Heyison was born five and a half weeks premature and diagnosed with Constricted band syndrome, which resulted in a clubbed left foot with all five toes being partially amputated, a right foot with three toes fused together and a right hand missing two fingers. Her mother, Tanya, played volleyball at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, while her father, Marc, was a baseball player and drafted in the ninth round of the 1983 MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles.[3]
References
- ^ Swatek, Greg (December 30, 2021). "Adamstown's Heyison takes aim at Paralympic Games". Frederick News-Post. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Gronowski, Gianna (August 29, 2022). "Samantha Heyison is now the world's best in shot put, and she's just getting started". Washington Jewish Week. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ a b Lee, Edward (May 25, 2023). "Frederick County teen Samantha Heyison, daughter of former Orioles draft pick, at top of world para athlete rankings". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Swatek, Greg (May 29, 2023). "Built in same mold, TJ boys, Urbana girls claim team titles at state track and field championships". Frederick News-Post. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Dacy, Alexander (December 8, 2022). "Urbana's Heyison earns US Paralympic Track and Field honor for second straight year". Frederick News-Post. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ "Samantha Heyison". teamusa.com. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ "Samantha Heyison to Represent Team USA at 2024 Paralympics". godeacs.com. July 23, 2024. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Drumwright, Steve (June 6, 2024). "Samantha Heyison's Parents Blessed Her With Athleticism … And A Pump-up Song". usparatf.org. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Gowdy, Kristen (July 21, 2024). "Fifty-four Athletes Nominated to U.S. Paralympic Track & Field Team". usparatf.org. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Swatek, Greg; Cannon, John (July 26, 2024). "Poised for Paralympics: Urbana grad Samantha Heyison, three others with local ties, set for Paris Games". Frederick News-Post. Retrieved August 5, 2024.