Mario Rodriguez (fencer)

Rodriguez was born in Houston, Texas. In 1985 a low speed motorcycle accident revealed a malignant tumor in his right hip resulting in resection, removal, and reconstruction that ultimately failed ending in eventual amputation of his right hip & leg or hip-disarticulation/semi-hemipelvectomy in April, 1992.[1][2] In 2002 and 2003 respectively he won 3 bronze medals in three different world cups in men's category A foil in Austin, Texas, United States; Madrid, Spain; and Warsaw, Poland. In 2010 he was a gold medalist at the North American Cup for sabre and in 2011 won another gold for foil at the Parapan American Games.[1] Before he became a paralympian he served as a representative of the United States Air Force as a Russian translator in Crete for four years.[2]