Cancer Survivor, Triathlete from Geneva Aims for Spot on Olympic Team

Photo credit: Triathlon.org.

A 23-year-old Geneva High School graduate, who recently underwent chemotherapy to treat lymphatic cancer, finished in fourth place in the 23-year-and-under competition at the 2015 International Triathlon Union World Final, which was held in Chicago over the weekend, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Kevin McDowell had plenty of local support when he raced Friday.

“The crowd and so many Geneva people — teachers, coaches and principal, along with friends and family, some from several states away — made it a very special day for me to race in my backyard,” McDowell told the Chicago Tribune.

This year marked the first full year since McDowell, who was ranked the No. 1 junior triathlete in the U.S. in 2010, competed following his 2011 cancer diagnosis and treatment, according to the article. The cancer is now gone and McDowell won a silver at the Pan Am Games and is hopeful he will be able to represent the U.S. as a triathlete in the 2016 Olympics.

“I’m still in the younger range (for triathletes), but I believe it’s possible,” he told the Chicago Tribune.

Read more on the Chicago Tribune.