Trischa Zorn Selected As First Paralympic Inductee of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
Trischa Zorn is the most successful athlete in Paralympic Games history, having won 55 medals, 41 of which are gold, while competing in seven Paralympics. To put those totals into perspective, Zorn has won more Paralympic medals than many countries. Not surprising, she will be inducted later this year into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
Zorn first began competing as a 16-year old, qualifying for her first Paralympic Games in 1980 in Arnham, Netherlands, where she came away with seven gold medals. Zorn was born with a genetic eye condition that left her blind. After her first Games in the Netherlands, it was on to New York in 1984, where she won six more gold medals. From there, she never looked back for the next five Games.
In 1982, Zorn was awarded an NCAA Division I scholarship, becoming the first visually impaired athlete to earn a full ride, which she used to become a four-time All-American backstroker at the University of Nebraska.
Zorn became a teacher for special needs students in Indianapolis. After several years of teaching, she decided to make a career change and entered law school. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from the Indiana University Law School in 2005. Zorn now works for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Indianapolis, where she works to ensure that veterans obtain the care they are entitled to receive.
USA Swimming created the Trischa L. Zorn Award to honor a swimmer or relay team with a disability for outstanding performance and excellence. She was inducted into the International Paralympic Hall of Fame in 2012 and was inducted into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame in 2022.
The 2023 ceremony will mark the first year that ISHOF will induct a Paralympic athlete. It was suggested and unanimously passed by the ISHOF Board of Directors to include Paralympians into the ISHOF family in 2021. With the Covid pandemic, it was agreed that 2023 would be the first year that an athlete would be chosen. A committee was selected and formed with Dave Denniston as Chairman and his group of experts from around the world assisting in the process. Zorn was a unanimous selection as the first ISHOF Paralympic Honoree.
This year’s International Swimming Hall of Fame Honorees include:
Bob Bowman (USA)……………..…….………..….……….……….…….…Coach
Chris Carver (USA)………..…………..………..……………..…..…………Coach
Cesar Cielo (BRA)…………..….….………..………………….…………Swimmer
Kirsty Coventry (ZMB)…………….………………..……….…….…….Swimmer
Missy Franklin (USA)…………..……..………….………………………Swimmer
Natalia Ischenko (RUS)…..……..…………………Synchronized Swimmer
Kosuke Kitajima (JPN)………..……………..………………………… Swimmer
Heather Petri (USA)………..….………..…..……..……… Water Polo Player
Michael Phelps (USA)…………………..……..……………..………… Swimmer
Wu Mingxia (CHN)…………………..………..…….………………………… Diver
Sam Ramsamy (RSA)…………..…………….…………….……….. Contributor
Stephane LeCat (FRA).…………………………………Open Water Swimmer
Trischa Zorn (USA)………………………………..……. Paralympic Swimmer