Arelle Middleton is an American Paralympic athlete specializing in shot put and a wheelchair basketball player. She will represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
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| Born | Rancho Cucamonga, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | Para-athletics | ||||||||||||||
| Disability | Congenital Femoral Deficiency | ||||||||||||||
| Disability class | F64 | ||||||||||||||
| Event | shot put | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life and education
editMiddleton has been involved in sports since five years old, playing, water polo, volleyball, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis, shot put and discus.[1] She plays wheelchair basketball for the Rancho Halos in the junior division of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association. During the 2023–24 season she was named to the second team all-tournament and the female all-tournament teams.[2][3]
She attends Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California, where she participates in track and field. During her freshman year in 2023, she won the California CIF High School Outdoor State Championship in shot put with a throw of 12.02 meters.[4][5] She was subsequently named a 2023 U.S. Paralympics track and field high school All-American.[6]
Career
editMiddleton made her international debut for the United States at the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships and won a silver medal in the shot put F64 event with a throw of 11.84 meters.[7] At 16 years old, she was the youngest member of team USA.[8]
In July 2024, during the U.S. Paralympic team trials, she had a throw of 11.79 meters and qualified to represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.[9][10] At 16 years old, she is one of the youngest members on the team.[11]
Personal life
editMiddleton was born with Congenital Femoral Deficiency which resulted in her left leg being six inches shorter than her right leg, and her left hip being underdeveloped. The difference has varied as she grows and had several surgeries to incrementally lengthen her leg.[5] Her mother, Sandra Van Embricqs, is a former professional basketball player, and is currently the girls basketball coach at Chino High School.[12][1]
References
edit- ^ a b Marhsall, Pete (April 22, 2023). "Los Osos track and field thrower Arelle Middleton hitting the mark despite physical disability". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ^ "Arelle Middleton". challengedathletes.org. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ^ "Complete Recap of the 2024 NWBA Junior Division Wheelchair Basketball National Championships". NWBA.org. April 7, 2024. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ^ Johnson, Eric-Paul (May 26, 2023). "Top Inland storylines for the CIF State track and field championships". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ^ a b Moore, Lela (January 29, 2024). "Already A State Champion, Arelle Middleton Has Her Sights Set On Paralympic Glory". usparatf.org. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ^ Gowdy, Kristen (December 13, 2023). "Carey, Frech, Middleton Earn Top Honors as 2023 High School All-Americans Named". usparatf.org. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ^ Moore, Lela (July 11, 2024). "Arelle Middleton Skipped Her High School State Meet To Grab A Worlds Medal In Kobe". usparatf.org. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ^ Gowdy, Kristen (May 23, 2024). "Blair, Middleton Bring Home Medals for Team USA on Day Seven in Kobe". usparatf.org. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ^ Gowdy, Kristen (July 20, 2024). "Blackwell, Frech and Malkamaki Conclude Para Trials in World Record Fashion". usparatf.org. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ^ Gowdy, Kristen (July 21, 2024). "Fifty-four Athletes Nominated to U.S. Paralympic Track & Field Team". usparatf.org. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ^ "Arelle Middleton". teamusa.com. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ^ Scurlock, Amanda (July 4, 2019). "The Angel City Games Presented by the Hartford Reaches its Fifth Year". Los Angeles Sentinel. Retrieved August 4, 2024.