Rudy Garcia-Tolson

Rudy Garcia-Tolson (born September 14, 1988)

Swimming

Garcia-Tolson started swimming at age 6. Within a year, the seven-year old was competing against children without disabilities and breaking records.

When he was eight years old, he stated that he would swim in the 2004 Paralympic Games.

In the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, when he was 20, he again won the gold medal in the 200 meter individual medley event, breaking his own SM7 world record twice in the process. He also won the bronze medal in 100m breaststroke SB7.

At the 2012 Paralympics in London, he broke the SM7 world record in the 200 meter individual medley heat. In the final, both he and Yevheniy Bohodayko swam faster still. Bohodayko touched the wall first; Garcia-Tolson won silver. He is targeting the 2021 Paralympics in Tokyo.

On April 14, 2022, he was named to the roster to represent the United States at the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships.

Other sports

Athletics

Garcia-Tolson started running at age 7. By the age of 13, he held T42 American Records in all distances from 400 metres to the half marathon.

At the 2011 Parapan American Games, he won a silver medal in the T42 100 metre event. At the 2012 Summer Paralympics, he competed on the track as well as in the pool. He ran personal best times in his T42 100 metre and 200 metre events, but did not qualify for finals.

Triathlon

Garcia-Tolson competed in first his triathlon at age 8, as the swimmer in a winning relay team. He raced with celebrities including Robin Williams as part of Team Braveheart.

At age 10, he completed the first of many individual triathlons.

In 2006, he completed the Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3 in Clearwater, Florida. He attempted the 2009 Ironman World Championship in Kona but missed the bike cut by 8 minutes. Six weeks later, at Ironman Arizona, he became the first double above-knee amputee to complete a full Ironman Triathlon. He has won several awards, including the Arete Courage in Sports Award and the Casey Martin Award from Nike. likes hip hop music and skateboarding, and has one brother and three sisters.