Jean Driscoll

Jean Driscoll is an Olympic wheelchair racer with spina bifida. She won the women's wheelchair division of the Boston Marathon eight times, more than any other female athlete in any division. Her wins in Boston included seven consecutive first-place finishes from 1990 to 1996. Driscoll participated in four Summer Paralympic Games, winning a total of two Olympic medals, five gold, three silver, and four bronze medals in events ranging from 200 meters to the marathon. Notably, she holds a world record in the 10,000 meter track event set during the 1996 Paralympic Games.

Driscoll began using a wheelchair in high school and became involved in a variety of wheelchair sports. She was recruited to play wheelchair basketball at the University of Illinois, and while there she also joined the school's wheelchair track and field team. She competed at her first Paralympics in 1988, taking bronze in the 200 and 400 meter races, silver in the 4×100 meter relay, and gold in the 4×200 meter relay. Her first major win in racing came in 1989, when she won the Lilac Bloomsday 12k in Spokane, Washington, a race she would go on to win twelve times, holding the course record since 1995.

Driscoll went on to win the 1990 Boston Marathon in a world best time of 1:43:17, beginning a seven-year winning streak in that race. She set a world record at the 1991 race with a time of 1:42:42, and won her fifth Boston and broke the world record a fifth time in 1994. At the 1992 Paralympics, Driscoll won the gold medal in the 4×100 meter relay and competed in three other events—the 800, 1500, and 5000 metre races. She added three more medals to her career total at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics, winning gold, silver, and bronze in the marathon, 1500 metres, and 5000 metres, respectively.

Currently, Driscoll is the Assistant Dean for Advancement in the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois. She continues to make a significant impact as a motivational speaker and author, focusing on overcoming challenges and advocating for those with disabilities. Additionally, Driscoll works with individuals with disabilities in Ghana, West Africa, in partnership with Joni and Friends, Inc. Her contributions in this area have been supported by the University of Illinois. She received Honorary Doctorate degrees from the University of Rhode Island in 1997 and the Massachusetts School of Law in 2002. In 2012, she was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame and was earlier awarded the Order of Lincoln, the highest honor bestowed by the State of Illinois.