Kendall Gretsch

Kendall Gretsch

Personal information
Born	(1992-04-02) April 2, 1992 Downers Grove, Illinois, U.S.
Height	5 ft 0 in (152 cm)
Weight	110 lb (50 kg)
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Paralympic Nordic skiing (Paralympic biathlon and Paralympic cross-country skiing), Paratriathlon
Disability class	LW11.5
Medal record Representing United States Women's para biathlon Winter Paralympics Gold medal – first place 2018 Pyeongchang 6 km sitting Gold medal – first place 2022 Beijing 10 km sitting Silver medal – second place 2022 Beijing 12.5 km sitting 2022 Beijing 6 km sitting Women's para cross-country skiing Winter Paralympics Gold medal – first place 2018 Pyeongchang 12 km sitting Women's para triathlon Summer Paralympics Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo PTWC Silver medal – second place 2024 Paris PTWC World Championships Gold medal – first place 2014 Edmonton PT1 Gold medal – first place 2015 Chicago PT1 Gold medal – first place 2016 Rotterdam PT1 Gold medal – first place 2023 Ponteverde Mixed relay Gold medal – first place 2024 Torremolinos PTWC Gold medal – first place 2024 Torremolinos Mixed relay Silver medal – second place 2019 Lausanne PTWC Silver medal – second place 2022 Abu Dhabi PTWC Silver medal – second place 2023 Ponteverde PTWC Americas Championships Gold medal – first place 2014 Dallas PT1 Gold medal – first place 2015 Monterrey PT1 Gold medal – first place 2016 Sarasota PT1 Gold medal – first place 2019 Sarasota-Bradenton PTWC Gold medal – first place 2021 Pleasant Prairie PTWC

Kendall Gretsch (born April 2, 1992) is an American triathlete, biathlete and cross-country skier. She was born with spina bifida. She has competed in both Summer Paralympics and Winter Paralympics and has won gold medals at both competitions.

Education

Gretsch attended Downers Grove North High School. Gretsch studied at Washington University in St. Louis where she earned a degree in Bio Medical Engineering. She was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi sorority.

Career

2018 Winter Paralympics

Gretsch made her Paralympic debut at the 2018 Winter Paralympics and created history in her first Paralympic appearance after claiming a gold medal in the women's 6km sitting biathlon event. She eventually became the first American to claim a medal in a biathlon event in either the Olympics or the Paralympics. Her medal was also the first gold medal achieved by the United States at the 2018 Winter Paralympics in the opening day of the multi-sport event.

Gretsch also repeated her gold medal hunt at the 2018 Winter Paralympics after emerging as the winner in the women's 12km sitting event which is a part of the cross-country skiing event. This was her second Paralympic gold medal and the first gold medal that she achieved in cross-country skiing.

Gretsch was one of two Paralympic gold winners representing the United States, the other being Daniel Cnossen, the first male biathlete to achieve a medal in either the Olympics or the Paralympics.

2020 Summer Paralympics

Gretsch made her debut Summer Paralympics appearance representing United States at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in paratriathlon event and it also marked her second Paralympic appearance after featuring in 2018 Winter Paralympics. She went onto clinch her first Summer Paralympic medal in her maiden Summer Paralympic appearance. She became a Paralympic champion in the women's PTWC paratriathlon event whereas she notably defeated reigning world champion Lauren Parker of Australia to claim gold medal in the relevant competition.

She also became the fifth American and third American woman to have clinched gold medals in both Summer Paralympics and Winter Paralympics.

2021 World Para Snow Sports Championships

She won the gold medal in the women's 7.5 km sitting cross-country skiing event at the 2021 World Para Snow Sports Championships held in Lillehammer, Norway. She also won gold medals in the women's 10 km sitting biathlon event and in the women's Individual sitting biathlon event. In cross-country skiing, she won the silver medal in the women's long-distance sitting event.

2022 Winter Paralympics

She competed in the Women's 6 kilometres Biathlon seated, winning a bronze medal.

External links

• Kendall Gretsch at World Triathlon
• Kendall Gretsch at the International Paralympic Committee
• Kendall Gretsch at IPC.InfostradaSports.com (archived)
• Kendall Gretsch at Team USA (archive February 4, 2022)
• Kendall Gretsch on Instagram