Who Is Paralympian Sarah Adam? Everything to Know About the Rugby Player Making History
Sarah Adam is making history in Paris, one murderball match at a time.
The Team USA athlete became the first American woman to ever score a goal in wheelchair rugby at the 2024 Paralympics Aug. 29. Not to mention, she is also the first woman to play on the U.S. team.
During the team’s winning match against Canada, Sarah—who lives with multiple sclerosis (MS)—brought the heat flying up and down the court, earning six points. In the end, USA’s reach for gold started strong, ending the game 51-48.
"We came out hot, really playing well and gelling well,” she told NBC Sports after the match. "It's always been important to me that I'm going to be a contributor to this team and be seen as any other athlete. I think I was able to prove that today.”
And although she made history during her Paralympics debut, the sport—also dubbed “murderball”—has been a co-ed sport since it joined the Games in 2000.
"It's just a really exciting time right now for women in sports, getting the attention I think we've always deserved,” she continued. “And, for other females to see that, if this is where you want to play, go do it. Step outside that comfort zone and do it anyway.”
Who is Sarah Adam?
Along with playing on Team USA’s wheelchair rugby team, the 33-year-old is an assistant professor of science and occupational therapy at St. Louis University in Missouri.
Sarah was diagnosed with MS in 2016 while a graduate student at Washington University in St. Louis. For five years, she worked as an occupational therapist, but the job ultimately became too physically demanding, especially when she began using a wheelchair. She went on to earn a clinical doctorate so she could teach in the future.
“I gave myself a couple of months of digesting the diagnosis and what that meant for my future,” Sarah told The Naperville Sun in October. “But who better than an occupational therapist to help manage a disease like multiple sclerosis?”
How did Sarah Adam Get Introduced to Wheelchair Rugby?
Sarah’s first introduction to the sport was as a non-disabled volunteer at a local para-sport event in 2013. At the time, she was an occupational therapist assisting children with disabilities, per NBC Philadelphia. Her mentor Dr. Kerri Morgan—a professor at Washington University and a competitive rugby player—needed volunteers. So, Sarah began using a wheelchair to compete during practice sessions.
And it was the same place that she eventually found herself getting ready to head onto the court years later.
“I was diagnosed with MS when I was 25 years old,” she told NBC News. “I’m thinking, ‘What’s my future be like? What am I going to do?’ And wheelchair rugby gave me that community of support to say, ‘You’re going to be OK. Look at what your life can be.’”
After two years of playing recreationally, Sarah began competing seriously in 2019. In 2022, she was the silver medalist at the Wheelchair Rugby World Championship. She was named one of 2023’s top breakout performances by Team USA and the same year, she became the first woman ever to win gold in the sport at the Parapan American Games.
How St. Louis University Cheered Sarah Adam on Amid her Paralympics Journey.
For Sarah, she found a community in the sport and in the university she teaches at.
“I’ve been surrounded by people in the disability community through adaptive sports and through wheelchair rugby and other people who are living in chairs and doing it successfully and not letting it slow them down,” she told The Naperville Sun. “They have jobs and they have families and kids and do everything, but they do it a little bit differently. Seeing that helped me because they were doing just fine and that helped me wrap my mind around it.”
As she made history at the Paralympics, her university couldn’t help but cheer her on. SLU wrote on X, “Cheering on our very own SLU professor Sarah Adam as she makes history as the first woman to compete on the U.S. wheelchair rugby team at the Paralympic Games! We are so proud of you, Sarah!”
How St. Louis University Cheered Sarah Adam on Amid her Paralympics Journey.
For Sarah, she found a community in the sport and in the university she teaches at.
“I’ve been surrounded by people in the disability community through adaptive sports and through wheelchair rugby and other people who are living in chairs and doing it successfully and not letting it slow them down,” she told The Naperville Sun. “They have jobs and they have families and kids and do everything, but they do it a little bit differently. Seeing that helped me because they were doing just fine and that helped me wrap my mind around it.”
As she made history at the Paralympics, her university couldn’t help but cheer her on. SLU wrote on X, “Cheering on our very own SLU professor Sarah Adam as she makes history as the first woman to compete on the U.S. wheelchair rugby team at the Paralympic Games! We are so proud of you, Sarah!”
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