Oswego Athlete Tops Forbes' List of Paralympians to Watch

An Oswego athlete topped Forbes’ list of 25 American athletes to watch at the Paralympics.

Joe Berenyi, 47, was injured in a 1994 construction accident that took his right arm and left knee cap. He will represent Team USA is the Rio Paralympics.

Forbes says:

Berenyi, 47, is a Paralympic gold medalist in cycling and a repeat world champion. Back in 1994, Berenyi was injured in an accident at an ironworks facility in Illinois; he lost his arm and injured his knee. Since then, bearded Berenyi has dominated his sport and even been nominated for an ESPY award for best male athlete.

In 2012, Berenyi won silver, gold and bronze medals at the Paralympics in London. In 2015, Berenyi was nominated for ESPN’s ESPY Award for best male athlete with a disability.

Berenyi always had a love for cycling, but his accident snuffed that passion out for some time. It wasn't until 13 years later that the passion was reignited. When he went to the London games, he only had three years of experience riding at the national level when he took home his three medals, according to his Team USA profile.

photo via Team USA