By Rick Burke, Navy Office of Community Outreach
CHICAGO – The 2017 Department of Defense Warrior Games kicked off June 30th with competitions over the weekend in shooting, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, and track. Petty Officer 2nd Class Angelo Anderson, (third from left) an Atlanta, Georgia native, is a multisport athlete competing in cycling, swimming, track and field, and wheelchair basketball.
Angelo won two gold medals and one silver on July 2 at the track event. He took first in his category in the 100 meters, 800 meters, and place second in the 400 meters.
The cycling event will take place on July 6 and swimming is scheduled on the final day of competition on July 8.
Team Navy’s sitting basketball team has not lost a game in this year's competition is headed to the medal round on July 7.
Team Navy’s sitting basketball team has not lost a game in this year's competition is headed to the medal round on July 7.
Angelo and the rest of “Team Navy” join more than 250 seriously wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans at the Department of Defense Warrior Games.
Navy athletes are competing against competitors from the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Special Operations Command, Australian Defense Force and the United Kingdom Armed Forces in cycling, track and field, shooting, swimming, archery, sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball.
The Navy honors the sacrifices of wounded warriors by providing them top-notch non-medical support through Navy Wounded Warrior (NWW) – Safe Harbor. All enrollees in NWW are encouraged to make athletics a key component of their recovery efforts. By promoting wounded warrior participation in competitions like the Warrior Games, NWW helps enrollees heal through adaptive sports.
These games provide an opportunity for athletes to grow physically, mentally and spiritually from the sportsmanship and camaraderie gained by representing their respective service teams in a friendly and spirited competition. It is an opportunity for athletes to showcase their enduring warrior spirit in the presence of their families and grateful nation.
- - Lt. Jesus Uranga, Team Navy Public Affairs
- - Lt. Jesus Uranga, Team Navy Public Affairs
For more information about the 2017 DoD Warrior Games, please visit http://www.dodwarriorgames.com/.