Paralympic Swimmer survived Ukrainian tragedy

Mikhaila Rutherford was born in a small Russian village around 30 kilometers from Chernobyl, which was the site of a nuclear disaster in 1986. As a result of the disaster, Rutherford was born premature and missing limbs. Due to her disability, her parents put her up for adoption where she was taken in by an American woman at the age of four. She began swimming at the age of eight and competed in swimming competitions in high school. While attending Alameda High School, Rutherford was invited to compete with Team USA’s National Swim Team.[3] She qualified for the 2002 IPC World Championships where she set a new world mark in the S10 Women’s 100 backstroke. Rutherford later beat her old world record for the Women’s 100 meter backstroke S10 at the 2004 Summer Paralympics, winning gold in the making. She finished the competition with three gold medals and one silver. After graduating from high school in 2006, Rutherford accepted a placement at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a majo