Advertisement

Steve Serio | Tokyo 2020 Olympic Profile

Team USA Wheelchair Basketball player Steve Serio shares his experience winning a Gold medal in Rio and explains why most people can relate to Paralympic athletes.

Video Transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING]

STEVE SERIO: I'm Steve Serio, I'm the co-captain of the men's wheelchair basketball team for Team USA. I was injured when I was 11 months old. I was born with a benign spinal tumor that went undiagnosed for the first 11 months of my life. The tumor became infected and inflamed, and actually crushed my spinal cord resulting in an incomplete paralysis of my lower extremities.

I started playing wheelchair basketball when I was 15-years-old following a trip to the University of Illinois, where I competed collegiately there, graduated with a degree in exercise science and gerontology. I've been a member of Team USA since 2006, competing in the last three Paralympic games. Our team finished fourth in Beijing. Following that, in 2012, winning a bronze in London and a gold medal in Rio in 2016.

Being a part of a team where all four basketball teams to win the Olympics, to win the Paralympics, all brought home a gold medal at the same time. I think that the Paralympics lends a very tangible connection with people because we're not these chiseled all-world-class athletes carved out of stone, our hardships are very tangible to people. And I think that a lot of people can relate to overcoming those hardships of being the best versions of yourself. Not only as an athlete but as a person and as a leader.