Living with T1D can be discouraging sometimes. With all that goes into managing the disease, we can easily lose sight of our abilities and how successful we can be while dealing with this 24/7 addition to our lives. We tell our kids that people with T1D can do anything that anyone else can do… except make their own insulin. Here is a list of athletes who truly didn’t let T1D stop them from their goals and dreams. Meet athletes in sports of all kinds from all over the world who competed in the Olympic Games while managing their T1D.
Kris Freeman – Cross Country Skiing, USA
Born: October 14, 1980, in Concord, New Hampshire
Diagnosed: Age 19, just before his first Olympics
Ski Career Highlights: Freeman is a 4-time winter Olympian. He was in the 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014 Olympic Games. He has won the US Championship title 16 times and has competed in the World Cup and the World Championships. Freeman is still one of the best cross-country skiers in the US.
Did you know? Freeman was told he would have to quit skiing because of his T1D. He was told he would never make it to the Olympics. He found out about Dexcom, which helped him better manage his diabetes and allowed him to continue with his dreams. Freeman spends time at various diabetes summer camps sharing his story and talking to kids and teens who have T1D.
Barbara Jardin – Swimming, Canada
Born: October 22, 1991, in Montreal, Quebec
Diagnosed: Age 22
Swim Career Highlights: Before participating in the 2012 Summer Olympics, Jardin participated in international competitions including the Pan American Championships, the Commonwealth Games, and the World Swimming Championships.
Did you know? Jardin considered quitting swim competitions after her T1 diagnosis. She ultimately decided to keep going, competing in the FISU Games and the Canadian Nationals. Jardin went to the 2016 Olympic trials, but did not make it into the games that year.
Shortly after diagnosis, Jardin took on the role of JDRF ambassador and became the face of the “T1D Looks Like Me” campaign throughout November 2015.
Matthias Steiner – Weightlifting, Austria and Germany
Born: August 25, 1982, in Vienna, Austria
Diagnosed: Age 18
Weightlifting Career: Steiner competed in several European Championships and the 2004 Olympics for Austria. He won gold for Germany in the 2008 Olympics. He was injured during the Olympic competition in 2012 and retired shortly after.
You may be wondering why he competed for both Austria and Germany. Steiner was born in Austria, but he applied for German citizenship after he met a German woman and married her in 2005.
Did you know? Steiner was told he should quit lifting weights when he was diagnosed with T1D on his 18th birthday. He clearly proved everyone wrong. After retiring, he lost a lot of weight and wrote a book about how. Most of the techniques he used to lose the weight were learned from caring for his diabetes.
Matheus Santana – Swimming, Brazil
Born: April 2, 1996, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Diagnosed: Age 8
Swim Career Highlights: Santana represented his country in the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics and the 2016 Summer Olympics. He has also participated in many international competitions including the Pan American Games and the World Aquatics Championships.
Did you know? Santana qualified for the 2013 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships, but was cut from his team because of his diabetes. Of course, that didn’t stop him. He won silver and gold in several international competitions before participating in the Olympics in 2016.
Chris Jarvis – Rowing, Canada
Born: September 10, 1980, in Burlington, Ontario
Diagnosed: Age 13
Rowing Career: Jarvis competed in several World Rowing Cup competitions as well as World Rowing Championships. He often ranked in the top 3. Jarvis was in the 2004 Olympics.
Did you know? Jarvis founded a type 1 diabetes non-profit organization called I Challenge Diabetes. “I Challenge Diabetes fosters a community of people with type 1 diabetes who, through experiential education and adventure, provide each other with the skills and confidence to overcome the daily challenges and create a new expectation for what we can accomplish.”
Evita Leter – Swimming, Suriname
Born: July 5, 1995 – Paramaribo, Suriname
Diagnosed: Age 19
Swimming Career: Leter represented her country in the 2016 Olympics. Prior to the Olympics, Leter competed in the Caribbean Island Swimming Championships earning gold and silver in the 50 and 100 meter breaststroke.
Did you know? Leter was named Suriname’s Swimming Sportswoman of the Year in 2016. She was also one of the 3 finalists for the Surinamese Female Athlete of the Year Award.
Kevin Hansen – Volleyball, USA
Born: March 19, 1982, in Newport Beach, California
Diagnosed: Age 10
Volleyball Career Highlights: Leading up to the Olympics, Hansen played in the FIVB World League, Americas’ Cup, and the Pan American Games winning silver and gold medals in each. He represented his country at the 2008 Olympic Games where his team won gold.
Did you know? When Hansen was diagnosed with T1D, he was told sports would be difficult to pursue. He married fellow volleyball player Sarah Engle in 2009 and the couple has 3 children.
Gary Hall Jr. – Swimming, USA
Born: September 26, 1974, in Cincinnati, Ohio
Diagnosed: Age 25, while training for the 2000 Olympic Games
Swim Career: Hall was in the 1996, 2000, and 2004 Olympic Games. He won 10 Olympic medals. Hall is well known for his pro-boxer like showmanship often strutting onto the pool deck in boxing shorts and robe and flexing for the audience.
