Get to Know ‘Love Island USA’s Beatriz Hatz, the Team USA Paralympian on Season 8
What To Know
- Beatriz Hatz is part of the Love Island USA Season 8 cast.
- She’s a Team USA Paralympian.
- She was born with a condition that made her an amputee.
It’s not often professional athletes head into the Love Island USA villa — let alone ones that compete on the world stage — but that’s changing this summer. Beatriz Hatz, a Team USA Paralympian, will be looking for love alongside the rest of the Love Island USA Season 8 cast.
Though she is new to reality TV, Beatriz is no stranger to competition, having made her Paralympic Games debut in Tokyo in 2020. As we wait to see if she’ll come out on top of the podium in Fiji, get to know Beatriz and learn about her athletic background below.
Who is Beatriz Hatz?
Beatriz is a 26-year-old who was born and raised in Colorado, but currently lives in San Diego, California. Though track is her main sport now, she grew up playing quite a few: softball, basketball, soccer, karate, and skiing. According to her Team USA bio, she also has an artsy side. She draws and paints in her spare time.
Beatriz started high school sports after being dared to by a friend, according to Amplitude Magazine, but found success in it. Beatriz was named the 2018 U.S. Paralympics Track & Field High School Female Athlete of the Year. The year before, at just 16 years old, Beatriz competed as a Team USA Para member for the first time.
“I started long jump in high school, and this was back when I didn’t even have a running or jumping prosthetic, so I was just kind of winging it in the long jump with the walking prosthetic,” she told Interview Magazine in 2024. “Eventually, for my first Junior World Championships, they told me that they wanted me to jump off my prosthetic. So I did, and I realized, ‘Oh, this is probably the better way to do it.’ And when I switched over to training with Coach [Kris] Mack — this man knows exactly what he’s doing. He was training me to get better in the long jump, and now it’s one of my favorite events.”
In that same interview, Beatrix opened up about being an inspiration for other kids with limb impairments. “For me, sometimes kids can be very mean,” she said. “I got bullied growing up, and I know what that’s like for other kids. And out in public, I’ll see a little kid who’s got a prosthetic, and I’ll immediately walk over, even if I’m wearing pants, and say, ‘Hey, you’re just like me. Look, I have one, too.’ And their parents always tell me, ‘Thank you for that. They always feel like the only ones.’ When I was little, I definitely felt like the only one. I love that I can be a help and an advocate, even for people who are able-bodied.”
When she’s not competing, Beatriz coaches high school-level Track and Field athletes. According to Ossur, she’s also working on a children’s book.
What is Beatriz Hatz’s Paralympic background?
Beatriz is a two-time Paralympian. When she was 20, she participated in the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. She placed fifth in the long jump and sixth in the 100 and 200-meter races.
Four years later, she earned a medal. At the Paralympic Games in Paris, Beatriz earned bronze for the long jump. She came in fifth place in the 200-meter and ninth in the 100-meter races. “It was so real at that moment when they handed me the flag,” she said in a Team USA video.
View this post on Instagram
What happened to Beatriz Hatz’s leg?
Beatriz was born without a fibula in her right leg, which is a congenital condition called Fibular Hemimelia. When she was 10 months old, Beatriz’s leg was amputated below her knee. She had 10 more surgeries after, according to Amplitude.
“I think it’s important for people to know that even if someone have a disability, it does not define them,” she told Ossur. “It might impact how they experience the world, but it’s only a small part of them and certainly not the only interesting thing about them. Being born with limb difference doesn’t define me. It’s simply a small part of me, and it won’t hold me back unless I let it.”
Love Island USA, Season 8 Premiere, June 2, 9/8c, Peacock
