ARLINGTON, Va. — Last week, 23 Army athletes went up against competitors from their sister services and ally nation Ukraine in the Military Adaptive Sports Virtual Challenge. The sporting event was held Sept. 13-17 with certain events livestreamed on social media.
The Virtual Challenge was open to all wounded, ill and injured active duty service members and veterans who were selected to participate as primary or alternate athletes in this year’s Department of Defense Warrior Games. All told, they competed in 11 adaptive sporting events as part of their recovery journeys.
Army athletes aimed for victory in powerlifting, track, archery, cycling, shooting, golf, wheelchair basketball, swimming, indoor rowing and the body weight fitness challenge known as the Fit Games. Army athletes placed first in 41 events, second in 12 events and third in 10 events.
The challenge was held during the same timeframe when the Warrior Games would’ve taken place, had it not been canceled, but that is the only thing the two events had common. The Virtual Challenge was not an official Warrior Games sanctioned event or program. It was a separate effort led by the Service Branches using available technology to provide the event virtually. It was a special opportunity for world-class active duty and veteran athletes to show what they can do in the pool, on the track or the court.
Most of the events were livestreamed on the Army Recovery Care Program Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/usarmyarcp/
Army athletes placed or competed in the Military Adaptive Sports Virtual Challenge events listed below:
Swimming
50 Backstroke Male Winners and Competitors
1.0
Joel Rodriguez
2.0
Brent Garlic
VI
Michael Murphy
50 Breaststroke Male Winners and Competitors
5.5L
2nd Place: Michael Shaw
VI
Michael Murphy
50 Freestyle Male Winners and Competitors
1.0
Joel Rodriguez
5.5L
2nd Place: Michael Shaw
VI
Michael Murphy
100 Freestyle Male Winners and Competitors
1.0
Joel Rodriguez
2.0
Brent Garlic
VI
Michael Murphy
Golf
Female Winners and Competitors
1st Place: Adriana de Julio
Male Winners and Competitors
2nd Place: Julian Mitchell
Rowing
1-Minute Male Winners and Competitors
2.0
1st Place: Jason Smith
2nd Place: Greg Quarles
3rd Place: Jose Alfaro
4.0
Frank Matzke
4-Minute Male Winners and Competitors
2.0
1st Place: Greg Quarles
2nd Place: Jose Alfaro
3rd Place: Jason Smith
4.0
Frank Matzke
Field
Female Seated Shot Winners and Competitors
5.0
Beth King
Female Seated Discus Winners and Competitors
5.0
Beth King
Male Seated Discus Winners and Competitors
1.0
Luis Avila
5.0
Joshua Olson
6.0
Greg Quarles
Male Seated Shot Winners and Competitors
1.0
Luis Avila
5.0
Joshua Olson
6.0
Greg Quarles
Male Standing Shot Winners and Competitors
VI
3rd Place: Michael Murphy
Male Standing Discus Winners and Competitors
VI
3rd Place: Michael Murphy
Powerlifting
Female Winners and Competitors
61KG
1st Place: Hyoshin “Gabi” Cha
79KG
1st Place: Beth King
Male Winners and Competitors
88KG
1st Place: Jason Smith
3rd Place: Joshua Olson
107KG
3rd Place: Greg Quarles
107KG+
2nd Place: Shawn Sharpe
Archery Winners and Competitors
Compound Open
1st Place: Greg Quarles
2nd Place: Michael Shaw
Recurve Open
3rd Place: Kyle Eldridge
VI
2nd Place: Michael Murphy
Wheelchair basketball
Wheelchair Min
1st Place: Julian Mitchell
Wheelchair Max
1st Place: Brent Garlic
2nd Place: Hyoshin “Gabi” Cha
Shooting
Pistol Winners and Competitors
Open
2nd Place: Julian Mitchell
SH1
1st Place: Greg Quarles
3rd Place: Troy Isom
Rifle Standing Winners and Competitors
SH1
2nd Place: Robert Clary
Rifle Prone Winners and Competitors
SH1
1st Place: Greg Quarles
2nd Place: Michael Shaw
3rd Place: James McFadden
Cycling
Female Indoor Winners and Competitors
Upright C4
Kristina Carney
Female Outdoor Winners and Competitors
Recumbent T2
Beth King
Male Indoor Winners and Competitors
Recumbent T1
Kyle Eldridge
Male Outdoor Winners and Competitors
Upright Open
1st Place: Ian Crawley
Handcycle Open
Jose Alfaro
VI Recumbent
Luis Avila
Handcycle H3
Brent Garlic
VI Upright
Michael Murphy
Recumbent T2
3rd Place: Troy Isom
Track
100 Meter Male Winners and Competitors
VI
Michael Murphy
200 Meter Male Winners and Competitors
VI
Michael Murphy
400 Meter Male Winners and Competitors
VI
Michael Murphy
800 Meter Male Winners and Competitors
VI
Michael Murphy
1500 Meter Male Winners and Competitors
VI
Michael Murphy
Fit games
Male Winners and Competitors
Open
Endurance
1st Place: Michael Murphy
Seated
Endurance
Greg Quarles
The Army Warrior Care and Transition Program is now the Army Recovery Care Program. Although the name has changed, the mission remains the same: to provide quality complex case management to the Army's wounded, ill and injured Soldiers.