Nationality United States Name Mackenzie Soldan | Role Tennis Player Height 1.55 m | |
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Born May 14, 1992 (age 31) ( 1992-05-14 ) Saginaw, Michigan Profiles | ||
MEDAL QUEST | Meet Mackenzie Soldan | "Everyone was cheering!" | PBS
Mackenzie Soldan (born May 14, 1992) is an American wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis player. She represented the United States at the 2011 Parapan American Games where she won two gold medals, 2012 London Paralympics in wheelchair tennis and 2016 Rio Paralympics in wheelchair basketball. She has played for the U.S. women's wheelchair basketball team since 2013.
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Early life
Soldan was born in Saginaw, Michigan. She lost the use of her legs because of a spinal cord tumor at age 2. At age 18 she graduated from Christian Academy of Louisville. When she was in high school, she was a top-ranked player in the Junior wheelchair tennis team. She was also the Women's division' number one player as well. In 2010, due to her passion for basketball she was signed to the University of Alabama's wheelchair basketball team, where she earned another national number one rank.
Career
In late October 2011, she got a phone call saying that she might be qualified for the Parapan American Games. Soldan decided to go, and brought home 2 gold medals for singles and doubles. Besides winning those medals she also carried an American flag which was given by her coach.
Personal life
Soldan currently resides in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Besides sports, she plays the guitar and piano as a hobby. In 2007, she participated at the U.S. Under 19 Wheelchair Basketball Team and in 2011 won a gold medal in the U.S. Under 25 Team. The same year, Mackenzie was a member of Collegiate National Wheelchair Basketball Championship and represented University of Alabama there. In 2016, she graduated with a master's degree in marketing.