PARIS (AP) — Some Paralympians live with a disability all their lives. Carson Clough is not one of those people.
Clough played lacrosse for North Carolina and knew nothing about the Paralympics until he was involved in a 2019 boating accident that required a below-the-knee amputation of his right leg.
He’s one example of many among the 4,000-plus athletes at the Paris Paralympics who came to have a disability later in life or only learned of the Paralympics when they were adults. For them, para sport has offered a new direction and sense of purpose to their athletic careers.
In early 2022, with no previous knowledge of the sport, Clough was invited to apply to a talent ID camp hosted by USA Triathlon. It was there that he met his current coach, Mark Sortino, a long-time assistant coach for Team USA’s Paralympic Triathlon team.
When he began training, Clough admits, jumping into an entirely new sport was a difficult process, and one that he made a lot harder on himself by thinking he knew more than he did.
“It was: Think I know a lot about the sport, and do not as much listening,” Clough said. “My Coach, Mark Sortino, was obviously very experienced. He just kind of let me fall into my own trap and learn.”
Monique Matthews’ Paralympic career, meanwhile, began with a brochure.
Matthews had grown up a three-sport athlete, competing in softball, basketball, and track throughout high school. Her plans at the time revolved around whether she should head to college for softball, or join the military.
While working a summer job at Circuit City, her plans went out the window when a warehouse accident cost Matthews her left foot.
After the incident, Matthews took a two-year hiatus from sports, unsure where her life would go from there. That was until, by chance, she discovered a way that she might be able to compete again.
“After my amputation, I was looking for a new prosthetist, and I was up in Oklahoma City, and they actually had a brochure at Scott Sabolich for sitting volleyball,” said Matthews. “I emailed them and asked for a tryout, because I had never heard of the Paralympics before that.”
She not only made the team, she’s now got four Paralympic medals.
For Clough, after becoming more comfortable in the three aspects of triathlon, he quickly put his months of training to use.
In June 2022, he finished eighth at the World Triathlon Para Cup Besancon. This result set him up for a series of World Triathlon races which would eventually lead him to take first in the 2024 Americas Triathlon Para Championships in Miami in March, qualifying him for the Paralympics.
After this first intense run of competition, Clough centered his focus on putting in the work for Paris.
“For the past four months it’s just been actually listening to everything (Sortino) says, because he, as well as my manager and all the coaches, they know what they’re doing. I have no idea what I’m doing.”
The result? Clough ended up medaling in his first ever Paralympic race, taking silver in the PTS4 class for athletes with affected coordination on one side, or the absence of limbs.
As he enjoys this accomplishment, he’s already looking ahead to future competitions, including the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles.
“You know everybody says, ‘it never gets easier, you only get faster,’ but I’m gonna prove them wrong,” he said “I’m gonna make it easier.”
Like Clough, Matthews sees a message in their stories.
“A lot of times when you’re injured, you just think you’ve got to find a new path, you can’t do athletics anymore,” she said, “but then they see this and they’re like ‘Wow, I can continue to grow even better as an athlete.’”
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Anna Licastro is a student in the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State.
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AP Paralympics: https://apnews.com/hub/paralympic-games
The United State's Carson Clough, far right, prepares to compete in the PTS4 Triathlon at the 2024 Paralympics, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024 in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Caleb Craig)
Carson Clough, of the United States, prepares for the cycling portion of the PTS4 Triathlon at the 2024 Paralympics, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024 in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Caleb Craig)
NEW YORK (AP) — Two former New York City Fire Department chiefs were arrested Monday on charges that they solicited tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to guarantee the department's fire-safety division gave preferential treatment to some individuals and companies.
Anthony Saccavino, 59, of Manhattan and Brian Cordasco, 49, of Staten Island were arrested on bribery, corruption and false statements charges alleging that they solicited and accepted the bribe payments from at least 2021 through 2023.
They each were expected to be freed on $250,000 bail after appearing before a federal judge.
The arrests came as multiple ongoing federal investigations swirl around Mayor Eric Adams and his top deputies, including one inquiry that appears at least partly focused on whether the administration sped up fire safety inspections at the Turkish consulate in exchange for illegal contributions.
Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Damian Williams declined to say whether the case against the former fire chiefs was related to “any other investigation we may or may not be doing.” But he put people on notice that his office is continuing to pursue any corruption.
“We are determined to address it from root to branch, and our work is far from done,” he said at a news conference, adding: “If you are aware of and participated in corrupt activity in our government, now is the time to come forward to get on the right side of the law.”
The indictment against Cordasco and Saccavino said they were former chiefs of the city Fire Department's Bureau of Fire Prevention. The bureau is responsible for regulating the installation of fire safety and suppression systems throughout New York City and ensuring fire safety regulations are obeyed.
