PLANO, Texas, March 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- For Team
Toyota, mobility is more than just physical, it's facing challenges
and chasing dreams. In advance of the Olympic and Paralympic Games
Tokyo 2020, Toyota welcomes 14 new Team USA athletes and hopefuls and three returning
U.S. Paralympians to Team Toyota.
From breaking down barriers to defying the odds and overcoming
physical limitations, Team Toyota's newest group of athletes have
challenged the status quo and inspire people across the world to do
the same.
"Whether it's here in the United
States or on the global stage, these Team Toyota athletes
inspire others to believe in their own strength, determination, and
ability to achieve their dreams," said Ed
Laukes, group vice president, Toyota Marketing, Toyota Motor
North America. "As the Human Movement Company, we have an
opportunity through these athlete partnerships to show people that
no matter the challenge, when a person is free to move, anything is
possible."
After launching its global "Start Your Impossible" campaign
prior to the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018,
Toyota has continued to emphasize its commitment to creating an
ever-better society through the freedom of movement. In partnering
with Team Toyota athletes, the company has been able to share in
this dedication and encourage others to do the same.
"Each athlete has overcome his or her own limitations and
provides a unique voice to our mobility message," said Dedra DeLilli, group manager, Olympic and
Paralympic marketing, Toyota Motor North America. "By partnering
with these incredible individuals, we're not only able to support
them throughout their Olympic and Paralympic journeys, but we're
also able to connect with people around the world and tell our
Toyota story."
In addition to the 14 Team USA
athletes and hopefuls who have joined Team Toyota, U.S.
Paralympians Oksana Masters, Brad
Snyder and Jarryd Wallace
also continue to represent Toyota heading into the Olympic and
Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.
"I could not be more proud or excited to have Toyota by my side
as I prepare for Tokyo," said
Oksana Masters, a four-time U.S.
Paralympian. "Toyota is committed to providing mobility for all and
that's something that is very personal to me. I can't wait to
continue this partnership with Toyota and share my own story while
encouraging everyone out there to get up and chase their dreams -
no matter how big or small they may be."
Team Toyota summer athletes include:
Jordyn Barratt
(USA Skateboarding): a
two-time X Games medalist, Barratt began skateboarding at 11 years
old. In 2016, she became the first female to compete in both
skating and surfing at the VANS US OPEN where she podiumed in
skateboarding. Now 19 years old, Barratt hopes to compete in the
Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 where skateboarding will make its Olympic
Games debut.
David Boudia (USA Diving): a three-time U.S.
Olympian, Boudia has four Olympic Medals to his name, including a
gold medal won at the Olympic Games London 2012. After his most
recent Olympic appearance in Rio, Boudia took a break from diving
before deciding in 2017 to begin competing again.
David Brown and guide runner
Jerome Avery (U.S. Paralympics
Track & Field): diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, resulting in Glaucoma, Brown
lost his sight at 13 years old. He began competing in track while
attending the Missouri School for the Blind and first attended the
Paralympic Games in 2008 after winning an essay contest. Since
then, Brown has become a two-time Paralympian. Brown won the gold
medal in the 100-meter event at the Paralympic Games Rio 2016
alongside guide runner Avery, a four-time Paralympic guide runner,
who began competing with Brown in 2014.
Caeleb Dressel (USA
Swimming): competed in his first Olympic Games in Rio in
2016, winning a gold medal in the 4x100-meter freestyle,
4x100-meter medley relay and 4x50-meter medley relay. Dressel
recently graduated from the University of
Florida where he was named a NCAA Co-Swimmer of the Year in
2016 and most recently was named 2018 SEC Male Athlete of the
Year.
Laurie Hernandez
(USA Gymnastics): a
two-time Olympic medalist, Hernandez overcame an injury in 2016 to
make her Olympic Games debut in Rio in 2016 where she won gold
(team) and silver (beam). She regularly volunteers for non-profit
organizations and is a literacy champion, bringing young people
together across the country to build literacy in their
communities.
Daryl Homer (USA Fencing): a two-time U.S.
Olympian, Homer won the silver medal in individual saber at the
Olympic Games Rio 2016. He has partnered with several global
non-profits to bring sports to the forefront of youth engagement,
recently being named an athlete role model for the Summer Youth
Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018.
Jessica Long (U.S.
Paralympics Swimming): the second-most decorated U.S.
Paralympian in history with 23 Paralympic medals (13 gold), Long
began competitive swimming at 12 years old. Born in Siberia and adopted at 13 months old, Long
grew up in Maryland and had both
legs amputated below the knee at 18 months old after having been
born without fibulas, ankles, heels and most of the other bones in
her feet.
Simone Manuel (USA Swimming): competed in the Olympic
Games Rio 2016 where she won two gold medals (4x100-meter medley,
100-meter freestyle) and two silver medals (4x100-meter freestyle,
50-meter freestyle), becoming the first African-American to win an
individual Olympic gold medal in swimming. Manuel is passionate
about inspiring children and encouraging all people to pursue their
dreams.
