Alexa Halko takes bronze in women's 800-meter in Paralympics
Division of Disability Resources & Educational Services
Alexa Halko, who trains at the University of Illinois, won a bronze medal on Saturday in the 800-meter T34 women’s race at the Tokyo Paralympic Games.
Halko finished in 2:22.02 for the bronze, a season-best for her. Hannah Cockroft (Great Britain) won the gold with a Paralympic record time of 1:48.99, while Kare Adenegan (Great Britan) placed second with a time of 1:59.85.
It was Halko’s first medal of the Tokyo Paralympics and her fourth of her Paralympic career. This was her second Paralympic Games.
"It’s awesome coming back and medaling again. I was really nervous with Covid and everything about how I would notch up,” Halko said.
“It was awesome. I got to race against the two competitors I always do, so it was awesome to try to chase them and just go as fast as I can on their tails."
Halko was born with Cerebral Palsy. She has raced competitively since 2007 when she began training with the Greater Oklahoma Disabled Sports Association in Edmond, Okla.
You can learn more about Alexa with our AHS podcast, A Few Minutes With.