McElvenny eager to compete in front of family
Submitted photo
Family comes first for Eric McElvenny.
While the 2001 graduate of Belle Vernon Area High School is looking for a spot on the podium during the Paralympics in Paris, the paratriathlete savors the opportunity to compete in front of his wife and three children, which is something he wasn’t able to do in Tokyo during the last Paralympic Summer Games.
“This Paralympics is a little bit sweeter for me,” McElvenny said. “I love racing and motivational speaking, but my family comes first.”
McElvenny will have his opportunity to show not only his family, but the world, what he has learned over the last three years since finishing sixth in the PTSF – Men’s division in the paratriathlon at the Tokyo Games.
McElvenny isn’t the only Paralympian from the area that will be competing in Paris, as Carmichaels’ Kevin “K.J.” Polish is on the United States’ pararcher team.
The paratriathlon will be contested on Sept. 1, and it will be a sprint paratriathlon, which consists of a 750-meter swim, a 20K (12 miles) cycling ride and a 5K (3.1 miles) run.
“I’m never worried about the time for our race because every course is a little bit different,” McElvenny said. “What we compete in at the Paralympics is called a sprint pentathlon. I have done ironmans, but they don’t have those in the Paralympics.
“We are going to have 12 other guys in my category of disability, and my goal is to stand on the podium and win a medal for our team and our country.”
The COVID-19 pandemic cut the athletes’ training down from the normal four-year cycle to three, but McElvenny feels better than ever, even as one of the older competitors in the event at 41-years-old.
“I am racing faster than I was back in Tokyo three years ago,” McElvenny said. “I’ve learned a lot and taken care of my body. The sport has grown for paratriathletes. I did nine races from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024, to make sure I was internationally ranked.”
McElvenny played baseball and football at Belle Vernon, and was a three-year member of the rugby team in college. He never imagined that he would be competing in an event where endurance was such a key aspect.
“I never really thought about getting into long-distance racing, but it is pretty cool because you are competitive, but at the same time, you are trying to help other athletes push through the course.”
McElvenny, like all Paralympians, has a story to tell regarding his injury.
Following his high school graduation, McElvenny earned a mechanical engineering degree from the United States Naval Academy as he readied himself for service as a Marine Corps Infantry Officer.
McElvenny was deployed three times, and on his last tour, was wounded in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, after stepping on an improvised explosive device (IED). His right leg below the knee had to be amputated because of the injury, but McElvenny used the experience as motivation to overcome what obstacles lay ahead.
In addition to training, competing and spending time with his family, McElvenny travels as a motivational speaker.
“The big drawback to being on the road is that I am away from my family,” McElvenny said. “Some of the stories are inspiring, and I look forward to telling my story, and also hearing others’ stories.”
Polish a three-time Paralympian
Polish started shooting at age three, and was competing by the time he was 11.
The Mapletown Junior/Senior High School graduate was in a car accident in 1999 that paralyzed him from the chest down, but the 41-year-old has never let his injury get him down.
Polish was again competing several months after his accident at the 2000 World Archery Tournament in Las Vegas. Polish took the silver against able-bodied archers.
Polish competed in the 2016 Paralympics in pararcher and made the team for the United States in the Tokyo Paralympics.
Polish was ninth in Rio de Janeiro (Individual Compound Open – Men, Team Compound Open – Mixed) and 17th in Tokyo (Individual Compound Open – Men).