CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Hannah McFadden always assumed it would be the pool where she’d make a name for herself. She loved swimming, loved the feel of flying through the water.
She won’t deny, too, that it was nice being the only McFadden there, recognized for her own accomplishments rather than those of her more established older sister.
“That was one reason I never did track is because then automatically you just get compared,” McFadden said. “Whereas with swimming, Tatyana was never even heard of in the swimming world.”
Yes, McFadden’s sister is that Tatyana McFadden, an 11-time Paralympic medalist who in 2013 became the first to sweep the world’s four major marathons, a feat she repeated in 2014 and 2015.
As younger siblings throughout time have realized, however, the comparisons are always going to be there. Running from them is futile, so you may as well run with them.
Or in Hannah McFadden’s case, alongside them.
After winning two bronze medals at the International Paralympic Committee Athletics World Championships last year, the spotlight is beginning to find the younger McFadden. She’ll be racing at the Paralympics Trials in Charlotte this weekend in the T54 category, same as her sister, and hopes to compete in the 100, 400 and 800 meters in Rio.
“I am so much more excited for these games,” said McFadden, who finished eighth in the 100 meters in 2012. “That first experience makes you hungry for more. And I think as an athlete I’ve grown. I’m more relaxed. I know my stroke mechanic is way better. I’m just excited to see how I do as a different racer than London.
“London was a little crazy,” she said with a laugh. “I was a bit all over the place.”
No wonder, given she’d only been racing seriously for about a year then.
Born with a bone deformity in her left leg, McFadden is an above-the-knee amputee. Adopted shortly after birth in Albania by Deborah McFadden, she tried almost every sport there was growing up.
“Table tennis, hockey, track, swimming, wheelchair basketball, skiing,” McFadden said.
It wasn’t until she was a teenager that she started focusing on track. But the more she raced, the more she enjoyed it.
“I really just like going fast,” she said. “Once you start running, you can’t think about anything else. You don’t think really at all. Just all the sudden your body takes over, and I like that out-of-body experience.”
Only 16 in 2012, McFadden didn’t have any grand plans for London. But since she was going to trials anyway to watch her sister, she decided to enter. She finished third in the 100 meters, earning her a spot in London.
The Paralympics was her first international meet.
“Probably the most nerve-wracking thing in the world,” she said. “You have 80,000 people just screaming. There’s nothing going on and they’re just screaming. The fans are crazy, which makes it so fun. But for my first international meet — I’d never even had a crowd of 20 people! So going from a crowd of 20 to 80,000, it’s a bit of a nerve shock.”
After finishing high school, McFadden joined her sister at the University of Illinois, which has the premier training site in the world for wheelchair athletics. The specialized coaching and resources have made a huge difference for McFadden, who last year won the U.S. title in the 200 meters and finished second in the 100, 400 and 800.
She went on to win her first international medals, a gold in the 400 meters and silver in the 800, at the Parapan American Games, then claimed bronzes in the 100 and 200 at worlds.
“It was a really good confidence booster,” McFadden said. “That just showed me I am up there with those top leading ladies.”
Because it was between the Chicago and New York marathons, Tatyana McFadden didn’t compete at last year’s worlds, where she was the defending champion in the 100, 200, 400, 800, 1,500 and 5,000 meters. But Hannah McFadden said she thinks she would have done even better had her sister been there.
Close as the two are – they spend much of their time together and often jump in to finish each other’s sentences – they’re also competitive, whether it’s on the track or seeing who can get home from training faster.
“I think I would have gone faster if she was there, because that always seems to be the case,” Hannah McFadden said.
There are sure to be plenty of other opportunities. Once wary of being overshadowed, Hannah McFadden is now eager to show the world her sister isn’t the only one in the family with serious speed.
“I’ve never beaten her,” Hannah McFadden said. “I look forward to that competition.”
