NetNews

Kevin Szott '86, a three-time U.S. Paralympic gold medalist, has been named to the U.S. presidential delegation welcoming athletes from around the globe to the Paralympic Games in Beijing. Szott, a regional sales manager for The Hartford, is one of eight former Paralympic athletes who will represent the Office of the President at the opening ceremonies on September 6.

Szott, who earned his St. Lawrence degree in biology, holds a master's degree in exercise physiology from Penn State, where he worked for a time as a strength coach. He holds 36 national titles and more than 20 international, world and Paralympic medals in six different events. He is only the second athlete to medal in four different Paralympic sports (judo, wrestling, goalball, track and field). Szott earned medals in three Paralympic Games: 2004 in Athens; 2000 in Sydney; and 1996 in Atlanta. He became visually impaired at the age of 10 from retinitis pigmentosa and macular disease.

Szott's history with The Hartford began as an athlete - The Hartford is the founding sponsor of U.S. Paralympics. He later became a GBD sales representative in New York and was promoted to his current position in 2005. Twenty U.S. Paralympians sponsored by The Hartford will compete in the Beijing Games, September 6-17.

Posted: September 4, 2008