SUN VALLEY, Idaho — One of Idaho's greatest athletes, Muffy Davis, was inducted into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame June 24. The three-time Paralympic gold medalist was one of 12 athletes inducted with the 2022 class.
When Davis took the stage last weekend at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, the Stanford alum called the honor a "pinch-me moment."
During her career, Davis was able to compete in three Paralympic games in para-alpine skiing and para-cycling, collecting a total of seven Paralympic medals.
In Davis' Hall of Fame speech, the Sun Valley native took the time to thank her hometown, the Gem State and her supporters.
"It cannot be understated the importance of home, of community, in helping to raise and mold our youth," Davis said. "To my hometown, Sun Valley, Idaho, the Wood River Valley, every day I give thanks to my parents who chose to raise me in such an amazing, close-knit community, and that I am blessed to raise my daughter in that same wonderful community. You are a vital part of my foundation and I thank you."
After she hung up her skis professionally, Davis served as an Idaho legislator for three years, serving on multiple boards, commissions, and councils for para-athletes. She now sits on the Blaine County Board of Commissioners.
Davis was left paralyzed from the chest down at 16 years old when she crashed during a training run. She was traveling at nearly 50 mph when she hit two trees, breaking her helmet and her back in February 1989.
In 2010, she was inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. 12 years later, she joined the likes of Michael Phelps, Lindsey Vonn, Natalie Coughlin, Mia Hamm and Michelle Kwan, in joining the 2022 U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame class.
"For an aspiring Olympian, the unthinkable happens and a tragic accident throws all plans off course," Davis said. "I realized how blessed I was to be at the birth of a liberating movement for athletes with disabilities, the international Paralympic movement."
Davis joined the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame alongside her former junior ski teammate, Picabo Street, who was inducted in 2004.
In an interview with KTVB in early-June, Davis discussed the importance of honoring Olympians and Paralympians in the Hall of Fame together.
"It's an immense honor and to be there with the legend athletes - it's huge," Davis said. "For me personally, it's really rewarding, because we're recognizing Paralympic athletes at the same level as Olympic athletes and that's been a passion and mission of mine my whole life."
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