Victoria Arlen

Victoria Arlen (born September 26, 1994) is an American television personality for ESPN, as well as an actress, speaker, model, and former American paralympian swimmer.

Early life Victoria was born in New Hampshire, USA, to Larry and Jacqueline Arlen on September 26, 1994, as one of triplets; she has two brothers. Her father played hockey for the Quinnipiac Bobcats, and her brothers grew up playing it as well. developed two rare conditions known as transverse myelitis and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. This was an extremely rare scenario, and Victoria quickly lost the ability to speak, eat, walk, and move. She slipped into a vegetative state from which recovery was thought unlikely. Arlen spent nearly four years "locked" inside her own body, completely aware of what was going on, just unable to move or communicate. Doctors believed there was little hope of survival, and recovery was unlikely.

In 2010, at age 15, after almost four years, a new medication eased the seizures and Arlen began to communicate. Arlen began re-learning how to speak, eat, and move.

In June 2012, after a world record-breaking performance at the 2012 Summer Paralympics US swimming trials, Arlen qualified for the 2012 Summer Paralympics held in London, as a member of Team USA. In London, she won four medals: one gold and three silver.

In 2013, she was deemed not disabled enough to compete in the Paralympics because she did not provide significant proof that she has a permanent disability. The decision came as she was in Montreal, ready to compete. Paralympic rules include competitors with permanent disability, which is a complex decision. Her doctor thought there was a chance she might recover in the future, and the Paralympic committee decided evidence of permanent disability was lacking. It was difficult for Arlen not to be allowed to compete, her family contested it, but the decision stood. She was allowed to keep the medals she won in 2012, an acknowledgement that there was no deception by the athlete.

Career In April 2015, Arlen made the transition from professional athlete to sportscaster and joined ESPN as one of the youngest on-air talents hired by the company.

By April 2016, she had learned to walk after spending nearly a decade paralyzed from the waist down.

On September 6, 2017, Arlen was announced as one of the celebrities who would compete on the 25th season of Dancing with the Stars. She was partnered with professional dancer, Valentin Chmerkovskiy. The couple managed to reach the semi-finals, but was ultimately eliminated and placed fifth in the competition.

In 2020, Arlen became a co-host of American Ninja Warrior Junior for its second season, replacing Laurie Hernandez as the latter prepared for the 2020 Summer Olympics before it was postponed to 2021. She is one of the co-hosts of SportsNation.

Personal life Arlen is a Christian. She grew up as a Christian. When she was in her ‘locked-in’ state from her rare conditions, she prayed to God on a daily basis. She made a promise to God in prayer for her recovery. She has spoken of the importance of her faith in her life.