Seth Udinski, FISM News

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In the midst of the heartbreak in Afghanistan over the Taliban takeover, a Paralympic athlete has given American citizens something to celebrate.

Afghanistan war veteran Brad Snyder won the sixth gold medal of his career over the weekend as he became the first American male ever to win the triathlon at the Olympics or Paralympics. Snyder had an illustrious swimming career in the 2012 and 2016 Paralympic Games before switching sports for the 2020 games. While on tour in Afghanistan in 2011, he lost his eyesight as the result of an IED explosion.

Snyder said in an interview after his victory,

We watched (the movie) ‘Cool Runnings’ yesterday, and John Candy said, ‘If you make your life about winning, that’s all you can do.’ And my life’s not about winning, it’s about taking on new challenges.

When asked about the current situation in Afghanistan, he said he believes that it did not make sense for troops to stay in the country “forever” but that he has “prevailing sadness” over the recent events.

In the 2020 Paralympic Games, the United States sits fifth in total medals at 63 and fourth in gold medals at 24. China leads the way in total medals (132) and total gold medals (63).