Zena Cole
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Ogie[1] | |||||||||||||||||
| Nationality |  United States | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||
Zena Cole is an American Paralympic discus thrower, who has competed at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, winning a bronze medal in London.
Biography[edit]
Zena Cole was born in Ohio.[2] When she was 18-months-old she contracted polio and spent years in an iron lung ventilator. Until the age of twelve, she used crutches and braces which often broke while she was playing outside. The doctors suggested that she should use a wheelchair. In 1991 she was diagnosed with a condition called post-polio syndrome which caused her to retire from the Ohio Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation.[3]
In 2011, Cole won a silver medal at the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships and the same year won a gold medal at the Parapan American Games.[2] She also participated at the 2012 Summer Paralympics where she won a bronze medal for discus throw of 5.29 m. She participated in the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon, France, competing in discus and club throw.[4]
At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics, she beat her previous personal best of 4.89 m with a 4.98 m throw at the Women's Discus Throw in the F52 category[5] but came sixth.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ Dominick Evans (September 8, 2012). "The United States Needs to Get with the Program – ParaOlympics Coverage Not Shown Here". Retrieved April 18, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Zena Cole". Team USA. United States Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
- ^ Carl Ryan (July 31, 2012). "Oregon woman dreams gold". Toledo Blade. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
- ^ "Paralympic medalist to compete again". Toledo Blade. January 22, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
- ^ "Zena Cole | Women's Discus Throw F52 Final Throw 3 | 2016 Paralympic Games". Billings Gazette. September 14, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
External links[edit]
- Living people
- Paralympic track and field athletes for the United States
- Paralympic bronze medalists for the United States
- Medalists at the 2012 Summer Paralympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Paralympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Paralympics
- American female discus throwers
- Track and field athletes with disabilities
- Sportspeople from Ohio
- Paralympic medalists in athletics (track and field)
- 21st-century American women
- Polio survivors