Name: Elizabeth Marks
Sport: Swimming
Event(s): 50-meter Freestyle, 200-meter Individual Medley, 50-meter Butterfly, 100-meter Backstroke
Classification: S6, SB6, SM6
Height: 5-5
DOB: 8/7/1990
Birthplace: Ariz.
Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colo.
High School: Arizona Project Challenge (Queen Creek, Ariz.) ‘07
Team/Club: United States Resident Team
Coach(es): Nathan Manley
Paralympic Experience
- Two-time Paralympian (2016, 2020); Five-time Paralympic medalist (2 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze)
- Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, gold (100-meter backstroke). silver (50-meter freestyle), bronze (50-meter butterfly), 4th (200-meter Individual Medley)
- Paralympic Games Rio 2016, gold (100-meter breaststroke), bronze (4x100-meter medley relay), 8th (100-meter backstroke)
World Championship Experience
- Most recent: 2022 – GOLD (mixed 4x50-meter medley relay, 50-meter butterfly); BRONZE (50-meter freestyle)
- Years of Participation: 2019, 2022
- Medals: 3 (3 gold, 1 bronze)
- Gold – 2022 (mixed 4x50-meter medley relay, 50-meter butterfly); 2019 (100-meter back)
- Bronze – 2022 (50-meter freestyle)
Personal:
SFC Elizabeth Marks joined the Army in 2008, shortly after her 17th birthday, continuing a family legacy of military service...While on assignment in Iraq as a combat medic, she sustained bilateral hip injuries...It wasn’t until 2012, almost two years after her injury, while recovering and trying to be found “fit for duty,” that she discovered an unrealized gift for competitive swimming...Six months later she was accepted into the US ARMY World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) and found “fit for duty” as a 68w Combat Medic...Since then she has continued to participate and push herself to excel in a sport she has grown to love....In 2014, Marks became rapidly ill while in London for the inaugural Invictus Games and was placed onto ECMO life support for respiratory failure, a life-saving operation....On July 11th, 2017, after years of battling chronic regional pain syndrome caused by her original injuries and her stent on ECMO, Marks underwent left below the knee amputation....Daughter of James Marks...Father James, who also served, is her hero....In her free time, she mentors transitioning soldiers in adaptive sports and advocates for adaptive sports within the Military...Married to Mason Heibel... 2016 ESPY Pat Tillman Award Recipient... 2017 Inductee: Army Woman’s Hall of Fame...First Paralympic swimmer and first Paralympic woman in the WCAP program.
