U.S. Olympic Athletes

Elizabeth Stone

  • Home:  Grand Rapids, Michigan
  • Birthday:  June 11, 1990

Elizabeth Stone competed in her second Paralympic Games in 2008. After coming up empty in Athens in 2004, Stone targeted Beijing as the place for her first Paralympic Games medal. With the Beijing Games coming to a close and Stone still without a medal, the 100m backstroke S9 proved to be her last opportunity. Nonetheless, Stone edged Australia's Ellie Cole by seven-tenths of a second for her first-ever silver medal.

Stone began competing nationally in 2002 and has won the "Most Dedicated" and "Leadership" awards from her home swim team.  She also plays on two wheelchair basketball teams, the Grand Rapids Junior Pacers and the RIC Express in Chicago.

Stone also swims on her high school swim team and was named to the All-Conference Team in 2006, making her the first athlete with a physical disability at her school to receive that honor in any sport. In her spare time, she enjoys listening to music, hanging out with her friends and playing with her pets, a dog named Zoe and a cat named Angel.

Major Achievements:

  • 2008: Silver medal, 100m Backstroke S9 - Paralympic Games, Beijing, China
  • 2008: First place, 100m Freestyle, 100m Butterfly, 100m Backstroke (American record); second place, 400m Freestyle, 50m Freestyle - U.S. Paralympic Swimming Trials, Minneapolis, Minn.
  • 2007: Second place, 50m Backstroke, 100m Backstroke; third place, 400m freestyle - U.S. Paralympics Open Swimming Championships, College Park, Md.
  • 2006: Gold medal, 4x100m Medley relay; Bronze medal, 100m Backstroke - IPC Swimming World Championships, Durban, South Africa
  • 2006: Three American records, 100m Backstroke, 200m Backstroke, 400m freestyle - U.S. Paralympics Swimming National Championships, San Antonio, Texas
  • 2005: Two American records, 50m Backstroke, 200m Backstroke - U.S. Paralympics Open Swimming Championships, Minneapolis, Minn.
  • 2004: Member of U.S. Paralympic Swimming Team - Paralympic Games, Athens, Greece
  • 2004: First place, 800m Freestyle, 1500m Freestyle; second place, 100m Backstroke; third place, 100m Butterfly - U.S. Paralympic Team Trials, Minneapolis, Minn.