The first American female soldier to lose a limb while serving in Iraq, Melissa Stockwell completed Team USA’s podium sweep in the PT2 division as triathlon made its Paralympic debut at Rio 2016.
Allysa Seely won gold, followed by Hailey Danisewicz and they were joined on the podium by Stockwell. The 1-2-3 finish held extra meaning for the U.S. trio, occurring on the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
“I really wanted to be on the podium,” Stockwell said. “Bronze felt like gold. I’m absolutely ecstatic. … A USA sweep on September 11, to be on the podium, the American flags go up, it was one of the greatest moments of my life.”
