1.7.04

Paralympic legend Randy Snow becomes the first Paralympian to be inducted to the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in Chicago.

It has been years now since the USA's Randy Snow competed at the Paralympic level in tennis, track and basketball, but his athletic accomplishments left a lasting impression. He participated in three summer Paralympic Games and won medals in all three sports - the only Paralympic athlete in history to achieve this.

Snow won the singles and doubles tennis gold medals at the 1992 Games in Barcelona.

Snow, 45, was 16 when he suffered the injury that left him paralyzed from the waist down. An elite junior tennis player at the time, he was working on a farm when a 1000 pound (450k) bale of hay crashed down on him, forever changing his life -- a change he has said was a blessing in disguise.

Snow is a member of the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame and the Wheelchair Sports USA Hall of Fame, and has won the USTA Brad Parks Award, among his many honors.

Randy Snow is now a motivational speaker, and source of inspiration for many current and future Paralympic athletes.

The Randy Snow website