Jessica Galli
After winning just one medal in the 2000 and 2004 Paralympic Games, Jessica Galli won an incredible five medals in Beijing, including one gold, three silver, and one bronze. Galli's medal haul was tops among the entire U.S. Paralympic Track & Field Team.
In June 2007, Galli set a new mark in the 400m at a European Wheelchair Championships meet in Switzerland, taking nearly a half-second off the old mark, set by Great Britain's Tanni Grey-Thompson. Three weeks later, she chopped another four-tenths of a second off her time - and broke two other world records, the 200m and 800m - at the Meet in the Heat in Atlanta.
A 2000 Paralympic Games silver medalist in the 800m, Galli says finishing fourth twice in 2004 in Athens helped motivate her for her success in Beijing. While she was there, she reset the 400m world record.
Galli graduated from the University of Illinois in 2006 with a degree in kinesiology. She is currently a graduate student at Illinois, working toward a degree in health policy and administration.
Galli was injured in a car accident in September 1991, but shortly after became involved in disabled sports. In 1998, she attended her first international event, the IPC World Championships in Birmingham, England, and has been competing internationally ever since.
Major Achievements:
- 2008: Gold medal, T53 400m; silver medal, T53 100m; silver medal, T53 200m; silver medal, T53 800m,; bronze medal, Women's 4 x 100m relay T53/54, world record 400m - Paralympic Games, Beijing, China
- 2008: Nominated for an ESPY in the Best Female Athlete with Physical Disability category
- 2007: Named U.S. Olympic Committee Paralympian of the Year
- 2007: Three world records, 200m, 400m, 800m - Meet in the Heat, Atlanta, Ga.
- 2007: Two gold medals, 200m, 400m - Visa Paralympic World Cup, Manchester, United Kingdom
- 2006: Gold medal, 100m; Silver medal, 200m; Bronze medal, 800m - IPC Athletics World Championships, Assen, The Netherlands
- 2006: Two gold medals, 100m, 800m - Visa Paralympic World Cup, Manchester, United Kingdom
- 2005: Silver medal, 100m; Bronze medal, 400m - Visa Paralympic World Cup, Manchester, United Kingdom
- 2004: Member of U.S. Paralympic Track & Field Team
- 2002: Two gold medals, 400m, 800m; Silver medal, 100m - IPC Athletics World Championships, Lille, France
- 2000: Silver medal, 800m - Paralympic Games, Sydney, Australia
