HOWIE SANBORN

Paralympian

Sport: Paratriathalon

Hometown: Denver, CO

Howie Sanborn is a retired U.S. Army veteran who served for 15 years as an Airborne Ranger and a demonstrator on the U.S. Army Parachute Team, “The Golden Knights.” While serving, he began competing in triathlons as an able-bodied age group athlete. In September 2012, Howie’s life changed dramatically when a distracted driver struck him from behind while cycling, breaking his back and paralyzing him from the waist down. Remarkably, just seven months after his injury, Howie competed in his first triathlon as a wheelchair athlete and has continued to compete at the elite level ever since.

JASON TABANSKY

Paralympian

Sport: Para-Archery

Classification: W1

Hometown: Brownsville, TX

Jason Tabansky, born and raised in Brownsville, TX, joined the military right after high school, attending basic training in August 2001. Following the September 11 attacks, he served two tours in Afghanistan and one in Iraq as a Chinook helicopter mechanic, crewmember, and flight crew instructor. In September 2015, a spinal injury left him wheelchair-bound, but his determination to live life to the fullest never wavered. This year, 40-year-old Tabansky will make his Paralympic debut in Para Archery.

JORGE SALAZAR

Paralympian

Sport: Wheelchair Basketball

Classification: 3.5

Hometown: Delano, CA

Jorge Salazar, a retired U.S. Marine Corps Corporal, hails from Delano, CA. He has been awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his distinguished military service. Jorge first joined the U.S. Men’s National Wheelchair Basketball Team in 2017 and now plays professional wheelchair basketball in Spain.

KEVIN NUGYEN

2-time Paralympian (2020, 2024)

Sport: Shooting Para Sport

Classification: SH1

Hometown: Westminster, CA

Kevin Nguyen, from Westminster, CA, began his journey in shooting sports after enlisting in the Army in 2011. He served as a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army Infantry and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2012, where he sustained a severe injury to his right foot from an improvised explosive device (IED). Despite his injury, Kevin coached the Paralympic Division of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit and returned to service. He is currently a soldier-athlete in the U.S. Army World-Class Athlete Program (WCAP).

MELISSA STOCKWELL

4-time Paralympian (2008, 2016, 2020, 2024)

Sport: Para Triathlon

Classification: PTS2

Hometown: Colorado Springs, CO

Melissa Stockwell, from Colorado Springs, CO, graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2002 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army’s transportation corps. In April 2004, just one month after being deployed to Iraq, 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. She was later honored with a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for her service. In 2008, she became the first Iraq War veteran to qualify for the Paralympic Games, competing in swimming at the Beijing Paralympics and was selected as the flag bearer for Team USA at the closing ceremonies.

After Beijing, Melissa shifted her focus to triathlon, making her elite ITU debut in 2009. She went on to earn three consecutive world titles from 2010-2012. In 2016, she earned a spot on the inaugural U.S. paratriathlon team for the Rio Paralympic Games, where she won a bronze medal in the PTS2 category as part of a U.S. podium sweep on September 11, 2016. She also competed in the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, finishing fifth overall.