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Brad Snyder
	Brad Snyder shortly before the 2012 London Paralympics
Personal information
Full name	Bradley Warren Snyder
Born	February 29, 1984 (age 40); Reno, Nevada, U.S.
Alma mater	United States Naval Academy
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	400-meter freestyle; 100-meter freestyle
Coach	Brian Loeffler
Medal record
Representing United States
Men's Swimming
Paralympic Games
IPC World Championships
Men's paratriathlon
Paralympic Games
Americas Championships

Bradley Warren Snyder (born February 29, 1984) is an American professional swimmer on the United States Paralympic team who competed at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio, and the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo. Snyder won two Gold medals and one Silver at London, three Gold and one Silver at Rio, and one gold medal at Tokyo. 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.

Education and military service

Bradley Warren Snyder was born in Reno, Nevada to Michael and Valarie Snyder.^[2] 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.^[3]

Snyder eventually became a lieutenant in the Navy, and served in Afghanistan as an explosive ordnance disposal officer.^[4] 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.^[3]^[4] 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."^[4]

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.^[3]

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.^[4]^[5]

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.^[6] The following day, he won a Silver Medal in the Men's 50m Freestyle (S11) setting an American record for 25.27.^[7] 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.^[8] 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.^[9]

He competed at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, winning all three gold medals in the end.^[3]

At the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan, Snyder won the gold medal in the paratriathlon PTVI.^[10]

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.^[11]

As part of his professional swimming career, Snyder signed on as an athlete for Team Toyota, sponsored by the car company bearing the same name, that is Toyota.^[12]

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.^[13]

References

^ ""Bradley Snyder"". London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
^ "Midshipmen Profile". United States Naval Academy. Archived from the original on September 9, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Bowker, Paul D. (June 13, 2012). "Starting with Swimming". United States Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on June 19, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Babiarz, Lou (June 16, 2012). "U.S. Paralympic Swimming Trials: Snyder world No. 1". Bismarck Tribune. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
^ Briggs, Bill (June 18, 2012). "London bound: Blinded warrior to represent U.S. at 2012 Paralympics". MSNBC. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
^ Chappel, Bill (August 31, 2012). "Navy Lieutenant Swims To Gold In London Paralympics, Months After Injury". National Public Radio. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
^ "Bradley Snyder events and results". London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on September 3, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
^ "Men's 400m Freestyle S11". London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
^ "Brad Snyder to Carry Flag at Closing Ceremony of Paralympic Games". Navy Sports.com Official Site of Naval Academy Athletics. Archived from the original on September 14, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
^ "Team USA, Team Toyota's Brad Snyder Wins Eighth Paralympic Medal at Tokyo 2020". Toyota. August 30, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
^ Borchers, Callum (July 12, 2013). "Thanks to Kickstarter, tactile watch debuts". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
^ "Team Toyota Athlete: Brad Snyder". Toyota. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
^ Snyder, Brad, and Tom Sileo. Fire in My Eyes: An American Warrior's Journey from Being Blinded on the Battlefield to Gold Medal Victory. Boston: Da Capo Press, 2016. OCLC 933590573 ISBN 9780306825149