| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  United States |
| Born | (1989-09-12)September 12, 1989 (age 36) |
| Education | 2010,Tacoma Community College B.A., M.A.,University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign |
| Height | 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) |
| Weight | 115lb (52kg) |
Megan Blunk (born September 12, 1989) is an Americanwheelchair basketball player for theUnited States women's national wheelchair basketball team. She won a gold medal for Team USA during the2016 Summer Paralympics.
Blunk was born September 12, 1989, inTacoma, Washington to parents Wendy Ricketts and David Blunk.[1] After graduating fromPeninsula High School in 2008, Blunk became paralyzed from the waist down due to a motorcycle crash.[2] Following this, two of her friends committed suicide, which increased her depression.[3] Despite this, Blunk accepted a placement at theUniversity of Illinois at Urbana Champaign's women's wheelchair basketball team.[4] It was during summer break from the University of Illinois that Blunk began para-canoeing at the Gig Harbor Canoe and Kayak Club.[5]
In 2013, she competed with Team USA at theParaCanoe World Championships, where she won two silver medals[6] However, after qualifying for the final roster with the 2015United States women's national wheelchair basketball team, she competed in the2015 Parapan American Games, and later tried out for the United States para-canoe trials.[5] With Team USA, Blunk helped take home a gold medal under coachStephanie Wheeler.[7]
Deciding to stick with basketball, Blunk helped Team USA win a gold medal at the2016 Summer Paralympics by beating Germany 62–45 in the medal finals.[8] In 2018, Blunk participated in formerNational Football League playerColin Kaepernick's viral Nike commercial.[9]
