Bonnie St. John (born November 7, 1964) is the first African-American ever to win medals in Winter Paralympic competition as a ski racer. In the 1984 Winter Paralympics in Innsbruck, Austria, Bonnie won a bronze medal in the slalom, a bronze medal in the giant slalom, and was awarded a silver medal for overall performance thereby earning her the distinction of being the second fastest woman in the world on one leg in that year.
At the 2002 Paraly...
more
Bonnie St. John (born November 7, 1964) is the first African-American ever to win medals in Winter Paralympic competition as a ski racer. In the 1984 Winter Paralympics in Innsbruck, Austria, Bonnie won a bronze medal in the slalom, a bronze medal in the giant slalom, and was awarded a silver medal for overall performance thereby earning her the distinction of being the second fastest woman in the world on one leg in that year.
At the 2002 Paralympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, Bonnie was asked to speak during opening ceremonies.
Due to a condition called pre-femoral focal disorder, Bonnie had her right leg amputated above the knee when she was only 5 years old. Despite this challenge, she went on to excel as an athlete, a scholar, a mother, and a businesswoman. After graduating Magna Cum Laude from Harvard University in 1986, Bonnie won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University where she earned her M.Litt. Degree in Economics in 1990. She worked in the White House during the Clinton...
less