Allysa Seely

Paratriathlete & Paralympic Gold Medalist
Team USA

Allysa Seely is known for her competitiveness, determination, and breaking-barriers mindset. In 2016 she won two paratriathlete gold medals in Rio and was the Paratriathlete World Champion in 2015. She was diagnosed with Chiari II malformation, basilar invagination, and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome in 2010, which led to her lower leg being amputated in 2013. She suffers from muscle weakness and imbalance, chronic pain, and other medical issues but has the most amazing spirit you’ll ever meet.

After her diagnosis, Allysa was told she would be lucky if she ever walked unaided again. But being strong-willed and motivated, she wasn’t ready to give up on her passion for running and competing. To Allysa, rare diseases are no handicap. Currently, she trains seven days a week, two to three times a day; lifts weight in the gym three days a week; swims once a day; and bikes and runs four to five days a week.

Allysa was featured in ESPN The Magazine’s 2016 “The Body Issue,” in which athletes are featured nude, exposed, and unrestricted. In 2019, she won an ESPY Award for the Best Female Athlete with a Disability. She has a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies (psychology and exercise and wellness) from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. She also has a bachelor of science in biology (genetics, cell and developmental biology) from the same university, and in 2009 spent time abroad studying human and medical genetics at the University of Leeds in England.