PARIS, France — Team USA competed in the S7 400-meter freestyle in the Paris Paralympic Games on Monday.
Georgia native McKenzie Coan, of Clarkesville, won the silver medal in the women's para-swimming event.
The win made Coan a four-time Paralympian and a seven-time medalist, having earned four gold and three silver medals since her 2012 Paralympic debut in London.
Morgan Stickney defended her title, nabbing the gold medal once again.
More about Mckenzie Coan - online bio
- Georgia connection: Hometown of Clarkesville
Coan, 28, is a gilded para-swimmer with four Paralympic golds, two Paralympic silvers, and nine World Championships gold to her name. She won gold in 2016 in each of the 50m freestyle S7, 100m freestyle S7 and 400m freestyle S7. That last distance she repeated for gold in Tokyo.
“Believe it or not, my disease, something a lot of people see as a burden, is my strength," she told 11Alive's Cheryl Preheim last year.
A disease called Osteogenesis Imperfecta brought her to the pool. O.I. is a genetic disorder that prevents the body from building strong bones. That’s why it’s also called brittle bone disease. She was diagnosed with it as a newborn.
"In a lot of ways, the water saved me," she said. "It gave me confidence and helped me believe anything is possible.”