The road has been long and winding for Hicksville’s Amy Palmiero-Winters.
After a motorcycle accident severed her left leg in 1994, she has gone on to demolish the competition in the ultramarathon world, with her latest feat coming in Los Angeles, CA, as she took home her first (likely of many) ESPY Award.
Palmiero-Winters earned the Best Female Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award, “presented to the female sportsperson with a disability, irrespective of nationality or sport contested, adjudged to be the best in a given year,” according to the ESPY site.
Three other athletes challenged Palmiero-Winters on the ballot: Linnea Dohring, a gymnast and soccer player without the lower half of her right arm and hand; Alana Nichols, who won two gold medals (sitting downhill, sitting giant slalom) among four total medals at 2010 Paralympic Winter Games; and Stephani Victor, who won gold in the sit-ski super combined to earn her third medal of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.
Palmiero-Winters, as noted in the July 9 issue of the Hicksville Illustrated News, boasts an impressive list of accolades, including several groundbreaking accomplishments that will pave the way for future athletes with disabilities. She became the first amputee to complete the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run and the first athlete with a disability to compete on Team USA during the World Championship in Brieve, France. She’s also set world records for amputee women at 50 kilometers, 50 miles, 100 kilometers, 100 miles and 24-hour races, and in the spring, she earned the 80th annual James E. Sullivan Award as America’s top amateur athlete.
Over 30 ESPY’s were awarded to the top athletes in the world on July 14 at the Nokia Center, including Drew Brees, Phil Mickelson, Kobe Bryant, Sidney Crosby and Jimmie Johnson. Other awards highlighted the biggest upset, best sports movie, best team and best record-breaking performance. Seth Meyers of Saturday Night Live hosted the event.
Palmiero-Winters is a volunteer coach, works alongside children with disabilities and is the full-time director of Team A Step Ahead, a nationwide sports team comprising adults and children with limb loss. For more information, visit seeamyrun.com.
