Carlos

Leon

Carlos Leon, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, was injured in a diving accident in 2005. After meeting five-time Paralympian Gabe Diaz de Leon at a USOC Paralympic Military Sports Camp, he was encouraged to get involved in field events.

At the 2007 Parapan American Games in Rio, he came away with two medals and shortly thereafter learned that he had been selected as a member of the 2007 U.S. Paralympics Track & Field Elite Team. This was the first step on his journey to Beijing, where Leon made his debut in the Paralympic Games in September 2008.

Leon currently lives and trains at the Lakeshore Foundation (Birmingham, Ala.), an official U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Site, as part of the U.S. Olympic Committee's Veterans Paralympic Performance Program (VP3). He has also been playing wheelchair basketball as a member of the Miami Heat Wheels since 2006. He graduated from Coconut Creek High School in 2002. Leon enjoys sports, training and reading.

Major Achievements:

• 2008: U.S. Paralympic Team member, Track & Field - Paralympic Games, Beijing, China
• 2008: World record (22.04m), discus - 2008 U.S. Paralympic Team Trials - Track & Field, Tempe, Ariz.
• 2007: Silver medal, discus; Bronze medal, shot put - Parapan American Games, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• 2007: Competed in Canadian Track and Field Championship, Windsor, Ontario
• 2007: Gold medal, World Record, discus - U.S. National Track and Field Championships, Marietta, Ga.