Athlete. Champion. Nurse

Grace Norman is the reigning two-time Paralympic Gold Medalist in Triathlon and the current World Record-holder in the 800-meter and 1,500-meter in the T44 classification for track and field.

She was born with an amniotic constriction band syndrome, which claimed her left foot as well as the big toe on her right foot, and received her first prosthesis when she was just 13 months old. With a family of accomplished athletes – her dad was a runner and IRONMAN triathlete and her mom ran track in college – Grace was encouraged from the start to keep up with her able-bodied sisters. She embraced her family’s love for physical activity, and participated in soccer, basketball and softball as a child.

As a middle schooler, Grace discovered cross-country, track and swimming, and continued competing throughout her high school years. She received her first Össur Cheetah during her freshman year of high school, and saw an immediate impact: just 48 hours after receiving her Cheetah, she shaved three minutes off of her typical 5k finishing time during a school district cross-country meet.

“I remember taking my first step on my Cheetah blade for the very first time. To be able to finally feel smooth roll over with both feet was incredible. I remember the exact feeling and it was priceless,” she says. “Össur’s Cheetah blade radically improved my running career. That first time I ran on one of these blades, I fell in love with running all over again. It changed my entire athletic career,” she says.

Running on her Össur Cheetah blade, Grace became the first female amputee athlete to qualify and medal at her state’s high school statewide track meet, where she ran against able-bodied competitors. In 2015, she was named the U.S. Paralympics Track & Field High School Female Athlete of the Year. In college, she ran Division II cross country, indoor and outdoor track for Cedarville University, where she earned the nickname “Amazing Grace.” Running for the university’s women’s track team, she clocked the fastest indoor mile of 5:06 and during her senior year, made All-Conference in the mile.

“I never view myself as ever having any limitations but a big part of that is the prosthetics I wear daily. They equalize me and make it easy to live life in whatever fashion I desire. They help me accomplish my goals. I’ve been with my prosthetist for a long time, and he helps me so much.  Daily living is huge when you have the right components and well-fitting prosthetics. I don’t have to worry about pain or limitations,” she says.

In 2016, Grace was the youngest member of Team USA’s Paratriathlon team, and credits her Cheetah prosthesis with helping her win two medals at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, where she took Gold in Triathlon and Bronze in the 400m.

In 2016, Grace was the youngest member of Team USA’s Paratriathlon team, and credits her Cheetah prosthesis with helping her win two medals at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, where she took Gold in Triathlon and Bronze in the 400m.

Grace earned gold medals at the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in 2016, as well as at the U.S. CAMTRI Paratriathlon American championships, the Yokohama ITU World Paratriathlon series event, and the Toyota USA Paratriathlon National Championships, all in 2019. In total, she has earned 13 medals at the World Paratriathlon Championships, including back-to-back gold medals in 2022 and 2023 in the PTS5 category, and a gold medal in the Open Paratriathlon mixed relay.

In 2023, she also swept the gold medals at four other World Triathlon Para competitions in Paris, Swansea, Montreal and Besancon, as well as at the Americas Triathlon Para Championships in Sarasota. 

Today, Grace is continuing to train for the Paris 2024 Paralympics and looking forward to beginning her career as an Emergency Room RN.  She still wear the OG: the first-generation Össur Cheetah running prosthesis, which has been her sports prosthesis of choice for triathlon for over eight years.  She also wears a Cheetah Xtend for sprinting.

“I am incredibly excited to be a member of Team Össur, to help share about the product that has changed my life so dramatically. I’m looking forward to being able to inspire younger athletes with disabilities around the world to follow their dreams, and to give back to the disabled community. I want them to know it’s okay to try new things, even things you think you can’t do. Sometimes all it takes is trying and developing a new way to do things to teach and show yourself you CAN. It’s time to focus on our ABILITY rather than our disability.”