Megan Blunk facts for kids
Personal information | |||||||||||
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Nationality | ![]() |
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Born | Tacoma, Washington |
September 12, 1989 ||||||||||
Education | 2010, Tacoma Community College B.A., M.A., University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign |
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Height | 5 feet 3 inches (1.60 m) | ||||||||||
Weight | 115lbs (52kg) | ||||||||||
Medal record
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Megan Blunk, born on September 12, 1989, is a talented American athlete. She is best known as a wheelchair basketball player for the United States national team. In 2016, she helped Team USA win a gold medal at the Summer Paralympics.
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Early Life and Challenges
Megan Blunk was born in Tacoma, Washington. Her parents are Wendy Ricketts and David Blunk. After finishing Peninsula High School in 2008, Megan faced a big challenge. She became paralyzed from the waist down because of a motorcycle accident. This was a very difficult time for her.
Despite these challenges, Megan found a new path. She was accepted to the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. There, she joined the women's wheelchair basketball team. During a summer break from college, Megan also started trying out para-canoeing. She trained at the Gig Harbor Canoe and Kayak Club.
Sports Career Highlights
Megan Blunk has had an exciting career in sports. She has competed in both para-canoeing and wheelchair basketball.
Para-Canoeing Achievements
In 2013, Megan competed with Team USA at the ParaCanoe World Championships. She showed great skill and won two silver medals at this event.
Wheelchair Basketball Success
Even with her success in para-canoeing, Megan decided to focus on basketball. In 2015, she made the final roster for the United States women's national wheelchair basketball team. She then competed in the 2015 Parapan American Games. With her team, Megan helped win a gold medal under coach Stephanie Wheeler.
Her biggest achievement came in 2016. Megan helped Team USA win a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Paralympics. They beat Germany with a score of 62–45 in the final game. This was a huge victory for Megan and her team.
In 2018, Megan Blunk also took part in a well-known Nike commercial. This commercial featured former National Football League player Colin Kaepernick.