BAKER Elizabeth

Classification
PTVI (World Triathlon, 26 Aug 2021)

Type of Impairment
Vision impairment (teamusa.org, 27 Jun 2021; triathlon.org, 01 Sep 2019; gofundme.com, 12 Apr 2016)

Impairment Details
As a teenager she was diagnosed with Stargardt disease, which causes central vision loss. Her sight rapidly deteriorated after she began studying at university. "I definitely wrestled with a lot of challenges in trying to figure out how to learn when I could no longer see boards or books. I then realised that I could not control the amount of vision I would lose, but I could control how I responded to it. It was sink or swim, and I chose to swim." (teamusa.org, 27 Jun 2021; fightingblindness.org, 23 Mar 2020; gofundme.com, 12 Apr 2016)

Guide
Jillian Elliott (teamusa.org, 06 Jul 2021; endurancesportswire.com, 02 Mar 2021)

General
RIO DISAPPOINTMENT
She narrowly missed out on a medal at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, finishing fourth in the women's PT5 event. She experienced dizziness and fell during the run, having struggled with illness in the week before the Games. "All of a sudden, I felt dizzy. My legs felt like Pinocchio puppet legs - they went in every different direction. I put one foot down and I just went. My legs lost motor control. I went down. Going into the race, I had no clue where I'd end up. I was so new, I had no opportunity to race the top-tier women who were 1-6 in the final. I walked out with a sinking sense, a stinging disappointment, at how close I was [to a medal]." (womensrunning.com, 30 Sep 2016)

FURTHER EDUCATION
She has studied for a master's degree in physical therapy at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, GA, United States of America. (teamusa.org, 27 Jun 2021)