Josh Sweeney - Marine, Paralympian in Sled Hockey and XC Skiing, Gold Medalist!

Chris Waddell's Nametags Chat Podcast

Josh Sweeney grew up in Phoenix, AZ, joining the Marines directly after high school. He deployed to Afghanistan with 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines as a Scout Sniper in 2009 where he was injured by an IED while on patrol. He sustained severe injuries to his legs and arms resulting in the amputation of both legs above the knees and multiple hand and arm surgeries. While undergoing rehabilitation in San Antonio, TX at the Center for the Intrepid he began playing adaptive sports and realized he was still an athlete despite his injuries. He is a 2014 Paralympic Gold Medalist in the sport of Sled Hockey and was a member of the USA Nordic Skiing Paralympic team in 2022. Josh also competes in Para Triathlon where he was ranked internationally in 2019 winning a World Cup and USA Nationals. He most recently began competing in handcycling, pushing the gravel cycling initiative of getting more adaptive bikes in races and being the first handcyclist to complete the 105-mile course at Rebeccas Private Idaho.
On top of all his athletic achievements, he enjoys helping the adaptive sports community by making custom equipment that is needed to solve problems they face