CLEVELAND, Ohio – Corwyn Collier’s highest achieving moment in his athletic career didn’t come when he received a call saying he was named as one of 10 disabled veterans to compete in the Power Triumph Games.
It didn’t happen when he finished third in the state in high school in the 300-meter hurdles.
And it wasn’t achieved when he ran the fourth fastest time in the 400 hurdles in college.
It came on May 23, 2009, when a roadside bomb blew up his vehicle in Iraq.
The blast came from the right, its full force slamming into Collier, in the passenger seat. His right side – leg and hand – took the brunt of the explosion.
Collier credits his workouts, his physical training, for saving his life. But it’s his drive and determination that helped land him a spot as the only person from the Midwest at the Power Games.
The competition pits eight men and two women in eight events, amassing points at West Point Military Academy. The endurance tests are aimed at challenging the veterans, physically and mentally. Top points earner wins $50,000.
The event is sponsored by OurVetSuccess, which promotes positive stories of veterans after they leave service. A mini-series on the competition will air Monday, Oct. 31, and in a one-hour CBS Sports special airing Saturday, Nov. 19.
Collier teaches history at his alma mater, Maple Heights High School, and lives in Stow with his wife and three sons. Applying for the games came as a last-minute thing, but it culminates a long road back. On a desert road in Iraq in 2009, Collier was closer to death than life.
Simply thinking of any type of competition wasn’t even a dream.