In an email, attorney Joseph Caldarera called the charges against Saccavino “both surprising and distressing.”
“I want to assure the public that we will vigorously contest these allegations. He deserves the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, just like any citizen,” Caldarera said. "Chief Saccavino’s legacy as a firefighter and a leader should not be overshadowed by these claims.”
Attorney Frank Rothman, representing Cordasco, told reporters that his client “has been a dedicated firefighter for two decades, serving fearlessly and faithfully.”
He added: “This is indeed a sad and troubling day, but I'm glad he's on his way home.”
While the indictment makes no reference to projects linked to the Turkish government, it does refer to a “City Hall List” that was allegedly used by the fire department to “track inquiries and requests from City Hall stakeholders” and give priority to those projects. Adams, a Democrat, has previously denied the existence of the priority list.
In a lawsuit filed last year, a former fire chief said the list had grown substantially under Adams, becoming “a mechanism to press the FDNY to permit politically connected developers to cut the inspection line.”
Williams said at Monday's news conference that Cordasco and Saccavino allegedly used the list to "excuse or cover up the way in which they were pressuring other folks to expedite the matters they were being bribed to expedite.”
According to a news release, Saccavino and Cardasco solicited and accepted bribes from a retired firefighter who ran an unsanctioned “expediting” business that promised customers that he could fast-track their plan reviews and inspection dates in exchange for a fee. Williams said the retired firefighter has pleaded guilty to charges in the case.
The trio managed to collect over $190,000 in payments in a scheme they launched after the coronavirus pandemic created a backlog of work for the fire department's fire-safety division, Williams said.
Even as Cordasco allegedly participated in a bribery scheme, he was raising concern internally about the ethics of granting priority to other projects, according to emails obtained last year by The Associated Press and other outlets.
Following a request by City Hall to expedite an inspection at Hudson Yards, a Manhattan mega-development, Cordasco wrote to other chiefs that it was “extremely unfair to the applicants who had been waiting at least eight weeks for their inspections.”
In a statement, Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker said the department will “fully cooperate” with the investigation.
“Every member of the FDNY takes a sworn oath to conduct themselves honestly and ethically,” Tucker said. “Anything less will not be tolerated”
Over the weekend, the top legal adviser to Adams abruptly resigned. That came days after the head of the New York Police Department resigned after federal investigators seized his phone.
According to the indictment, the former fire chiefs were charged with conspiracy to solicit a bribe, solicitation and receive of a bribe, honest services wire fraud, conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and making false statements in connection with a scheme to solicit and accept tens of thousands of dollars in bribe payments in exchange for providing preferential treatment to certain individuals and companies.
Associated Press Writer Jennifer Peltz contributed to this report.
This Feb. 7, 2023 image provided by the Fire Department of the City of New York, shows Brian Cordasco, one of two former NYFD chiefs arrested Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, on charges that they solicited tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to provide preferential treatment in the department's fire prevention bureau. (Fire Department of the City of New York via AP)
This Feb. 7, 2023 image provided by the Fire Department of the City of New York, shows Anthony Saccavino, one of two former NYFD chiefs arrested Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, on charges that they solicited tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to provide preferential treatment in the department's fire prevention bureau. (Fire Department of the City of New York via AP)
This combo of Feb. 7, 2023 images provided by the Fire Department of the City of New York, shows Brian Cordasco, left, and Anthony Saccavino, two former NYFD chiefs arrested Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, on charges that they solicited tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to provide preferential treatment in the department's fire prevention bureau. (Fire Department of the City of New York via AP)
Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, speaks at a press conference at Federal Plaza in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024, following the arrest of two former New York City Fire Department chiefs. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, holds a binder marked confidential during a press conference at Federal Plaza in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024, following the arrest of two former New York City Fire Department chiefs. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
FBI New York Assistant Director in Charge, James E. Dennehy looks on as DOI Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber speaks at a press conference at Federal Plaza in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024, following the arrest of two former New York City Fire Department chiefs. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber, speaks as Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, left, and FBI New York Assistant Director in Charge, James E. Dennehy, second from left, look on during a press conference at Federal Plaza in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
FBI New York Assistant Director in Charge, James E. Dennehy, speaks at a press conference at Federal Plaza in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Damian Williams speaks at a press conference at Federal Plaza in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Damian Williams speaks at a press conference at Federal Plaza in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Damian Williams points to a graphic detailing a New York City Fire Department bribery scheme at a press conference at Federal Plaza in New York, Monday Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, points to a graphic detailing a FDNY bribery scheme at a press conference held at the Federal Plaza in New York, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
