Tu c k e r D u p r e e Paralympic Swimming Champion
Chicago Sports & Entertainment Partners www.ChicagoSEP.com Tucker Dupree Three-time Medal Winning Paralympic Swimmer
Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina Birth date: May 11, 1989 Age: 25 Height: 6’1’’ Weight: 180 !Disability: Blind / Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) !Points of Interest… •At the age of 17, Tucker began to lose his vision and was diagnosed with a rare disease called Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON). In a short !period of time, Tucker lost 70% – 80% of his central vision in both eyes. •An accomplished swimmer, Tucker continued to compete setting the !American Record in the 50m and 100m Butterfly. !•Tucker also holds 43 American Records and 9 Pan-American Records. •The Rio Games would be his third Paralympic Games having previously !competed in Beijing ‘08 and London ’12. •At the 2012 London Paralympic Games, Tucker won a Silver Medal in the 100M Backstroke and Bronze Medals in the 50M Freestyle and 100M !Freestyle. •Tucker is an assistant swim coach to an able-bodied Division 1 Men’s Team at! Oakland University. •Tucker plays piano to relax when he is not training. ! ! Chicago Sports & Entertainment Partners www.ChicagoSEP.com Tucker Dupree is a 25 year old, visually impaired athlete who has !excelled in the sport of swimming. Tucker grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. He lead an active life of a teenager; played sports, learned to cook at his first job and !played the piano. At the age of 17, Tucker began to lose his vision and was diagnosed with a rare disease called Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON). In a short !period of time, Tucker lost 70% – 80% of his central vision in both eyes. He was told his life would not be “normal.” Tucker was determined not to let this disability define his life and went back in the pool to the sport he !loved and Tucker, a gold medalist and world record holder, is one of the top blind swimmers in America holding a World Record in the 50m and 100m Butterfly, 43 American Records and 9 Pan-American Records. He represented Team USA in the 2008 Beijing and the 2012 London Paralympic !Games. At the 2012 London Paralympic Games, Tucker brought home a Silver Medal in the 100 Meter Backstroke and Bronze Medals in the 50 Meter !Freestyle and 100 Meter Freestyle.
Chicago Sports & Entertainment Partners www.ChicagoSEP.com Piano shot
Out of the pool, Tucker is a student at Devry and takes online courses as he is looking to earn his degree in ______by ______. As he trains with his coach at Oakland University he is also the assistant coach of the team. Tucker also enjoys playing piano and cooking. These are things he did prior to becoming visually impaired, but has continued these hobbies. Tucker enjoys speaking to companies sharing his story and how he has overcome the challenges and achieved his goals of being a Paralympic Medalist and his journey to his next Games in Rio.
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! For more information contact: ! ! ! Jeannie Goldstein [email protected] 773-680-9800 www.ChicagoSEP.com !
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