Olympians Who Came to Their Families Through Adoption

Olympians That Came To Their Family Through Adoption

In honor of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games currently underway in Rio De Janeiro, we want to take a moment to recognize a few past Olympians for Team USA who came to their families through adoption!

Paige McPherson

Paige was the youngest member of the 2012 taekwondo team at the London games. She opens up about her adoption story in this interview with USA Today. McPherson, along with four of her siblings who were also adopted, was adopted transracially and is part of a large, multi-ethnic family.

Scott Hamilton

Adopted as an infant, Hamilton went on to have a very successful career as a male figure skater. He appeared in the 1980 Olympics in Moscow and won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo.

Cristina Albert

Cristina competed in her first ever Olympics at the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi. She was adopted at 3 years of age from Romania.

Reese Hoffa

Hoffa took the bronze medal for the shot put at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He was adopted at age 4.

Greg Louganis

Greg was born in California and was placed for adoption at 8 months of age. He was part of the Olympic diving team at the 1976, 1984, and 1988 Summer Games and cumulatively won 5 medals for Team USA including 4 golds and 1 silver. Louganis is also the first diver to be awarded a perfect score.

Oksana Masters

Masters appeared in the 2012 London Paralympic games in which she took home the bronze for Team USA in rowing. She also took home silver and bronze medals for Nordic Skiing at the 2014 Paralympic Games in Sochi. Read more about her adoption story here.

Simone Biles

As an incredibly talented gymnast that has shot to success this past recently, Simone will be appearing in this year’s Olympics. When Simone was two, she was placed in foster care while her mother tried to overcome her struggle with drugs and alcohol. In 2003, after a failed attempt to reunite Simone and her siblings with her mother, the children’s grandparents stepped in and legally adopted Simone and her younger sister while the other children went to his sister’s home. Her grandparents took her to gymnastics when she was six and she has been a natural at the sport ever since. This year will be her first Olympic competition. Read more about her story here.

We are never ceased to be amazed by the incredible talent that our nation’s team brings forward every four years at the Olympics, but these heartwarming stories just seem to make it even more special.

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