Hoang competed in the wheelchair T53 classification 100-, 400-, and 800-meter races on the Tokyo track last summer in the pandemic-delayed Games.
“Yen has made the city of Vancouver and the entire state of Washington proud by not only competing, but also excelling on the international stage,” McEnerny-Ogle said. “She embodies the true spirit of commitment to excellence, dedication and achieving success.”
A first-time Paralympian, her best result at Tokyo was eighth place in the 800. She was ninth in the 100, and had a no-result in the 400.
Hoang, 24, was born in Vietnam and grew up in the Pacific Northwest. She graduated from Evergreen in 2015 and went on to the University of Illinois where she graduated in 2019 with a business degree. She is a tax associate at KPMG.
Her first Paralympic competition was the 2014 U.S. Paralympics Track & Field National Championships. She won gold in the 800 and silver in the 400 at the 2019 Parapan American Games.
In October, she competed in the 2021 Boston Marathon and was 16th overall in the women’s wheelchair division and third in her group, and she said she’s planning to be back in April for the 2022 race.
“My next steps are to be better than I once was, to be faster than I once was,” Hoang said. “I’m very internally motivated and just like to be good at what I do. My teammates also motivate me.”
She also is looking to compete at the World Championships later this year and the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
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