By Nick Butler

Fresh from competing at Sochi 2014, Tatyana McFadden will return to the track in San Mateo ©Getty ImagesNordic skiers and triathletes, as well as leading performers from across the Para-athletics spectrum, are among leading entries for the US Paralympics Track and Field National Championships on San Francisco Bay later this month, it has been revealed.


Taking place at the College of San Mateo on the Bay over three days from June 20 until June 22, the competition, the first to be held on the US west coast, will be a major target for top US stars in the absence of a World Championships in 2014.

Unsurprisingly, the leading entrant is the 11-time Paralympic medal winner and 10-time world champion Tatyana McFadden, who will be competing in her first National Championships since winning a Nordic skiing silver medal at Sochi 2014.

The 25-year-old will compete in every track event and will be a leading contender to continue her remarkable recent form, which has already seen her win both the London and Boston Marathon titles since her success in Sochi. 

Another leading attraction will be visually impaired runner Ivonne Mosquera-Schmidt, a Stanford graduate who, after completely losing her sight at the age of two, will step down from her usual marathon distance to compete over every distance between 800 metres and 5,000m.

But like McFadden, Mosquera-Schmidt is also not limited to one sport, and she has also won international medals in Para-triathlon as well as dancing ballet, tap and jazz with the National Dance Institute in New York City.

Ivonne Mosquera-Schmidt, a visually impaired racer who also competes in dancing and triathlon, is another leading entry ©Getty ImagesIvonne Mosquera-Schmidt, a visually impaired racer who also competes in dancing and triathlon, is another leading entry ©Getty Images


Jarryd Wallace, a two-time world champion sprinter in the T44 category for lower limb impairments, is another confirmed entrant.

The 24-year-old will meet beforehand with an 11-year-old boy from the local area, who recently had his leg amputated and is being hosted as a VIP guest at the Championships.

Also present will be another leading visually impaired athlete in David Brown, who has already set two world records this season in the T11 class over 100m and 200m, while local support will be loudest for San Francisco sprinter Steven Toyoji.

A 2008 Paralympian and a 400m silver medalist from the 2013 World Championships in the T52 category, Toyoji is one of the top wheelchair racers in the Bay area and will be looking to win a national title as a home town favourite.

Tickets will be sold on the gate and will cost $15 (£9/€11) per person for an all session pass, with a portion of the sales revenue to be donated to local track and field clubs. 

More information, including a draft schedule of events, can be found here. 

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