FORT CARSON, Colo. -- Members of the World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) competed in the World Military Games in October 2015 in Mungyeong, South Korea, and four WCAP athletes brought home a total of seven medals from the games, officially known as the Conseil International Du Sport Militaire.
Sgt. Justin Lester, a 2012 Olympian and 2015 World Championship Team wrestler, won silver in the 75 kilogram Greco-Roman weight division.
The event also marked the first time in WMG history that athletes competed in para sports, and WCAP came through with several outstanding performances.
Sgt. Elizabeth Wasil, a para-swimmer, won three para-track and field gold medals in the women's shot put, 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash.
Staff Sgt. Michael Lukow, para-archer, earned silver in the recurve bow competition and Staff Sgt. Robert Brown, para-sprinter, won gold in the 100-meter dash and silver in the 200-meter dash.
While winning her medals, Wasil also hit qualifying standards for the 2016 U.S. Track and Field Paralympic Trials in the 100-meter dash and the shot put. Not bad for an athlete who focuses primarily on swimming and will also compete at the U.S. Paralympic Trials in upwards of five swimming events.
Brown ran track in high school and college, but that didn't quite compare to the competition he faced during the para-track and field events at WMG. While he was deployed to Ramadi, Iraq, in 2006, Brown's squad came under fire and he took several shots to his right side. He began running with a prosthetic in 2009 and by 2011 he was competing for WCAP.
"I'm appreciative of the WCAP because it gives me the opportunity to train and provides world-class coaching and racing opportunities, but I'm also an infantryman and I plan on retiring after 20 years," he said. "My motivation for competition is not only for my own well-being, but also in remembrance of those who didn't make it back and for those who are still fighting."
Brown said he encourages injured Soldiers to consider WCAP.
"We are hoping to start a developmental program for para-athletes across a wide range of sports in an effort to widen the athlete pool," he said. "That should provide more opportunities for Soldiers who want to stay in (the Army)."
Lukow suffered an injury while deployed to Iraq in 2008. He had never so much as picked up a bow prior to his injury, but while recovering at San Antonio Military Medical Center, his cadre told him he needed to work.
"My choices were to either check (identification cards) at the hospital or go to the archery range and shoot," he said. "I'm an infantryman. The Army handed me a weapon and said 'get good with it,'" he explained. "I took on the challenge."
As he made improvements in 2010, a U.S. Paralympic coach invited him to travel with the team to England for a small invitational tournament. He finished fourth and that solidified his decision to keep competing at higher levels.
Up next for each athlete? Preparation for the Olympic and Paralympic trials. Most of those will occur between May and June, with the games scheduled for August in Rio de Janeiro.
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