Howard County Woman Named Female Athlete of the Paralympic Games

Clarksville native Tatyana McFadden has been named the 2016 Female Athlete of the Paralympic Games at a ceremony hosted by Team USA. Winners of the Team USA awards were determined by online voting and a special Olympic and Paralympic panel, with input from each receiving equal weight.

Approximately 400,000 fans votes in the contest, according to a statement from the organization.

The Team USA Awards were presented Wednesday night at Georgetown University’s McDonough Arena in Washington, D.C.

Co-hosted by Akbar Gbajabiamila and Matt Iseman from American Ninja Warrior, the awards show will be broadcast on NBC Sports from 10–11 p.m. on Oct. 4.

McFadden, 27, medaled in all six individual events she entered at the 2016 Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro. She won four gold medals (in the 400-, 800-, 1,500- and 5,000-meter events) and two silver medals (in the 100-meter and the marathon).

McFadden was not the only Baltimore area athlete to be recognized; swimmer Michael Phelps, 31, also won an award:

• Female Athlete of the Olympic Games – Katie Ledecky, Swimming
• Male Athlete of the Olympic Games – Michael Phelps, Swimming
• Team of the Olympic Games, presented by Dow – U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Team
• Female Athlete of the Paralympic Games – Tatyana McFadden, Track and Field
• Male Athlete of the Paralympic Games – Brad Snyder, Swimming
• Team of the Paralympic Games – U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team

North Baltimore Aquatic Club, where Phelps and several other Olympians began their training, won the "Building Dreams Award,"which recognizes an individual, group or community that has gone above and beyond in its support of Team USA.

The ceremony Wednesday night ended with the presentation of the inaugural Jesse Owens Olympic Spirit Award, posthumously presented to Olympic boxing champion Muhammad Ali, who died June 3 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Related: Clarksville Paralympic Athlete Up for Team USA Award

Photo via Team USA.