Cheri Blauwet's list of accomplishments is long. The wheelchair racer/elite athlete has competed and medaled in three Paralympic Games (she took home the gold in the 800 meters in Athens), participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics, and raced and won the New York City Marathon twice (2002, 2003), the Boston Marathon twice (2004, 2005), and the Los Angeles Marathon four times (2003, 2004, 2005, and 2008). Oh, and she's a doctor.
Blauwet, MD, a Stanford medical school alum who now practices sports medicine in Boston, is profiled in NOVA's "Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers" series. After sustaining a spinal cord injury at just 18 months, becoming an athlete was something that never crossed her mind. In the video above, Blauwet talks about the push she got from a high-school track coach that convinced her to give wheelchair racing a try.
Previously: Cheri Blauwet, former med student and elite athlete, shares her story
