Marla Runyan

Marla Runyan , born the January 4th 1969 with Santa Maria in California, is a American athlete

Biography

As of its youth, it is impassioned for the sport, practitioner football, gymnastic sport which it discovered by looking at on television Nadia Comaneci at the time of the plays of Montreal.

To 9 years, its loss of vision is explained: she sees herself diagnosing the syndrome of Stargardt. Become officially nonconspicuous, it cannot see what is opposite it but it preserves a peripheral vision.

It cannot be solved to give up the sport and it is directed then towards the Athlétisme. It starts with the high jump then quickly towards the Heptathlon.

Its qualities enable him to take part in the Plays paralympic of 1992 in Barcelona where it gains 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters and height. For the following edition, it gains the heptathlon. But these competitions are insufficient for it; Since 1996, it took part in the American, qualificative selections for the plays of Atlanta. It finishes there in the tenth place. However, its time on the 800 meters the growth to specialize on this discipline of the medium-distance race.

After one period of wound, it returns on the tracks, gaining the 1.500 meters of the plays Panaméricains 1999 then takes part in the world of Seville where it finishes in the 10th place.

The following year, it carries out its dream to be qualified for the Olympic Games of 2000 with Sydney. It becomes thus the first officially blind athlete to take part in the plays. But, it is not satisfied to take part. She qualifies herself at the time of the two first turns to reach the final. In front of a rate/rhythm relatively low which is not appropriate to him, it takes the head of the race. With 400 meters, the favorite ones exceed it then, the victory returning finally to Algerian the Nouria Mérah-Benida in front of Rumanian the Violeta Szekely and Gabriela Szabo. American finishes however 8th, which places it like first representing of its country.

It confirms its national row by beating the American record of the 1.500 meters in room at the time of the following season indoor.

In 2002, it is first American at the time of the Marathon of New York for its first attempt at the distance.