Monica Bascio
Monica Bascio was paralyzed from the waist down following a downhill skiing accident in 1992. Soon after her accident, she moved to Santa Cruz, Calif., and enrolled at San Jose State University, earning a degree in occupational therapy in 1998.
Bascio, a world champion handcyclist who spent five years on the national team before making the transition to Nordic skiing in 2002, began skiing on the World Cup circuit in February of 2004 and competed in her first Paralympic Winter Games in 2006. In Torino, she notched three top-10 finishes in the 2.5k, 5k and 10k events.
In 2008, Bascio took the season off to raise her son Henry Lane, who was born July 8, and now Bascio says she's ready to balance athletics and motherhood as she's returned to training and the racing circuit.
Bascio adds to her busy schedule with a job as an occupational therapist and enjoys spending time with her husband Ian, their son, and their two dogs, Frank and Jack.
Major Achievements:
- 2011: Gold medal, H3-4 road race; Parapan American Games, Guadalajara, Mexico
- 2010: Ninth place, 10k; tenth place, 5k – Paralympic Games, Vancouver, Canada
- 2010: First place, 5k – U.S. Cross Country Championships
- 2007:
- 2007: Seventh place overall – World Cup
- 2006: Fifth place, 10k; Ninth place, 2.5k; Seventh place, 5k - Paralympic Winter Games,
- 2006: Fifth place, 15k freestyle - Lillehammer World Cup
- 2005: Fifth place, 10k - World Championships
- 2004: Silver medal, 10k - World Cup Finals
- 2004: Four top-five finishes at World Cup Finals
- 2002: Gold medal, time trial - IPC World Handcycle Championships
Learn more at http://www.monicabascio.com/.
