Tenths of a Second Apart

Cheri Madsen made history as the first Native American woman to win an Olympic Medal, securing Bronze in the 800m exhibition contest at the 1996 Atlanta Games. Born in Omaha, Nebraska and an enrolled member of the Omaha Tribe, Cheri was paralyzed at age 3 after a viral infection in her spine and began wheelchair racing as a teenager in 1994. Two years later, she qualified for the 1996 Paralympics. Her athletic career spans four Paralympic Games (1996, 2000, 2016, and 2020) and includes 10 Paralympic medals, including 2 gold, 5 silver, and 3 bronze. For her accomplishments, she was recently inducted in the Adaptive Sports Hall of Fame.