5 Paralympians to Watch at the Tokyo Games

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Brad Snyder
Men's Triathlon

Achievements include:

• One-time Paralympian in paratriathlon (2020)
• A seven-time Paralympic medalist in swimming, he's won five golds and two silver
• Won 2021 Americas Triathlon Para Championships' Pleasant Prairie gold medal.

Life Facts:

• He was blinded in September 2011 after stepping on an improvised explosive device while serving in the U.S. Navy in Afghanistan.
• In the Paralympic Games London 2012, Snyder was chosen as the USA’s flag bearer at the Closing Ceremony and was later designated as the honorary torch bearer for the opening ceremony of the 2013 Warrior Games.

Words from the athlete:

 “Swimming laps for the first time, I felt comfortable, independent, and not only was I not struggling, I was doing something well, he told NBC Sports. “I have very vivid images in my mind of what swimming is, so when I’m doing it, I don’t feel blind.”

Jessica Long
Women's Swimming

Achievements include:

• Five-time Paralympian (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020), she’s won 13 gold, six silver, and four bronze.
• She’s the second-most decorated Paralympian in U.S. history.

Life facts:

• Born with fibular hemimelia, her legs were amputated below the knees at 18-months old.
• She was adopted from a Russian orphanage at 13 months.
• She’s been involved in many sports including gymnastics, basketball, cheerleading, ice skating, biking, running, and rock climbing.
• At 12 years old, she was the youngest athlete on the U.S. Paralympic Swim Team in Athens.

Words from the athlete:

“I know that one day the swimming, this platform, this journey that I've been on will come to an end,” she told NBC Sports. “And what I would really love to do is still be really involved in the Paralympics . . . Paralympics has given me so much and it's been such a wild ride.”

Melissa Stockwell
Women's Triathlon

Achievements:

• Three-time Paralympian (2008, 2016, 2020), she’s won one bronze
• Three-time ITU Paratriathlon World Champion (2012, 2011, 2010)
• Ten-time World Paratriathlon Event medalist (3 golds, 5 silvers, 2 bronzes)

Life facts:

• In April 2004, she became the first female American soldier in history to lose a limb in active combat after her vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb.
• Four years later, she became the first Iraq War veteran to qualify for the Paralympic Games, competing in swimming at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics.
• Her ritual: The night before a race, she always eats gummy worms

Words from the athlete:
 
“The beauty of life is that we all have a choice in how we perceive it, she told NBC Sports. “So I choose to overcome the loss of a leg and to see what I could do with one leg instead of with both of my legs.”

Oksana Masters
Women's Cycling

Achievements include:

• A master of several sports, including the biathlon, cross country skiing, and road cycling
• Four-time Paralympian (2012, 2014, 2016, 2018), she’s won two gold, three silver, and three bronze
• Winner of two bronze World Cup medals and a bronze medal at the UCI Para-Cycling World Championships

Life facts:

• A native of the Ukraine, she was born with both legs damaged by radiation poisoning from the Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster. (By age 14, both her legs would be amputated.)
• After living in three orphanages, she was adopted at age seven.
• Wants to open a coffee shop someday.

Words from the athlete:

“The goal is to prove anything is truly possible,” she told NBC Philadelphia. “And if you feel like someone’s telling you that something’s impossible or you think it’s impossible, do not be afraid to start it, because you have no idea of the ripple effect you’re gonna have for generations after you.”

Steve Serio
Men's Basketball

Achievements include:

• Four-time Paralympian (2008, 2012, 2016, 2020), he’s won one gold and one bronze.

Life Facts:

• At 11 months old, he had surgery to remove a spinal tumor. As a result, he became paralyzed and is classified as an incomplete paraplegic.
• He lived and played professional wheelchair basketball in Germany for five years.

Words from the athlete:

“When you have a disability, the world reminds you of what you can’t do every single day,” he told NBC Sports. “Through sport, I have learned to embrace my differences to succeed on the court by being resilient, but also to inspire people with disabilities to demand more from this life.”

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