Jorge Salazar (basketball)
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Jorge Eligio Salazar |
| Born | December 7, 1989[1] Bakersfield, California, U.S. |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Wheelchair basketball |
| Disability class | 3.5 |
Medal record | |
Jorge Eligio Salazar (born December 7, 1989) is an American wheelchair basketball player and a member of the United States men's national wheelchair basketball team. He represented the United States at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.
Career
[edit]Salazar represented the United States 2022 Wheelchair Basketball World Championships and won a gold medal.[2][3]
In November 2023, he represented the United States at the 2023 Parapan American Games and won a gold medal in wheelchair basketball. As a result, Team USA automatically qualified to compete at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.[4] On March 30, 2024, he was selected to represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.[5] He won a gold medal in wheelchair basketball.[6] With 1 minute, 50 seconds remaining in the game, team captain Steve Serio fouled out. Salazar replaced Serio, making his first appearance of the gold medal game. With 27 seconds left in the game, Salazar recorded an offensive rebound that led to Brian Bell scoring eight seconds later, making it a two-possession game.[7]
Personal life
[edit]Salazar was a member of the United States Marine Corps from 2008 to 2014.[1] While deployed to Afghanistan in 2012, his legs were severed below the knee by an improvised explosive device (IED). Salazar took charge of his squad after his squad leader was wounded by an IED, even after being injured by IED blast himself. He was subsequently awarded the Bronze Star Medal and a Purple Heart for his service in the military.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Jorge Salazar". olympics.com. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
- ^ Goldberg, Steve (June 9, 2023). "U.S. Squads Enter Postponed Wheelchair Basketball Worlds With Medal Hopes". teamusa.org. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
- ^ "USA win men's title at Wheelchair Basketball Worlds, Netherlands defend women's title". paralympic.org. June 21, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
- ^ "GOLD SECURED. Team USA Earns Gold at 2023 Santiago Parapan American Games; Receives Automatic Qualifier to 2024 Paris Paralympic Games". nwba.org. November 25, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
- ^ "Paralympics Games Roster Selected for 2024 U.S.A Men's Wheelchair Basketball Team". nwba.org. March 30, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
- ^ Hendricks, Maggie (September 9, 2024). "Paris 2024 Paralympic Games: Team USA men's wheelchair basketball takes historic gold". olympics.com. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
- ^ Wagner, Matt (September 9, 2024). "Marine veteran Salazar helps in crunch time as US wins gold in wheelchair basketball". stripes.com. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
- ^ "Marines decorated for heroic actions in Afghanistan". marines.mil. June 13, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
External links
[edit]
 | This biographical article relating to a United States basketball figure born in the 1980s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1989 births
- Living people
- American men's wheelchair basketball players
- Wheelchair basketball players at the 2023 Parapan American Games
- Medalists at the 2023 Parapan American Games
- Paralympic wheelchair basketball players for the United States
- Wheelchair basketball players at the 2024 Summer Paralympics
- Medalists at the 2024 Summer Paralympics
- Paralympic medalists in wheelchair basketball
- Paralympic gold medalists for the United States
- United States Marine Corps
- 21st-century American sportsmen
- American basketball biography, 1980s birth stubs