Beatriz Hatz

 The Backstory:
Born without a fibula bone in her right leg, Beatriz Hatz became a below the knee amputee after leg was removed at just 10 months old. Following the initial amputation, she has gone through 11 total surgeries, one of which was a bilateral knee surgery where plates were placed to straighten out her knees. Hatz got into high school sports after being dared by a friend, but quickly realized it was much more than that. After making varsity and getting encouragement from her coach, Hatz looked into competing at a higher level. She took on the Junior World Championships, winning two golds and a silver, and focused her sights on the Paralympics with a goal of competing in the Tokyo Paralympics.

Away from track:
In 2018 she was named high school female track athlete of the year by the US Paralympics and followed that up in 2019 winning the Sportswomen of Colorado Award in the high school Para athletics category.

In their own words:
“When you are not on the track, someone else is. Work hard every day.”

“The kid in the lane next to me will kind of make a face like, ‘Oh, it’s the kid with one leg. I don’t have to worry about her. By the end of the race I have to gain respect, I don’t automatically have it. Once I beat somebody they kind of let themselves back.”

“I really don’t like pity and I’ve seen people say, ‘Oh I feel so bad for you’ Don’t feel bad for me I can do everything you can do,”

“I just like proving them wrong. I don’t showboat about it. … it just makes me feel good that I represent the disabled community that way.”

Learn more:
Team USA Page
IPC Page
CBS Denver: “Track Athlete Beatriz Hatz Making Wavess, Shoots For 2020 Paralympics”
Columbine Courier: “A tip of the Hatz: D’Evelyn senior, Paralympian making a name for herself”
Your Hub: “My Name is Beatriz: D’Evelyn Jr./Sr. High School Para Athlete”