Tara
Llanes

In 2019, Llanes helped Canada to the gold medal and a berth in the Tokyo Paralympic Games at the Parapan American Games in Lima. In the Peruvian capital, Llanes played in five games averaging 20 minutes on the floor.

She made her Paralympics debut at Tokyo 2020 and competed at her second world championships in 2023. Canada finished fifth at both events.

Later in 2023, she helped Canada to silver at the Paranpan American Games and in 2024 to a undefeated performance at the Paralympic Games qualifier.

Llanes was competing in wheelchair tennis at the time when she met former Team Canada player, Amanda Yan, who encouraged her to try wheelchair basketball. At the same time, she was trying to improve her speed on the tennis court, and former Team Canada and Hall of Famer Richard Peter said basketball would help.

She decided to try the sport out in 2016, and in two short years, Llanes was a force to be reckoned with on the hard court. Her aggressive style of play led her to be chosen to represent Canada at the 2018 Wheelchair Basketball World Championships in Hamburg, Germany.

A professional mountain biker for 15 years, Llanes travelled the world to compete, earning her a nomination for the 2018 BMX Hall of Fame.

On September 1, 2007, she suffered a C-7 fracture and L-1 damage to her vertebrae, which paralyzed her lower extremities in a mountain bike crash in Colorado.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

2020 Paralympic Games… 2019, 2023 Parapan American Games… 2018 and 2023 World Championships.

PERSONAL

Born in West Covina, California… One of 21 global athletes named as ambassador for Paris 2024 Pride House… In mountain biking won a gold, two silver and a bronze at the X Games… Won singles and doubles national titles in wheelchair tennis… Business owner selling adaptive mountain bikes.

NOTABLE INTERNATIONAL RESULTS

• 2023 Parapan American Games 2nd
• 2023 World Championships 5th
• 2021 Paralympic Games 5th
• 2019 Parapan American Games 1st
• 2018 World Championships 5th