BEIJING - Norfolk State alum and former Spartan track and field star April Holmes won the gold medal in the women's 100 meter T44 class on Sunday at the 2008 Paralympic Games.
It was the first Paralympic gold medal for Holmes, who won bronze in the long jump at the 2004 Games in Athens.
Holmes, the world-record holder in the T44 (below-knee amputee) 100 meters, finished the race Sunday in 13.72 seconds, beating Marie-Amelie le Fur of France and Juan Wang of China by one one-hundredth (.01) of a second. Making her win all the more dramatic was that she fell in the final of the 200 meters just five days earlier and had her face stepped on by another runner's spikes.
Holmes, a Somerdale, N.J. native, graduated from NSU in 1996. She earned NCAA Division II All-American honors as part of the 4x400 relay team as a sophomore and junior, and also won numerous All-CIAA honors in cross country, the 400, 800, long jump, high jump and 4x400 multiple times during her career.
In 2001, Holmes, who was pursuing her master's degree at Drexel University, was struck and run over by a train she was attempting to board in Pennsylvania. Her left leg was amputated below the knee. Since her accident, Holmes has made remarkable strides as both an athlete and advocate for individuals with disabilities. A little more than a year after her accident, Holmes was back on the track and won her debut event (the 100 meters) at the Disabled Sport USA's International Challenge.
Holmes has only continued to improve since then, and in record-breaking fashion. At the Paralympic Games in 2004, Holmes set new world records in the 100m and 200m, and has broken both marks several times since. In 2006, she added a new one – in the 400 meters – to her collection.
Off the track, she has created the April Holmes Foundation to further opportunities for individuals with physical and developmental disabilities. In January 2003, Holmes was featured in a music video for Shaggy's “Strength of a Woman,” which aired on music stations across the United States and overseas.
Content from Holmes' bio on the U.S. Olympic Committee's Website was used in this story.
