These Athletes Are Still Thriving 10 Years After The Rio Games

Ten years can feel like an especially long time for world-class athletes. Injuries and age can take a toll on their bodies and force them to retire sooner than they had hoped.

That’s not the case, however, for a handful of American track-and-field stars who are still racing and reaching the medal podium 10 years after competing at the Paralympic Games Rio 2016.

This month marks the 10-year anniversary of the Rio Games. Here are some of the Team USA athletes who are continuing to thrive on the track a decade after their performance in Rio.

Tatyana McFadden Builds On Her Legacy

Tatyana McFadden had already competed at three Summer Paralympics before heading to Rio. She had to make a quick turnaround for the 2016 Games after earning a silver medal in Nordic skiing at her only Winter Paralympics in Sochi in 2014.

Competing in Russia didn’t hinder McFadden’s performance at all in Brazil. The Baltimore native won six medals and led Team USA with four golds. 

She hasn’t slowed down any at age 37, and she continues to break records and add to her legacy as the most decorated U.S. Paralympic track athlete of all time.

In May, the 22-time Paralympic medalist broke her own record in the women’s 400-meter T54 at a meet in Arbon, Switzerland. She crossed the finish line in 50.05 seconds, shaving 0.41 seconds off the previous world record that she set last year in Arbon.

McFadden was 15 years old when she made her Paralympic debut at the 2004 Athens Games. In Paris 20 years later, she won a silver and a bronze in her seventh Paralympic appearance. In two years, she’s planning to compete in Los Angeles to make more history. 

“I have unfinished business,” McFadden told Olympics.com.

Hunter Woodhall Makes A Name For Himself

In 2016, Hunter Woodhall arrived in Rio as a newcomer on the world’s largest stage. The sprinter from Syracuse, Utah, quickly established himself as an international contender, winning the silver medal in the men’s 200 T44 and a bronze in the 400.

After earning another bronze in the 400 five years later in Tokyo, Woodhall claimed his first gold medal when he won the 400 T62 in 46.36 seconds in Paris. His victory came only a few weeks after his wife, Tara Davis-Woodhall, earned her first gold in the women’s long jump at the Paris Olympics.

“When I crossed the line, I was like, ‘Am I really first this time or am I still dreaming?'” Woodhall told Paralympic.org.

Susannah Scaroni Makes Her Mark In Marathons

Susannah Scaroni wasn’t considered one of the world’s fastest wheelchair marathoners in 2016, but plenty has changed over the past decade for her.

Competing at her second Paralympics in Rio, Scaroni finished seventh in the women’s marathon T54 and 13th in the 800-meter race. 

The Tekoa, Washington, native broke out five years later in Tokyo by winning gold in the 5,000 T54, and she has earned six medals over the past two Paralympics. She has also made her mark by winning the women’s wheelchair division at some of the world’s biggest marathons.

In 2025, Scaroni won the New York City Marathon for the third time, the Chicago Marathon for the second time and the Boston Marathon for the second time. She also earned her first victory at the Sydney Marathon. Thanks to her dominant season, she earned a nomination for the Best Athlete With A Disability ESPY.

Daniel Romanchuk Finds His Rhythm After Busy Debut

Daniel Romanchuk didn’t get much time to rest while making his Paralympic debut in Rio as an 18-year-old. The Mount Airy, Maryland, native competed in five events, but he didn’t finish better than 13th in any of them.

Since then, Romanchuk has won two world titles, earned four Paralympic medals and established himself as one of the top wheelchair racers on the marathon circuit.

He won his first Paralympic gold medal in the men’s 400-meter T54 race at the Tokyo Games. He captured another gold three years later in Paris when he hung with the pack in the 5,000 before making his move down the stretch to win the race in 10 minutes, 55.28 seconds.

This past July, the 28-year-old solidified his place as one of the fastest Americans at the 2026 Toyota USA Track & Field Outdoor & Para National Championships in New York. He won all four events he competed in at nationals — the 400, 800, 1,500 and 5,000.

Kym Crosby Wins Back-to-Back Bronzes

Kym Crosby started racing after her brother saw her run the mile in her gym class and suggested she join her high school track-and-field team. That decision led the Yuba City, California, native making her Paralympic debut in Rio.

In Brazil, Crosby earned the bronze in the women’s 100 T13 — a result she matched five years later in Tokyo.

Crosby just missed out on making the medal podium in Paris, finishing fourth in the 100. Now 33, she showed she’s on track to make another run at the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics with a second-place finish in a combined 100 at nationals in July.

Mikey Brannigan Gets Off To Fast Start 

Mikey Brannigan kicked off his Paralympic career in a memorable way.

Making his debut in Rio, he waited until the final lap to pick up the pace and pull away from the rest of the pack to win the gold medal in the men’s 1,500 T20 in 3:51.73. He ran the final lap in 55 seconds to cruise to the win and ensure there would be no drama at the finish line.

A native of Northport, New York, Brannigan has remained a top competitor in the 1,500 over the past decade. He’s a four-time world champion, including three times in the 1,500 and once in the 800. He also won the bronze in the 1,500 at the Paris Paralympics.

The 29-year-old showed at this year’s nationals that he can win in longer races as well, claiming a national title in the 5,000 with a time of 14:47.26.

Alex Abrams has written about Olympic and Paralympic sports for more than 15 years, including as a reporter for major newspapers in Florida, Arkansas and Oklahoma. He is a freelance contributor to usatf.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.