Rudy Garcia-Tolson

Hip-hop music, skateboarding. (teamusa.org, 25 Sep 2016)

Winning gold in the SM7 200m individual medley at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens. (triathloninspires.com, 02 Sep 2014)

US actor Robin Williams. (triathlonmagazine.ca, 15 Aug 2014)

"A brave heart is a powerful weapon." (rudygt.com, 16 Nov 2014)

In 2003 he was named one of Teen People Magazine's '20 Teens Who Will Change The World'. (US Paralympics, 03 Mar 2010)

He represented the United States of America in athletics at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, competing in the T42 100m and T42 200m. He has also participated in Ironman competitions at national level. (SportsDeskOnline, 01 Jun 2017; rudygt.com, 16 Nov 2014)

To compete at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (quaticsintl.com, 20 Jan 2016)

He was born with pterygium syndrome. The condition resulted in, among other things, a clubbed foot and the inability to straighten his legs. After numerous operations, both his legs were amputated above the knee at age five. (US Paralympics, 03 Mar 2010)

NATIONAL FIRSTS
He became the first US athlete with a double above-the-knee amputation to complete a full Ironman in 2009, when he finished a race in Tempe, AZ, United States of America. In 1999 at age 10 he became the youngest person with a bilateral amputation to complete a triathlon unassisted. (ossur.com, 02 Jul 2014; US Paralympics, 03 Mar 2010)

LEADER
He was co-captain of the US swim team at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (swimmingworldmagazine.com, 27 Aug 2016)

OTHER ACTIVITES
He has served as a spokesperson for the Challenged Athletes Foundation in the United States of America. He has also featured in a documentary called 'Challenge Roth', which followed the sporting lives of six athletes, as well as appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN and in Sports Illustrated. (teamusa.org, 25 Sep 2016; Instagram profile, 09 Feb 2016; ossur.com, 02 Jul 2014)