Rudy Garcia-Tolson

Hip-hop music, skateboarding, looking after his pet labrador. (teamusa.org, 25 Sep 2016; livingwithamplitutude.com, 01 Sep 2020)

“I love to lead by example. My mission is to show people the real disability in life is a negative attitude.” (thinkrudy.com, 21 Jun 2021)

He has won the ESPN Arete Courage in Sports Award and the Casey Martin Award from sports brand Nike. (thinkrudy.com, 21 Jun 2021)

In 2003 he was named one of Teen People Magazine's '20 Teens Who Will Change The World'. (thinkrudy.com, 21 Jun 2021; 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 win a medal at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (nytimes.com, 23 Jun 2021)

He was born with pterygium syndrome. The condition resulted in a clubbed foot, webbed fingers, a cleft lip and palate, and the inability to straighten his legs. After 15 operations, both his legs were amputated above the knee at age five. (thinkrudy.com, 21 Jun 2021; challengedathletes.org, 01 Sep 2020; US Paralympics, 03 Mar 2010)

RETURN FROM RETIREMENT
After the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, he retired from Para sport at age 28 and moved to New York to begin a career as a coach. However, when the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo were postponed he felt an urge to compete again, so he used the extra year to get fit and try to qualify for the Games in 2021. In 2020 he could not find a pool to train at, so he moved to his childhood home in southern California, where he trained in the sea with his surfboard. By chance, the US actor David Duchovny heard that he was in the area and needed a place to swim. Duchovny had a training pool behind his Malibu home, and he told Garcia he could use it whenever he liked. For five days a week, he drove more than 80km each way to Duchovny's home and back to train, swimming up to 6000m per session. He had already met Duchovny at a Challenged Athletes Foundation triathlon event once when he was a child. "I was still trying to find a pool when I got one of the great messages of my life. It was from a woman who said she worked with the actor David Duchovny, telling me to get in touch with her about finding a pool to train in. She gave me his number and told me to reach out. When I did, he told me he had a 25m one-lane pool in his backyard. I was welcome to use it whenever I wanted. I just needed to give him a little notice." (nytimes.com, 23 Jun 2021; swimmingworldmagazine.com, 14 Aug 2020)

SUPPORT
He worked part-time at US supermarket chain Instacart to fund his training for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. "Coming out of retirement and deciding to become a full-time athlete again has had it's financial challenges. Because of the lack of sponsors, I have had to juggle odd jobs like Instacart to afford my training and travel expenses. One sponsor that has stuck with me through these challenging times is the Challenged Athletes Foundation, and I can't thank them enough for the support." (Instagram profile, 01 Jun 2021)

TATTOO AND DISQUALIFICATION
In April 2021 he was disqualified from a 200m individual medley race because a tattoo on his left shoulder blade - which depicts the Olympic rings with the words 'Athens 2004' - was visible, a rule he later said ought to be scrapped. He normally puts tape over the tattoo so that it's not visible during competitions. He also has a tattoo of the number '88' on his chest, to signify the year he was born, and a tattoo on his back that says 'No legs, no limits'. (Instagram profile, 18 Apr 2021; Twitter profile, 18 Apr 2021; nytimes.com, 03 Jul 2020)

MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER AND FOUNDATION
He works as a motivational speaker and has spoken to groups throughout the United States of America ranging from Fortune 500 companies to inner city public schools. From a young age he has also served as an ambassador for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, an organisation that supports people with impairments in leading healthy lifestyles and pursuing careers in sport. (thinkrudy.com, 21 Jun 2021)