Tracy Otto

Lore & Background

Tracy Otto is from Florida and was an aspiring fitness model before October 2019. On October 24, 2019, her ex-boyfriend Francpiero Del Medico broke into her home and attacked Otto and her new boyfriend Rick Riessle. Riessle was shot eight times with a pellet gun and stabbed in the back, puncturing his lung. Otto was shot five times and stabbed in the back of the neck; one pellet severely damaged her left eye, requiring its surgical removal, and she was shot with a pellet down her throat and sexually assaulted with the weapon. The attack left Otto paralyzed from the chest down, making her a C5 quadriplegic, and she uses a wheelchair.

Following rehabilitation, Otto's family placed her in a nursing home in Chicago. Riessle brought her back to Florida, where he became her full-time caregiver and arrow agent. In September 2024, Otto announced her engagement to Riessle and that she was pregnant, with a due date in January. She aims to compete in the 2028 Summer Paralympics in Los Angeles.

Reader's Guide

Tracy Otto's significance lies in her rapid rise in para-archery after a life-altering attack in 2019. Beginning the sport in March 2021, she made her international debut at the 2023 World Para Archery Championships, finishing ninth. Later that year she won a gold medal at the 2023 Parapan American Games in the individual W1 event, and in April 2024 she earned two gold medals at the Para Pan American Championships—one in the individual W1 and one in the mixed team W1 with Jason Tabansky. She was named to the U.S. Paralympic roster on May 13, 2024, and competed at the 2024 Summer Paralympics, finishing eighth in the women's individual W1 and sixth in the mixed team W1 with Tabansky. Her legacy includes being named to the BBC's 100 Women list in December 2024, and she has stated her intention to compete at the 2028 Summer Paralympics in Los Angeles.