Grace Norman

Name: Grace Ann Norman
Sport: Paratriathlon
Classification: PTS5
Height: 5'8"
Birthdate: March 9, 1998
Birthplace: Morgantown, W.V.
Hometown: Jamestown, Ohio
Current Residence: Bloomington, Ind.
High School: Xenia Christian High School (Xenia, Ohio)
College: Cedarville University '20, Nursing

Career Highlights

Three-time World Triathlon Para Champion (2016, 2017, 2022)
2020 Tokyo Paralympic Silver Medalist
2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Gold Medalist
Eight-time World Paratriathlon Championships medalist (3 golds, 2 silver, 2 bronzes)
Two-time USA Paratriathlon National Champion (2014, 2019)
13-time World Paratriathlon Event medalist (7 golds, 4 silvers, 2 bronzes)
2021 Americas Triathlon Para Championships Pleasant Prairie gold medalist
Five-time Sarasota-Bradenton CAMTRI Paratriathlon American Champion (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022)
Two-time World Triathlon Para Cup Medalist (2 golds)

Personal

Grace was born with congenital constriction band syndrome in her left leg at birth, which resulted in the amputation of her left leg and right big toe below the knee when she was young. Norman competed in track & field and cross country in high school, where she became the first female amputee to finish on the podium at a high school track & field state championship. Her triathlon career began with a mini triathlon in Ohio, and her first elite ITU paratriathlon race was in 2014. She competed in both track & field and paratriathlon at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, becoming the first U.S. athlete to win gold in paratriathlon’s debut as a Paralympic medal event. Norman reflects on winning gold in Rio to be the proudest moment of her career. She currently holds the world records for the 800-meter and 1,500-meter in the T44 classification for track & field. In 2015, Norman was named the U.S. Paralympics Track & Field High School Female Athlete of the Year. She considers her older sister and her coach Wesley Johnson to be the biggest role models in her life. She is a 2020 graduate of Cedarville University in Ohio, where she attended nursing school and competed on the NCAA track and cross-country teams. She also represented Cedarville at the 2019 USA Triathlon Collegiate Club National Championships, where she placed 26th in a field of more than 450 women. In her free time, she enjoys singing and playing the piano. Grace is the daughter of Tim and Robin Norman. She has two sisters Bethany and Danielle. She grew up in Jamestown, Ohio. She got married the summer of 2021. 

Elite Triathlon Career

2022: Opened up her season on home soil, earning her fourth Americas Championship title at the 2022 Americas Triathlon Para Championships Sarasota-Bradenton in Florida on March 13 • She won at the World Triathlon Para Series season opened in Yokohama, Japan on May 14 • Claimed the gold medal at the 2022 World Triathlon Para Cup Besancon in France on June 11 • The following weekend she earned another World Triathlon Para Cup gold medal in A Coruna, Spain on June 19 • Won at the World Triathlon Para Series Event in Montreal, Canada on July 8 • Had a DNF result at the 2022 World Triathlon Para Series Swansea, her only individual race of the season where she did not win • Earned her third World Triathlon Para Champion Title by winning in Abu Dhabi on November 24 • Competed in the inaugural exhibition competition of Paratriathlon Mixed Relay and earned third on a Team USA team consisting of fellow national team members Howie Sanborn, Kelly Elmlinger and Klye Coon. 

2021: Took bronze at the AJ Bell World Triathlon Para Series Leeds on June 5 • Won the 2021 Americas Triathlon Para Championships Pleasant Prairie (June 27) • Earned the silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games (August 28) • Was runner-up at the 2021 World Triathlon Para Championships in Abu Dhabi (November 5)

2019: Earned back-to-back gold medals at the Sarasota-Bradenton CAMTRI Paratriathlon American Championships on March 9 and the Yokohama ITU World Paratriathlon Series event on May 18 • Earned bronze at ITU World Paratriathlon Montreal on June 28 • Won gold at the Toyota USA Paratriathlon National Championships on July 20 • Placed 5th at the Tokyo ITU Paratriathlon World Cup on Aug. 17 • Took bronze at the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Sept. 1

2018: Earned a 1st place finish at the CAMTRI Paratriathlon American Championships Sarasota-Bradenton on March 10 • Finished 2nd at the ITU World Paratriathlon Series Yokohama on May 12 • Placed 1st at the ITU World Paratriathlon Series Edmonton on July 27 • Earned a bronze medal at the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Gold Coast, Australia, on Sept. 15

2017: Defended her world title at the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Sept. 14 • Won gold at ITU World Paratriathlon Edmonton on July 28 • Defended her title at the Sarasota CAMTRI Paratriathlon American Championships on March 11 • Nominated for an ESPY Award for Best Female Athlete With a Disability

2016: Became the first paratriathlete in history to win a gold medal at the Paralympic Games with her victory in the women’s PT4 class on Sept. 11 • Won a world title at the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on July 23 • Took gold at the Sarasota CAMTRI Paratriathlon American Championships on March 13

2015: Won a silver medal at the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Chicago on Sept. 15 • Won silver medals at ITU World Paratriathlon Events in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 1 and Detroit on Aug. 16 • Won the women’s PT4 division at the USA Triathlon Paratriathlon National Championships on May 25 • Placed second at the Monterrey CAMTRI Triathlon American Championships on May 1

2014: Won her first national title at the USA Triathlon Paratriathlon National Championships on Sept. 20 • Placed fifth at the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Edmonton on Aug. 29 • Won a gold medal at the Magog ITU World Paratriathlon Event on July 19 • Took second at the Chicago ITU World Paratriathlon Event on June 28