Former Cal Poly Swimmer Mark Barr Wins First Paralympic Medal
9/2/2024 3:30:00 PM | Swimming and Diving
PARIS, France — Former Cal Poly swimmer Mark Barr is bringing home some hardware from the 2024 Paralympic Games.
Barr, who was a member of the Cal Poly swimming team from 2004-08, captured a bronze medal while competing for Team USA in the men’s paratriathlon PTS2 classification Monday in Paris, France.
I had on my phone, a picture of the podiums that I’ve missed. It was good motivation to push through the dark days of training and keep motivation high.Mark Barr, former Cal Poly swimmer
After coming up just short of earning a medal in his three previous Paralympic appearances, Barr finally broke through.
“I’ve been chasing the podium for 20 years since 2004,” he said in an interview with USA Triathlon after claiming bronze. “Three fourth places, which is the worst place you can get in a race, so to finish on the podium finally is very rewarding. Man, a lot of training, a lot of heartache. I hate having to answer that I’ve never gotten a medal before. Now I can check that box, as a medalist, which is a great feeling to have. I had on my phone, a picture of the podiums that I’ve missed. It was good motivation to push through the dark days of training and keep motivation high.”
Barr, who lost his right leg to bone cancer when he was 14, placed fourth in the same event at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and competed in swimming events at the 2008 Beijing Games and 2004 Athens Games.
?? Mark Barr ??
— NCAA (@NCAA) September 2, 2024
Men’s PTS2 ???? @TeamUSA#ParalympiansMadeHere x @CPSwimDive pic.twitter.com/mzTkx9ciCO
The Davis, Calif. native finished right behind his Team USA training partner, Mohamed Lahna, who secured the silver medal.
"It's pretty cool to share the podium with [Lahna],” Barr said.
The performance by Barr was part of an historic day for the U.S. Paralympic Triathlon team, which won a total of eight medals — the best for any country in paratriathlon at a single Paralympic Games. It marked the third straight Paralympic Games that the U.S. topped the paratriathlon medal count.
Barr qualified for this year’s Paralympic Games at the 2024 Americans Triathlon Para Championships in Miami and placed first in the World Triathlon Para Series in May in Yokohama, Japan.
Barr, 38, won gold in the men’s PTS2 at the 2018 World Championships and was named the 2018 USA Triathlon Male Paratriathlete of the Year. In 2019, he received the ESPY award for Best Male Athlete with a Disability, becoming the first Cal Poly athlete (current or former) to win an ESPY.
When Barr was 14, he developed bone cancer in his right tibia, forcing him to get the leg amputated. After swimming in the pool for the Mustangs from 2004-08 and making two Paralympic appearances in Athens in 2004 in Rio de Janeiro in 2008, Barr decided to transition to triathlons.
Currently, Barr is a registered nurse in the trauma surgical ICU in Houston, Texas, and works multiple 12-hour shifts a week. During his off days, he finds time to fit in training sessions for swimming, cycling and running.
The medal-winning performance by Barr comes just less than a month after Taylor Spivey, a Cal Poly swimmer from 2009-14, helped Team USA capture silver in the triathlon mixed-team relay at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Aug. 5.
