Joshua Sweeney (born June 6, 1987) is an American gold medal Para ice hockey player, cross-country skier, and Purple Heart recipient. He competed at the 2014, 2022, and 2026 Winter Paralympics. A native of Arizona, he lived in Nampa, Idaho, as of 2014.
Early life Sweeney's passion for hockey began at an early age, as he played ice hockey during middle school & competed in his high school team. A graduate of Ironwood High School's class of 2005, he shortly enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.
Military life
In September 2009, Sergeant Sweeney was deployed to Afghanistan for his second deployment as a scout sniper to Nowzad, Afghanistan.
On October 28, 2009, while on patrol duty, Sgt. Sweeney was injured when he stepped on an IED. The blast severed both his legs & caused injury to his left hand & arm. He had to wait two hours to be evacuated.
Paralympic career In 2014, Sweeney joined Paralympic sled hockey team in Sochi and lost 2–1 to the Russians. Couple of days later, he scored the only goal with which his team won a gold medal in a final against the same country.
In 2022, Sweeney competed in Beijing in Para cross-country skiing making him a two-time Paralympian. He competed again in 2026 in Milano Cortina, where he earned a gold medal in the mixed 4 × 2.5 kilometre relay event with Oksana Masters, Sydney Peterson, and Jake Adicoff.
References
External links
Joshua Sweeney at the International Ski and Snowboard Federation
Josh Sweeney at USA Hockey