Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

U.S. Paralympian Says She Was Accused Of Not Being 'As Disabled' As Other Athletes After Silver Medal Win

Christie Raleigh Crossley
Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for USOPC

Swimmer Christie Raleigh Crossley says she's been 'verbally accosted' by other athletes as well as online bullies who question her disability after she won a silver medal in the 50-meter freestyle S9/S10 race at the 2024 Paralympics.

U.S. Paralympic swimmer Christie Raleigh Crossley won the silver medal at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, but their proud moment left them emotionally distressed when their physical abilities were questioned and led to bullying.

Crossley, who is married with three children and uses she/her and they/them pronouns, set a world record in the preliminary 50-meter freestyle in the S9 class after touching the wall at 27.28.


But after they medaled silver in the final, which combined swimmers in the S9 and S10 impairment classifications, Crossley said they were verbally accosted by another athlete who accused them of cheating for not being a disabled athlete.

The 37-year-old opened up about the criticism surrounding their disability, telling USA Today:

“It’s so great that I just broke a world record and won my first Paralympic medal on the same day."


Crossley added:

“But I got off a bus and got verbally accosted by another athlete from another country.”

Fighting tears, Crossley opened up about the challenges of being a disabled athlete and how it has affected their life.

“To be told online by all of these bullies that I’m somehow not as disabled as I appear just because I can swim faster than them is pretty devastating," they said.

Crossley sustained major injuries from several accidents in the past that left them permanently impaired, including being hit by a drunk driver while crossing the street in 2007, leaving them with three herniated discs in their neck and one in their lower back.

On another occasion when they were struck by a car as a pedestrian, the blunt force trauma from the incident led to the development of a non-cancerous tumor in their brain.

Doctors discovered the blood tumor and bleeding on the brain after Crossley was accidentally struck in the head with ice while playing a snowball fight with their son in December 2018.

The bleeding on the brain, coupled with the surgical procedure to extract the tumor by removing part of the skull, caused paralysis on Crossley's left side of the body.

According to the news outlet, athlete classification in para-sport, which is governed by the IPC Athlete Classification Code and Standards, is based on "the degree of impairment as determined by a trained physician."

However, the process has long been scrutinized for being imperfect, given that the lines between classifications can be blurry.


Crossley said they met with a representative for athlete safety in the Paralympic Village following the bullying incident and online messages from trolls who accused them of not being a qualified competitor.

More from Trending

Donald Trump holding World Cup
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Trump Makes Eyeroll-Worthy Request After Getting To Hold 2026 World Cup Trophy—And It's Peak Trump

President Donald Trump was a little too eager to keep the FIFA World Cup trophy to himself after being allowed to hold it in the White House.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented Trump with the trophy during an Oval Office press conference Friday, where the two also announced that the draw for the 2026 World Cup—to be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico—will take place on December 5.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Trump Just Said The Quiet Part Out Loud About His Militarization Of U.S. Cities With Remark About 'Dictators'

President Donald Trump was criticized for a brazen claim that Americans would actually "like a dictator" before assuring reporters that he's not one in an attempt to justify his use of military troops as part of his nationwide crime crackdown that saw him most recently put boots on the ground in Washington, D.C.

Trump—who is currently planning to send troops into Chicago—said:

Keep ReadingShow less
Nancy Mace
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Nancy Mace Blasted After Falsely Accusing Student With Umbrella Of Being Active School Shooter

South Carolina Republican Representative Nancy Mace was harshly criticized for not issuing an apology after spreading the image of an "active shooter" on the campus of the University of South Carolina in Columbia who turned out to be holding an umbrella.

The university lifted a shelter-in-place order Sunday after police found no evidence to support reports of an active shooter near the campus library.

Keep ReadingShow less
Picture of a traditional, American house. It is white with red trim and a green roof.
Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash

People Divulge The Common Things That Were Banned At Home While Growing Up

When growing up with our parents, it's all about following the rules.

The House Rules, specifically, their rules!

Keep ReadingShow less
Daniel Dae Kim at the "Butterfly" New York Premiere held at Regal Union Square on August 05, 2025, in New York.
Nacion/Variety via Getty Images

Daniel Day Kim ignites debate on casting

Daniel Dae Kim has spent years quietly—sometimes loudly—dragging Hollywood for the double standards Asian American actors face. The Lost and Hawaii Five-0 alum sat down with PBS’ American Masters and was asked about ethnic-specific casting.

His answer? A masterclass in being gracious while also side-eyeing an entire industry.

Keep ReadingShow less