Angela Madsen

Angela Madsen

Angela Madsen

Founder, Director of California Adaptive Rowing Program | US Paralympic Gold Medalist

Angela Madsen may seem like a laid-back California native but her competitiveness has driven her to two Paralympic Games in two different sports–rowing and track and field. Madsen won her first Paralympic medal in 2012 with bronze in the shot put. Madsen loves being around the water and was the only person in the world, male or female, to complete four ocean rowing crossings of three oceans and to have rowed a circumnavigation of Great Britain. She is also the only paraplegic to surf in the women’s world championships of longboard surfing in Biarritz, France, making the 2015 U.S. ISA adaptive surf team. Madsen runs a non-profit adaptive rowing program in Long Beach, Calif.  and founded the California Adaptive Rowing Program in 1999. She wrote a book released in 2013 called “Rowing Against the Wind” and is a 20 year board member of the California Paralyzed Veterans. Madsen has five grandchildren.

Paralympic Experience:

  • 2012 Paralympic Games – bronze (shot put)
  • 2008 Paralympic Games – seventh (rowing)

Career Highlights:

  • 2015 U.S. Paralympics Track and Field National Championships, 1st (shot put), 2nd (discus); Parapan Am Games, gold (javelin)
  • 2012 U.S. Paralympic Track and Field Trials, gold (shot put), silver (javelin)
  • 2011 Parapan Am Games, silver (shot put)
  • 2008 Paralympic Games, seventh (rowing)
  • 2000-08 Rowing National Championships, 1st (rowing)
  • 2003-06 Rowing World Championships, 1st (rowing)
  • 2002 Rowing World Championships – silver (rowing men’s 1X)