Megan Fisher

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Megan Fisher
Personal information
Born (1983-03-01) March 1, 1983 (age 38)
Alberta, Canada
EducationUniversity of Montana
University of Washington
Height5'4
Weight133
Medal record
Women's Road cycling
Representing  United States
2012 Summer Paralympics
Gold medal – first place 2012 Summer Paralympics road time trial 
Silver medal – second place 2012 Summer Paralympics track pursuit 
2016 Summer Paralympics
Silver medal – second place 2016 Summer Paralympics road time trial
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Summer Paralympics 3000 individual pursuit

Megan Fisher (born March 1, 1983) is a Canadian-American Paralympic athlete. She has won one gold, two silver, and one bronze medal for Team USA at the Paralympic Games.

Early life and education[]

Fisher grew up as an only child near Calgary, Alberta. After her parents separated, she moved to Hinsdale, Illinois, with her mother and divided her time with her father.[1]

Fisher was a walk-on at the University of Montana's NCAA Division 1 tennis team, which she played during her freshman year.[2][3] While driving with her friend back to school for their sophomore year on June 30, 2002, they were both injured in a car accident. After being pulled out of the car by a witness, Fisher's left leg was amputated; her friend died due to her injuries.[2] Less than a year after the accident, Fisher returned to the University of Montana and competed in a triathlon following a second leg surgery.[2]

Fisher earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2014 from the University of Washington in Seattle, WA.

Career[]

Fisher met Paralympic cyclist Sam Kavanaugh, who inspired her to begin competing in para-cycling and eventually the USA Paralympic team.[4] In 2010, Fisher competed in the TRI-5 classification and won the International Triathlon Union Paratriathlon World Championship in Budapest, Hungary, and won the 2010 USA Paratriathlon National Championship in the TRI-5 division.[4] She also became the first female lower-leg amputee to complete an XTERRA off-road triathlon.[5]

Prior to leaving for the 2012 Summer Paralympics, Fisher began studying for her doctorate in physical therapy at the University of Washington.[5] In London, she competed in Paralympic cycling, winning both a gold and silver medal.[6] Her gold medal came in the C4 time trial and her silver in the track pursuit.[7]

The next year, Fisher won gold in the C4 classification at the 2013 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships.[8] As a result of winning the 2013 ITU Paratriathlon World Championships, her third world championship title, Fisher was honored by the United States Olympic Committee as USOC Athlete of the Month.[9] She was later named to Team USA's 2015 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships roster.[10]

In 2016, Fisher was selected to compete with Team USA at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, where she won a silver medal in the C4 road timed trial.[11] She also ended the games with a bronze medal in the 3000M individual pursuit.[12]

Fisher retired from Team USA after the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. She is now pioneering Paracycling in gravel and mountain bike events. She is the first Paracyclist to ever finish the grueling 200+ mile gravel event Unbound (formerly known as Dirty Kanza) in 2019 and defended her title in 2020. Fisher has also competed in long distance races like Leadville Trail 100 MTB (2021), Butte 50 MTB (2018, 2019), Rebecca's Private Idaho Queen Stage Race (2018, 2021) and Big Potato (2019).

Fisher has also broadened her athletic pursuits to include mountaineering. Summited Cotopaxi in Ecuador in 2017 and 2019 as part of an elite team with The Range of Motion Project - a nonprofit that raises funds and provides prostheses to those in need.

Dr. Fisher practices as a Doctor of Physical Therapy in Missoula, Montana at Meg Fisher Physical Therapy & Coaching. She also works as speaker and cycling coach.


References[]

  1. ^ Chandler, Claire (August 24, 2016). "Racing to Rio". montanakaimin.com. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Dundas, Chad. "A Leg To Stand On". archive.umt.edu. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  3. ^ Shawn Newton (April 8, 2019). "Megan Fisher Under the Big Sky". kpax.com. Retrieved January 7, 2020. Prior to the car accident, Megan competed as an NCAA Division I tennis player.
  4. ^ a b Cederberg, Jenna (October 4, 2012). "Missoula native recalls journey to gold". Missoulian. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Kato, Dillon (September 4, 2016). "Missoula's Megan Fisher heads to Rio to defend Paralympic gold". Missoulian. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  6. ^ Greene, Erin (September 13, 2013). "Great Britain dominates at Paratriathlon World Championships". triathlon.org. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  7. ^ Hersh, Philip (September 5, 2012). "Paralympic gold for Hinsdale cyclist Fisher". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  8. ^ "USA grab 12 golds at UCI's Road Cycling Worlds". paralympic.org. September 2, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  9. ^ "Paratriathlete Megan Fisher named USOC Female Athlete of the Month". teamusa.org. October 9, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  10. ^ Branham, Katie (June 10, 2015). "Team USA named for 2015 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships". teamusa.org. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  11. ^ "Rio Paralympics: 18 Para-cyclists Crowned in Time Trial Events". uci.org. September 15, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  12. ^ "Recap Day One: Team USA Wins Two Gold Medals". wheelchairsportsfederation.org. September 9, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2019.

External links[]

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