Oksana Masters (U.S.
Paralympics Cycling): a four-time U.S. Paralympian, Masters
returns to Team Toyota after winning five medals at the 2018
Paralympic Games. Masters has competed at the Paralympic Games in
both the winter and summer in Nordic skiing, cycling and rowing,
winning eight medals overall. As a child, Masters had both legs
amputated above the knee after she was born with birth defects as a
direct cause of the nuclear accident at Chernobyl in Ukraine.
Michael Norman
(USA Track &
Field): an Olympic hopeful, Norman competed on the
University of Southern California's
(USC) track and field team from 2017-18
where he won NCAA indoor and outdoor titles in the men's 400-meter
dash and set an indoor world record and outdoor collegiate fastest
time in the same event. Norman continues to pursue his
undergraduate degree at USC while
continuing his track and field career.
Lakey Peterson
(USA Surfing): became
the first female to pull an aerial maneuver in surfing competition
at age 14. Peterson has competed with the World Surf League since
2010, most recently winning the Roxy Pro Gold Coast competition in
Australia in 2018, and is
currently ranked No. 2 in the world.
Steve Serio (National
Wheelchair Basketball Association): a
three-time Paralympian, Serio won the gold medal in wheelchair
basketball during the Paralympic Games Rio 2016. Serio was
paralyzed after undergoing surgery at 11 months old to have a
spinal tumor removed and began playing wheelchair basketball at 15
years old.
Brad Snyder (USA
Paratriathlon): a returning Team Toyota athlete and
two-time U.S. Paralympian, Snyder grew up swimming and was the
captain of his swim team at the U.S. Naval
Academy. In 2011, while serving in the U.S. Navy in Afghanistan, Snyder was blinded by an
improvised explosive device. He made his debut at the Paralympic
Games London 2012 and won gold medals in the 100m freestyle and 400m freestyle.
Melissa Stockwell
(USA Paratriathlon):
while deployed in Iraq with the
U.S. Army, 1LT (ret) Stockwell lost her leg after her vehicle was
struck by a roadside bomb, becoming the first female to ever lose a
limb in active combat. She went on to compete in the Paralympic
Games Beijing 2008 in the sport of swimming and turned to the sport
of triathlon soon after. Stockwell won a bronze medal in the PT2
paratriathlon division at the Paralympic Games Rio 2016. Her
favorite job is being a mom to her two young kids.
Jarryd Wallace (U.S.
Paralympics Track & Field): a two-time U.S.
Paralympian, Wallace returns to Team Toyota. Wallace has competed
in track and field since high school and in 2007, during his junior
year, he was diagnosed with compartment syndrome. Three years
later, following complications from surgery, he had a
below-the-knee amputation. In addition to training, Wallace is an
executive producer on a documentary called "Race to Tokyo."
Alise Willoughby
(USA Cycling): a
two-time U.S. Olympian and World Champion in BMX racing, Willoughby
began racing at the age of six. Willoughby has had a storied
career, winning a silver medal at the Olympic Games Rio 2016, and
several other notable accolades along her journey as the winningest
rider in USA BMX history.
In March of 2015, Toyota became a TOP (The Olympic Partner) of
the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic
Committee in the newly created mobility category for 2017 through
2024. In addition to its relationship with the IOC and IPC, Toyota
is a partner of Team USA; the U.S.
Ski & Snowboard Association; US Speedskating; U.S. Figure
Skating; USA Hockey and the U.S.
National Sled Hockey Team; USA
Curling; USA Skateboarding;
USA Surfing; USA Swimming; USA Track & Field; USA Triathlon; the National Wheelchair
Basketball Association; U.S. Paralympics Alpine Skiing; U.S.
Paralympics Nordic Skiing; U.S. Paralympics Snowboarding; U.S.
Paralympics Cycling; U.S. Paralympics Swimming; and U.S.
Paralympics Track & Field.
Beyond the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Toyota strategically
uses it relationships with sports properties and athletes as a way
to connect with consumers in the United
States. The brand has relationships with more than 40 major
sports teams and nearly 30 major sports.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of
the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North
America for more than 60 years, and is committed to
advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota
and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a
tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class
design, engineering, and assembly of more than 38 million cars and
trucks in North America, where we
operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly
employ more than 47,000 people (more than 37,000 in the
U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in
the U.S.) sold 2.8 million cars and trucks (2.4 million in the
U.S.) in 2018 – and about 87 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold
over the past 16 years are still on the road
today.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights
the way it partners with community, civic, academic and
governmental organizations to address our society's most pressing
mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move,
anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit
www.toyotanewsroom.com.
Media Contacts
Leigh Anne
Sessions
Toyota Motor North America
469.292.5849
Leigh.Sessions@toyota.com
Marissa Borjon
Toyota Motor North America
469.292.6395
Marissa.Borjon@toyota.com
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SOURCE Toyota Motor North America