Konkoly, who sustained a spinal cord injury after a tragic fall from a fifth story window her freshman year at Georgetown on January 11, 2011, returned to training just eight months after her injury. A collegiate swimmer prior to her injury, she found her way back to the pool continuing her career as a collegiate athlete competing for the Hoyas.
In October of 2011, Mallory Weggemann spoke at Georgetown University on behalf of Deloitte and met several of Michelle’s teammates following her speech, who shared Konkoly’s story with Weggemann. Although, Michelle and her mother had previously stumbled upon information regarding the Paralympics on the Internet, that day has served as a reminder to the both of them of the importance of sharing the incredible opportunities that are available to individuals with disabilities.
Konkoly made her debut into the Paralympic world at the Paralympic Trials for the London 2012 Games. After not being named to the London 2012 team, she continued to compete as a collegiate athlete at Georgetown and in February 2014, she set her first American Record in 100m Freestyle. She is certainly a force to be reckoned with in the S9 class and one to keep on eye on for the remainder of the year as she looks to make her first international roster for Team USA.
