Max Rohn Takes Home Double Gold At 2016 Invictus Games
U.S. Navy veteran and Penn State Ability Athlete Max Rohn enjoyed plenty of success at the 2016 Invictus Games, held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla., taking home the gold medal in both shot put and discus.
Rohn, a junior engineering major from Longmont, Colo., topped the discus podium with an enormous throw of 171 feet, 10 inches (52.37 meters), while heaving the shot put 42 feet, 8.5 inches (13.02 meters). Though there aren’t any videos of his medal-winning throws online yet, Rohn checked in at No. 7 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays Tuesday night.
The Invictus Games, championed by Prince Harry, are held for service members from around the globe as a means of polishing up their skills and getting the competitive juices flowing before the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio De Janeiro, where Rohn hopes to compete with Team USA. Rohn already has plenty of experience on the national stage, as he made the 2013 U.S. Paralympic Track and Field Team for shot put.
Here’s a video Rohn posted on his YouTube channel in 2014, giving you a glimpse into the daily grind that got him where he is now.
Rohn, who also competed in discus, shot put, and sitting volleyball at the 2014 Invictus Games in London, was a hospital corpsman who served in Iraq before his unit’s humvee was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, forcing his right leg to eventually need amputation. Now living and competing with a prosthetic, Rohn is working with the university’s College of Engineering to further prosthetic technology and improve usability for both veterans and everyday citizens.
If you’re interested in learning more about Rohn’s journey, check out this fantastic in-depth piece, which also features a video, by Victoria Fryer for the university’s website.
Congratulations, Max! You continue to make the Penn State community extremely proud and we look forward to tracking your accomplishments moving forward.
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