Former Wichita State sprinter Deja Young-Craddock will have an opportunity to defend her 100 and 200-meter titles later this summer at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan after being formally selected Thursday for Team USA.
The track and field portion of the Paralympics stretches from Aug. 27 to Sep. 5.
In 2016, Young-Craddock (then a rising junior at WSU) took golds in the T47 100 and 200-meter dashes at the Paralympic in Rio de Janiero.
Young-Craddock also has seven Para World Championship medals in her collection, including three from her most recent appearance (2019 in Dubai). She set a championship record in the T47 200-meter dash final (24.7 seconds) and broke the world record in her 100-meter prelim before ultimately settling for silver. She was also a gold medalist on Team USA's Universal 4x100 meter relay unit.
At native of Mesquite, Texas, Young-Craddock was born with a brachial plexus injury that limits mobility in her right shoulder, which affects her ability to sprint.
Young-Craddock competed for Wichita State from 2014-18, earning Second Team American honors as a freshman on a 4x100 team that placed 16
th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and ended her career with WSU top-10 marks in four different events.
After graduation, she moved west to Chula Vista, Calif., home of the U.S. Olympic Training Center, to train and compete professionally.
Young-Craddock's International Resume:
2015 – World Para Athletics Championships – 100m (T47) – GOLD
2015 – World Para Athletics Championships – 200m (T47) – SILVER
2016 – Paralympic Games – 100m (T47) – GOLD
2016 – Paralympic Games – 200m (T47) – GOLD
2017 – World Para Athletics Championships – 100m (T47) – GOLD
2017 – World Para Athletics Championships – 200m (T47) – GOLD
2019 – World Para Athletics Championships – 100m (T47) – GOLD
2019 – World Para Athletics Championships – 200m (T47) – SILVER
2019 – World Para Athletics Championships – 4x100 (Universal) -- GOLD
