Pittsburgh VA Veteran headed to Paris Paralympics

A Marine Corps Veteran will compete in the Paris 2024 Paralympics with a prosthetic leg maximized for power and efficiency at Pittsburgh VA.

An eight-time Iron Man runner and 2020 Tokyo Paralympics triathlete, Eric McElvenny has been a patient since October 2023. In that time, orthotist/prosthetist Andrew Chambers has spent one day a week with McElvenny, tweaking his prosthesis and testing adjustments to harness maximum power and efficiency.

McElvenny, Chambers and physical therapist John Schneider recently spent a day at a local high school athletic track, testing out the metrics of different prosthetics attachments while McElvenny ran at a set speed. 

“We are looking for little things.”

Sensors attached to each of McElvenny’s feet measured power, stride length and vertical oscillation. The team used the measurements to make tiny adjustments to the prosthetics to assess which yielded the best results. 

“We’re looking for a percent, for little, small things,” said Chambers, who will fly to Paris to cheer him on. 

McElvenny graduated from Belle Vernon Area High School before attending the United States Naval Academy. He has always been athletic, energetic and resilient, traits that are evident from the moment he starts speaking. 

An inspirational speaker, McElvenny has traveled all over the country to speak at companies, schools, colleges, conferences and sports teams, most recently to Texas. “I teach principles of resilience.”

On a routine patrol, McElvenny stepped on an improvised explosive device, resulting in the loss of his leg. He was transported to the Naval Medical Center in San Diego for treatment.

While in bed, he made a promise to himself: he was going to run in an Ironman Triathlon. “I wanted to do something big to prove to myself that I was the same person.”  

Finished sixth in Tokyo

McElvenny ran his first Ironman race in Kona, Hawaii and has since competed in seven others. He said he also wants to one day compete in a Norseman race in Norway, a notoriously difficult track comprised of over 5,000 inclining meters. 

For now, his focus is on Paris. Although it is his second Paralympics, it will be the first for his family because the COVID-19 outbreak limited spectators in Tokyo. He finished sixth in Tokyo but set a goal to return this year.

The Paris triathlon is run in six categories with each based on the athletes’ physical characteristics. In McElvenny’s category, amputee below the knee, there are 12 spots, meaning he will compete against 11 other athletes. 

“Our goal is to provide every Veteran with the tools they need to reach their goals,” said Chambers. “If that goal is to medal in the Paralympics, we are with them, 100 percent.”

For information on VA resources, for amputee Veterans, visit Rehabilitation and Prosthetic Services or VA Adaptive Sports and Arts.

Other competitors

Other Veterans representing Team USA at the 2024 Paralympics are:

• Army Sergeant First Class Elizabeth Marks
  (Swimming: 100-meter backstroke)
• Army Staff Sergeant Kevin Nguyen
  (Paralympian Shooting: R6 Mixed 50m Rifle Prone SH1)
• Army Sergeant First Class John Wayne Joss III
  (Paralympian Shooting: R6 Mixed 50m Rifle Prone SH1)
• Army Veteran Specialist Bobby Body
  (Para Powerlifting)
• Army Veteran Sergeant First Class Howie Sanborn
  (Paralympian-Triathlon)
• Army Veteran Staff Sergeant Jason Tabansky
  (Paralympian Archery: W1)
• Army Veteran Captain Kelly Elmlinger
  (Paralympian-Triathlon)
• Army Veteran First Lieutenant Melissa Stockwell
  (Paralympian-Triathlon)
• Army Veteran Specialist Mason Symons
  (Wheelchair Rugby)
• Army Veteran Major Shawn Morelli
  (Para-Cycling)
• Marine Corps Veteran Dennis Connors
  (Para-Cycling)
• Marine Corps Veteran Captain Eric McElvenny
  (Paralympian -Triathlon)
• Marine Corps Veteran Private First Class Jataya Taylor
  (Wheelchair Fencing)
• Marine Corps Veteran Corporal Jorge Salazar
  (Wheelchair Basketball)
• Marine Corps Veteran Corporal Marco DeLaRosa
  (Paralympian Shooting: P1 10m Air Pistol SH1)