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Brad Snyder (swimmer)

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Full name
  
Bradley Warren Snyder

Name
  
Brad Snyder

Coach
  
Brian Loeffler


Sport
  
Swimming

Nationality
  
American

Role
  
Swimmer

Brad Snyder (swimmer) ihuffpostcomgadgetsslideshows247834slide247

Born
  
February 29, 1984 (age 40) (
1984-02-29
)
Reno, Nevada, U.S.

Strokes
  
400-meter freestyle 100-meter freestyle

Education
  
United States Naval Academy, Northeast High School

Nominations
  
Best Male Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award

Profiles

Brad snyder team usa olympics 2016 sports illustrated


Bradley Warren "Brad" Snyder (born February 29, 1984) is an American swimmer on the United States Paralympic team who competed at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London and the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio. Snyder won two Gold medals and one Silver at London and three Gold and one Silver at Rio. He lost his eyesight from an IED explosion while serving in the United States Navy in Afghanistan. Among fully blind swimmers, he is the current world record holder for the 100-meter freestyle events.

Contents

Brad Snyder (swimmer) Paralympics 2012 Brad Snyder Navy Veteran Blinded In

Brad snyder on the morning swim show snyderhetoric


Education and military service

Brad Snyder (swimmer) Brad Snyder Swim Across America

Bradley Warren Snyder was born in Reno, Nevada to Michael and Valarie Snyder. He swam while attending Northeast High School in St. Petersburg, Florida. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2006 with a degree in naval architecture; while there, he was captain of the swim team.

Brad Snyder (swimmer) 365 days after blindness swimming sailor claims gold

Snyder eventually became a lieutenant in the Navy, and served in Afghanistan as an explosive ordnance disposal officer. In September 2011, he lost both of his eyes after stepping on an IED in an attempt to help victims of another bombing. The explosion also gave him lacerations to his face and a shattered eardrum. Snyder subsequently spent three weeks in intensive care, and then recovered for another five weeks in Florida. He explained, "When you’re kind of patching your life back together and figuring out how to adjust to blindness, you’re not good at anything. Walking was a challenge. Cooking’s a challenge. Dressing and color matching is a challenge. There are all these things that used to be no problem that are all of a sudden really challenging. I had a hard time getting the right amount of toothpaste on the toothbrush, because I can’t see it."

Brad Snyder (swimmer) Brad Snyder The Factory Agency

Snyder was the guest speaker at the 2013 Navy-Marine Corps Ball, held at the Washington Hilton, Washington, DC.

Swimming career

At the May 2012 Warrior Games in Colorado Springs, Snyder won four gold medals in swimming and three gold medals in track and field.

In June 2012 at the U.S. Paralympics Swimming Trials in Bismarck, North Dakota, Snyder won the 400-meter freestyle and beat his own record by 54 seconds. His record time of 4:35.62 made him the current world leader among blind swimmers for the 400-meter freestyle. The race also secured him a spot on the United States Paralympic team at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London. In addition, Snyder is the world record holder for the 100-meter freestyle among blind athletes, an event that he also swam in Bismarck.

In August 2012 at the Paralympic Games in London, Snyder won Gold in the 100-meter freestyle (S11) after setting a Paralympic Record (57.18) in the preliminary heat. The following day, he won a Silver Medal in the Men's 50m Freestyle (S11) setting an American record for 25.27. Later that week, Snyder won Gold again in the Men's 400m Freestyle (S11) with a time of 4:32.41, exactly one year to the day after losing his eyesight. The United States Olympic Committee selected Brad to serve as the United States' flag bearer for the Closing Ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

He competed at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Other Endeavours

In 2013, Brad became the official spokesman for a tactile timepiece with his namesake, the "Bradley." Created by the product design company Eone Timepieces, the Bradley is designed in collaboration with vision impaired users.

Fire In My Eyes

In 2016, he wrote a memoir with Tom Sileo entitled Fire in My Eyes: An American Warrior's Journey from being Blinded on the Battlefield to Gold Medal Victory.

References

Brad Snyder (swimmer) Wikipedia