Susan

Katz

Quick Facts

• Introduced to Paralympic sports at age 11 through the Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program (BORP) in California
• Competed in track & field during the Paralympic Games Atlanta 1996 at age 17, two months after graduating from high school
• Competed in javelin, discus and shot put events
• Took up paratriathlon after competing for wheelchair basketball in 2004
• Formerly worked at ESPN on the sports TV talk show, Around the Horn
• One of only six female handcycle athletes to compete in the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii
• Hobbies include live music, travel, working out, and spending time exploring around Chicago where she currently lives
• Born with spina bifida
• Inducted into the USOPC Hall of Fame, Class of 2025

Biographical Information

The U.S. women’s wheelchair basketball team won its first gold medal in 22 years at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games. Christina (Ripp) Schwab and Stephanie Wheeler went on to coach future national teams, Wheeler in 2016 and 2020, and Schwab in 2024. Both are members of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association Hall of Fame. Six members of the 2004 team (Emily Hoskins, Patty Cisneros Prevo, Carlee Hoffman-Scwarz, Wheeler, Schwab and Jennifer Warkins) returned to win gold again at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, marking the first back-to-back titles for the program. In 2004, the U.S. defeated five-time defending champion Canada in a tough semifinal and avenged a narrow group-stage loss to Australia with a 56–44 victory in the gold-medal game, setting the stage for continued success in future Paralympic Games. 

Paralympic Experience

• Two-time Paralympian; one-time Paralympic medalist (1 gold)
  • Paralympic Games Athens 2004, gold (Wheelchair Basketball - Women)
  • Paralympic Games Atlanta 1996, 10th (Javelin - Women - F55-F57); 14th (Discus - Women - F55-F57); 15th (Shot Put - Women - F55-F57)