A year to the day an improvised explosive device took his eyesight, Navy Lt. Brad Snyder won his second gold medal in his favorite event, the 400 freestyle, at the 2012 London Paralympic Games.
Snyder swam away from his competition, finishing with a time of 4:32:41, beating the next swimmer by almost a full 6 seconds. Snyder previously had earned another gold in the 100 freestyle and a silver medal in the 50 freestyle during the Games that run through Sept. 9, 2012.
"This is great for me, it's great for my family, but I take a lot of solace that it inspires other people," Snyder said in an earlier interview with the Paralympics website. "If I can get someone out of bed, if I can get someone that relevance and success back in their life through my story, then that's what I want to do."
The former U.S. Naval Academy swim team captain said helping other people has served to motivate him. Snyder swam competitively at St. Petersburg's Northeast High School.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OHhMJp8lI24