Did you know? Hall (and his red, white, and blue robe) were appointed to the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2012. Hall now works with different organizations that study diabetes and help children living with the disease.
Kristina Tomic – Taekwondo, Croatia
Born: March 29, 1995, in Zagreb, Croatia
Diagnosed: Age 24
Taekwondo Career: Tomic competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Prior to the Olympics, she won several medals in competitions including the World Championships and the European Championships.
Did you know? When Tomic was diagnosed in 2019, she was told that she wouldn’t be able to compete at the high level she was used to. Of course, she didn’t listen and went on to compete in the Olympics after her diagnosis.
Anna Fernstadt – Skeleton, Germany and Czech Republic
Born: November 26, 1996
Diagnosed: Age 25
Skeleton Career: Fernstadt started out in the 2013-14 Europe Cup where she won 3 gold medals. She also competed in the Intercontinental Cup, the Junior World Championships, and the World Championships before adding the Olympics to her list of achievements. In 2018, Fernstadt represented Germany in the Winter Olympics. In 2022, she raced for the Czech Republic.
Did you know? Fernstadt was diagnosed with T1D while she was competing in the World Cup in December 2021. She spent 4 days in the hospital learning all about T1D. Not even a full month later, she was competing in the 2022 Olympic Games.
Sara Groenewegen – Softball, Canada
Born: April 12, 1995
Diagnosed: Age 9
Softball Career Highlights: Groenewegen joined the Canada Women’s National Softball Team at age 17. She has won several Big Ten Pitcher of the Year awards. Groenewegen’s team won medals in the Pan American Games, the World Championships, and they won bronze for Canada in the 2020 Olympic Games.
Did you know? Groenewegen describes herself as, “resiliant, adaptable, and stubbornly positive.” and she hopes to one day become a national spokesperson for T1D.
Charlotte Drury – Trampoline Gymnast, USA
Born: June 4, 1996
Diagnosed: Age 25
Gymnastics Career: Drury started doing gymnastics at age 3. She became a member of the US Trampoline and Tumbling National Team in 2011. Drury competed in the World Championships from 2013-2015 and became the first American woman to win a gold medal in Trampoline at a World Cup. She went on to qualify as an alternate for the 2020 Olympic Games.
Did you know? Drury was diagnosed with T1D only a month before the first Olympic trial in 2021. She stopped training and decided not to participate in the 2020 Olympic Trials. But her coach, Logan Dooly, encouraged her to continue following her dream of competing in the Olympics.
Ivan Marcelic – Water Polo, Croatia
Born: February 18, 1994
Diagnosed: Age 10
Water Polo Career: Marcelic’s position is goalkeeper. He has been in the 2018 and 2020 Euros as well as the 2018 Fina World Cup. His team won bronze at the World Championships in 2019 and went on to compete in the 2020 Olympics.
Did you know? Marcelic has always been surrounded by friends, family, and coaches who encouraged him to compete. He says that T1D has never prevented him from achieving his goals. His teammates learned a lot about his diabetes. They knew how to recognize when his blood glucose level drops and they often have juice or chocolate on hand to help.
Whatever your dreams are, don’t let T1D stop you. It will take more planning and attention, but you can do whatever you want while living with T1D.
Happy Carb Counting!
~ Leah
Did I miss any T1D Olympians? Comment below and I’ll add them to the list! Don’t forget to head over to the Carb Counting Mama Facebook page and “like” it to see more posts!!
This is very inspiring. I just read this with my 10 year old son who has T1D and he was thrilled to see so many successful athletes with T1D. Thankyou!!
Hi! Another two are Hannah Schmidt in woman’s ski cross and Kamilla Kozuback in the snowboarding halfpipe. I made sure we watched qualifying just to see her runs!
From a parent who loves to hear success stories this is the best list I have seen yet! My daughter is also an Olympian, Hungarian-Canadian dual citizen, Kamilla Kozuback. Diagnosed at age 13, on Canada Day. After being diagnosed Kamilla’s only question was if she can continue to snowboard. My wife, a nurse, drew inspiration from Max Domi of the NHL who is T1D. Kamilla just marched forward with her dreams of becoming a pro-snowboarder. but she had the support of local coaches who would monitor her CGM in trainings, and nurse Mom who also helped managed her T1D (through injections only no pumping).
Kamilla went on to represent Canada in Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Snowboarding Slopestyle, Big Air and Halfpipe, with the top Canadian female result. She finished second at Canadian Junior Championships in 2020. In 2021 she left the Canadian Team to follow in her mothers foot steps and represent Hungary for the 2021-22 season. In her first year competing at World Cups at age 17, Kamilla qualified to Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics becoming the first female to compete in all three snowboard freestyle events Slopestyle, Big Air and Halfpipe, and Hungary’s first ever snowboard Olympian. She also competed in Vuokatti 2022 European Youth Olympic Festival, winning gold & silver and was Hungary’s only EYOF champion in 2022. In 2022 she also won the prestigious World Rookie Tour which is considered is the largest action sport youth series in the world.
Currently Kamilla looks to continue on competing.