• 2004, 2008 Paralympic Gold Medalist (200m individual medley)
• Arete Courage in Sports Award
• Casey Martin Award
• People Magazine: "20 Teens that will Change the World"
• 2002 Olympic Torch Bearer and Presenter

A childhood prodigy, with five American swimming records, four national track records, six triathlons completed and a Paralympic gold medal by the age he was 16, Garcia-Tolson has been motivating Americans for over a decade. He has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Disney Channel, CNN, USA Today, The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Runners World and People Magazine. Despite his early success, his motivation and goal setting has not ceased. The world-class athlete now looks to take to the land, with the goal of finishing an IRONMAN Triathlon. He plans on splitting his time between land and water, training for both the IRONMAN and the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.

An ambassador for the Challenged Athletes Fund, Garcia-Tolson travels the country sharing his experiences and his motivational message. In 2002 he addressed tens 56,000 people at Rice Eccles Stadium as part of the opening ceremonies of the Salt Lake City Winter Games. Since then he speaks at schools across the country and motivates sales forces, including companies such as Wells Fargo, Powerbar and Boston Scientific, which has invited him out to their national sales meeting for 10 consecutive years.

Garcia-Tolson’s participation in the Challenged Athlete’s Fund has helped raise over six-million dollars for young athletes who find themselves in a similar situation to the Paralympic champion. One particular fundraiser Garcia-Tolson regularly competes in is the San Diego Triathlon Challenge, which is a relay race. Annually, Garica-Tolson will compete in the swimming leg alongside teammate and celebrity comedian Robin Williams, who cycles.