Women To Know: Sports Edition. Honoring Deja Young

MADAMENOIRE centers Deja Young in this episode of Women to Know: Sports Edition. Young is a Paralympian medalist from Mesquite, Texas who participates in the T46 sprinting events.

Young sustained an injury at birth that limited mobility in her right shoulder. In spite of this, she holds gold, silver and bronze Olympic medals – the most recent was won at the Tokyo 2020 Games in the 100-meter dash.

Disability hasn’t interfered with the sprinter’s ability to be a winner. However, peoples’ attitude around her ability has affected her mental health. Early in her career, a friend of Young recognized her response to discrimination and identified what’s she calls “disability denial.”

“That’s a real thing,” young states.

The conversation was the catalyst to Young eventually admitting that she struggled to accept that she was being discriminated against because of her disability. Even though Young understood that her disability wasn’t her fault, she says it caused her to have confidence issues in the past.

In late 2021, Deja Young stepped off the track to tend to her mental health. But she’s assured fans this isn’t her retirement — just a break.