Her physical prowess doesn't surprise her mother, Jane Evans-Ryan, despite the fact that 13-year-old Anna was born with spina bifida, a birth defect in which the spinal column on a developing fetus fails to close properly. The lower the opening, the more mobility a person has; body parts below the opening are subject to paralysis. In Anna's case, she is fine from the waist up, but needs a wheelchair to get from place to place.

Far from being "wheelchair-bound," however, Anna has a great deal of upper body strength, which she attributes to the exercise she gets propelling herself throughout the inclines and declines of her neighborhood and the Saratoga Village, which is walking (and wheeling) distance from the home she shares with her mother, older sister, Justina, and the family dog.

That strength was to her credit this summer at the National Junior Wheelchair Championships, a weeklong event in Connecticut in which she captured two gold medals in discus and javelin events and four silver medals in swimming events and the shot put. The event is held under the auspices of Wheelchair Sports USA and this year drew athletes from 29 states and five other countries: Ireland, Sweden, Australia, Nigeria and Pakistan.

Some credit also goes to her mother, who introduced Anna to swimming at a young age. "She has been in the pool since she was less than a year old. She's always swum," Evans-Ryan says. "For someone with almost no use of her legs, her swimming ability puts me to shame!"

"It's cool; I feel freer in the water," Anna adds. "When I'm in the pool, I don't feel like there's any difference between me and other kids."

By the time she was 6, Anna was involved with the San Jose Parks and Recreation Department's Office of Therapeutic Services (OTS). Through OTS, she learned to play several team sports; met youths who, like her, had physical challenges; and made some friendships that last to this day.

Although she still participates in OTS, her competitive nature eventually led her to the National Junior Wheelchair Championships, for which she qualified earlier this year during a regional event. Joining Anna on the flight to Connecticut were coach and vice coach Deanna Cho and Adam Elix and teammates Shirley Reilly of Los Gatos, Jesus Guerrero and Melissa Lucia of San Jose, Michael Applegate of Santa Cruz and Ania Flatau of Pacific Grove.

"Discus is the most fun, because it's the easiest. The javelin is too long to keep still sometimes. With the shot put, it depends on its size and weight," she says. But swimming is where she has really shone, breaking the record for her age group in the 25- and 50-yard breast stroke and backstroke events.

"Swimming is actually my second-favorite sport," Anna explains. "River rafting is my favorite. I like it because it's an extreme sport; I like going up and down over the rapids."

While she can't engage in her favorite sport at Redwood Middle School, she does participate in nearly every P.E. activity her classmates do. "Sometimes the people in my class will say, 'Hey, this isn't a competitive game!' But I say, 'Yes, it is!' " she says with a chuckle.

When she outgrows her "junior" designation, Anna says, she may even try out for the International Paralympic Games, but in the meantime is already planning ahead for next year's junior nationals.

"I'll go again if I qualify—which I will," she promises, smiling.