Recap: Olympians who have Persevered and Conquered Hearing Losses
It’s widely recognized that Olympians are some of the most exemplary models of human athleticism and health in the world. With these athletes’ impressive physicality and masterful skill in sports, it may be hard to imagine them struggling with their health in any way.
However, Olympians are only humans, some who struggle with various health conditions, including hearing impairment. Despite testing challenges, their perseverance and passion allowed them to rise to the top of their fields, and become an inspiration to other people who’ve experienced hearing loss.
Dr. Jenn Schumacher, an audiologist at ReSound, has compiled a list of five hard-of-hearing U.S. Olympians, demonstrating that hearing loss doesn’t mean losing out on your dreams.
1. Tamika Catchings — Basketball
Superstar basketball player Tamika Catchings has taken home four Olympic gold medals, one for every year she competed in the Olympics (2004 – 2016) on Team USA.
When Catchings was a toddler, she was diagnosed with moderate to severe hearing loss. She grew up wearing hearing aids and had a speech impediment, both of which often made It difficult for her at school.
Despite these challenges, Catchings was passionate and motivated to succeed. She worked incredibly hard to achieve her goals, which paid off as she went on to cultivate a stellar basketball career.
As the No. 3 Round 1 WNBA draft pick in 2001, Catchings spent her long and impressive career playing for Indiana Fever. In addition to the Olympic gold medals, her achievements over the years include the following:
- WNBA Most Valuable Player Award (2011)
- Voted one of the Top 15 WNBA Players of All Time (2011)
- WNBA championship & Finals MVP Award (2012)
- Inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (2021)
2. David Smith — Volleyball
Olympic bronze-medalist David Smith played for Team USA at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro when they came in third overall in men’s volleyball. Smith has led an impressive career, having competed in two other Olympics (2012, 2020) and playing for the U.S. National Men’s Volleyball Team since 2009.
Born with 80-90% hearing loss, Smith relies on hearing aids and lip-reading to communicate both on and off the court. He described playing sports as a “confidence booster,” and finds that his hearing aids could never hold him back from achieving his dreams.
Smith has played professionally all over the world including in Poland, Puerto Rico, Spain, France. He’s also a three-time winner of the Championships League with ZAKSA (Poland) and was named the 2023 Champions League MVP.
3. Chris Colwill — Diving
Chris Colwill is a ten-time national diving champion and has competed in two Olympics. At the 2008 Beijing games, he came in 4th place for synchronized diving. At the 2012 London games, he finished in 5th place for the 3-meter dive.
Born with 60% hearing loss, outside of the pool, Colwill relies on hearing aids and lip-reading to effectively communicate. Now a coach at his alma mater, the University of Georgia, he tries his best to ensure there are no communication barriers between him and his team.
Hand signals have always been a vital communication tool within athletics, so that coaches can communicate with their team across large distances or without the opposing team knowing what’s coming next. Colwill understands this value of non-verbal communication, possibly stemming from his experience learning sign language in middle school and high school.
4. Eric Jackson — Kayak
Four-time world champion in freestyle kayaking, Eric “EJ” Jackson, also competed in slalom kayaking in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. He has also won the Everest Award twice (2005, 2007), an honor given to the top freestyle kayaker in the world.
As a child, Jackson contracted scarlet fever and, as a result, experienced total deafness for about a month. He eventually recovered some of his hearing and now has about 70% hearing loss in both ears. Having worn hearing aids for most of his life, he’s a huge advocate for modern hearing aid technology.
Despite being hard-of-hearing, he spent 26 impressive years competing for the U.S. Kayak Team and was inducted into the Whitewater Hall of Fame. He’s also a competitive fisherman and the captain of the U.S. Kayak Fishing Team.
Jackson’s not only successful in athletics, but excels in business too. He founded several companies, Jackson Kayak and Apex Watercraft, both of which sell kayaks, fishing equipment, and other products for those who love water sports.
5. Nina Cutro-Kelly — Judo
After 30 years of practicing judo, Nina Cutro-Kelly finally got her chance to compete in the women’s +78kg event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Born with 50% hearing loss in both ears, Cutro-Kelly uses hearing aids to communicate in her daily life.
However, she doesn’t believe that her hearing impairments limit her athletic potential. After the Olympics, she went on to compete in the 2022 Deaflympics in Caxias do Sul, bringing home the women’s +78kg gold medal, making her the first ever American to do so.
Held for the first time in 1924, the Deaflympics is an international multi-sport event held for deaf athletes. Next year’s Deaflympics, which will be held in Tokyo, Japan, will commemorate its 100-year anniversary. To compete in the Deaflympics, the athletes must:
- Have a minimum hearing loss of at least 55 dB in their better ear without any hearing aids, etc.
- Be registered with the National Deaf Sports Federation.
- Meet the athletic requirements for participation, including records and ranking.
Story credit: https://www.resound.com/en-us/online-hearing-test
****************************************************************
2024-25 OnFocus Central Wisconsin Area Conferences: Conference and Team Links, Schedules
Know some top athletic performances? Seeing some great teams in action?
We can use your help, and it’s simple. Witness some great performances? Hear about top athletes and top teams in our area?
Athlete of the Week and Team of the Week:
Nominate an athlete or team: HERE
**********************************************
Pancakes or Waffles! We feature top area athletes with our world-renowned feature. Send us your nominations for who you’d like us to interview HERE
College Athlete Roundup! We want to recognize student-athletes from the area who are competing at the college level. Send us information on college athletes from the area with our simple form HERE
Where are they Now? We feature athletes and difference makers from the past, standouts in sports who excelled over the years and have moved on. Know of a former athlete, coach, or difference maker who we should feature? Know of a former standout competitor whose journey beyond central Wisconsin sports is one we should share? Send us information on athletes and difference makers of the past with our simple form HERE
Baked or Fried! We also feature difference makers throughout central Wisconsin: coaches, booster club leaders, administration, volunteers, you name it. Send us your nominations for who you’d like us to interview HERE
We welcome your stories! Contact us at [email protected]!
Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
