United States at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

United States at the
2008 Summer Paralympics
Flag of the United States
IPC codeUSA
NPCUnited States Paralympic Committee
Websitewww.teamusa.org/US-Paralympics
in Beijing
Competitors213 in 18[3] sports
Flag bearers Jennifer Armbruster (opening)[1]
Melissa Stockwell (closing)[2]
Medals
Ranked 3rd
Gold
36
Silver
35
Bronze
28
Total
99
Summer Paralympics appearances (overview)

The United States sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China. A total of 213 U.S. competitors took part in 18 sports; the only 2 sports Americans did not compete in were soccer 5-a-side and 7-a-side.[3] The American delegation included 16 former members of the U.S. military, including 3 veterans of the Iraq War. Among them were shot putter Scott Winkler,[4] who was paralyzed in an accident in Iraq, and swimmer Melissa Stockwell, a former United States Army officer who lost her left leg to a roadside bomb in the war.[5]

The United States finished third in the gold and overall medal count, behind host nation China and Great Britain. The finish was an improvement from the 2004 Paralympics, where the U.S. finished fourth in the gold and overall medal count.[6] The U.S. saw significant gains in Paralympic swimming, winning 17 gold medals and 44 total medals, 9 more than they took home from Athens. U.S. swimmers set a total of 16 world records, 23 Paralympic records, 48 Pan American records and 99 American records.[7] U.S. coverage of the Games was provided by the Universal Sports Television Network and the official website of the U.S. Paralympic Team.[8]

  1. ^ Rohlfs, Amy (2008-11-07). "Jennifer Armbruster Named Flag Bearer for Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Paralympic Games". U.S. Paralympics. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
  2. ^ Dugan Kusumoto, Tara (2008-09-16). "Melissa Stockwell, Iraq War Veteran, Elected as Flag Bearer for Closing Ceremonies". United States Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 2008-11-19. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  3. ^ a b Abrahamson, Alan (2008-10-24). "Wounded Veterans Find New Challenges at USOC Paralympic Military Sports Camp". United States Olympic Committee. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  4. ^ Pasquale, Lauren (2008-10-09). "Team USA Helps Inspire Recovering Veterans". United States Olympic Committee. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  5. ^ Lumpkin, Bernard (2008-08-25). "Wounded Iraq Veteran To Represent U.S. In Paralympics". MTV. Archived from the original on August 30, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
  6. ^ "2008 U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Teams to Make Traditional White House Visit on October 7". U.S. Paralympics. 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2008-11-27.
  7. ^ Kusumoto, Tara (2008-09-16). "2008 PARALYMPIC GAMES: U.S. Paralympic Swimming Team Tops Medal Standings". U.S. Paralympics. Archived from the original on 2009-07-24. Retrieved 2008-11-27.
  8. ^ "Universal Sports to Broadcast LIVE Coverage of the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games". USOC. 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-27.[dead link‍]