RUDY G.T.
Description
Collection
Title:
RUDY G.T.
Text:
USSA Honors Paralympic Athlete Garcia-Tolson with IOC President’s Disabled
Athlete Award
16 December 2004
A member of the 2004 U.S. Paralympic Swim Team, Garcia-Tolson won a gold
medal at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece in the men’s 200-meter
individual medley with a time of 2:43.65. (Photo courtesy of the United States
Olympic Committee)
The United States Sports Academy announced today that Rudy Garcia-Tolson, a
U.S. Paralympic swimmer, and track and field athlete, has been awarded the
International Olympic Committee President’s Disabled Athlete Award for his
outstanding accomplishments during the 2004 Paralympic Games and throughout his
career.
A member of the 2004 U.S. Paralympic Swim Team, Garcia-Tolson won a gold
medal at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece in the men’s 200-meter
individual medley with a time of 2:43.65. Earlier that morning, he set a world
record with a time of 2:42.20 in the preliminaries.
Born with Pterygium Syndrome, Garcia-Tolson had already underdone 15
surgeries by age 5. Eventually, he had both legs amputated. A bi-lateral amputee,
Garcia-Tolson decided that rather than using a wheelchair for the rest of this
life, he would use prosthetics to walk and run his way into the record books. By
age 8, he had amassed 43 ribbons and 14 medals in swimming. By age 15, he had
five American swimming records and four national track and field records. He
had also completed six triathlons and participated in the Olympic torch relay.
In addition to his tremendous athletic accomplishments, Garcia-Tolson is also
the spokesperson for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, a non-profit
organization that provides hand cycles, wheelchairs and adaptive equipment to
athletes with disabilities. Through his role as a spokesperson, he is able to
communicate to hundreds of other challenged athletes and inspire them to reach
greater heights.
The IOC President’s Disabled Athlete Award is presented annually to the
physically or mentally challenged athlete who displays courage, desire and athletic
ability in the face of adversity to achieve the goals set forth in the athlete
’s particular arena of competition.
The Academy presents awards each year to pay tribute to those who have made
significant contributions to sports, in categories as diverse as the artist and
the athlete in several different arenas. The awards have expanded over the
years to honor exemplary achievement in coaching, all-around athletic
performance, courage, humanitarian activity, fitness and media, as well as the top
professional athletes of the year.
Athlete Award
16 December 2004
A member of the 2004 U.S. Paralympic Swim Team, Garcia-Tolson won a gold
medal at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece in the men’s 200-meter
individual medley with a time of 2:43.65. (Photo courtesy of the United States
Olympic Committee)
The United States Sports Academy announced today that Rudy Garcia-Tolson, a
U.S. Paralympic swimmer, and track and field athlete, has been awarded the
International Olympic Committee President’s Disabled Athlete Award for his
outstanding accomplishments during the 2004 Paralympic Games and throughout his
career.
A member of the 2004 U.S. Paralympic Swim Team, Garcia-Tolson won a gold
medal at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece in the men’s 200-meter
individual medley with a time of 2:43.65. Earlier that morning, he set a world
record with a time of 2:42.20 in the preliminaries.
Born with Pterygium Syndrome, Garcia-Tolson had already underdone 15
surgeries by age 5. Eventually, he had both legs amputated. A bi-lateral amputee,
Garcia-Tolson decided that rather than using a wheelchair for the rest of this
life, he would use prosthetics to walk and run his way into the record books. By
age 8, he had amassed 43 ribbons and 14 medals in swimming. By age 15, he had
five American swimming records and four national track and field records. He
had also completed six triathlons and participated in the Olympic torch relay.
In addition to his tremendous athletic accomplishments, Garcia-Tolson is also
the spokesperson for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, a non-profit
organization that provides hand cycles, wheelchairs and adaptive equipment to
athletes with disabilities. Through his role as a spokesperson, he is able to
communicate to hundreds of other challenged athletes and inspire them to reach
greater heights.
The IOC President’s Disabled Athlete Award is presented annually to the
physically or mentally challenged athlete who displays courage, desire and athletic
ability in the face of adversity to achieve the goals set forth in the athlete
’s particular arena of competition.
The Academy presents awards each year to pay tribute to those who have made
significant contributions to sports, in categories as diverse as the artist and
the athlete in several different arenas. The awards have expanded over the
years to honor exemplary achievement in coaching, all-around athletic
performance, courage, humanitarian activity, fitness and media, as well as the top
professional athletes of the year.
Citation
“RUDY G.T.,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 1, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/224212.
