Kevin McDowell’s cancer diagnosis came at a pivotal moment in the Geneva triathlete’s career. He had been competing in the sport since a young age and was already seeing success as he prepared to finish out high school.
Geneva native Kevin McDowell finished sixth in the men's triathlon, marking the best finish by an American since the event was added to the Olympics in 2000.
McDowell finished 50 seconds behind Kristian Blummenfelt of Norway, who had a time of 1:45:04. Alex Yee of Great Britain and Hayden Wilde of New Zealand claimed the silver and bronze, respectively.
The 29-year-old, who was one of three American men to qualify for the race, is a seven-time World Triathlon Cup medalist and the 2017 USA Triathlon Elite national champion, but his biggest victory in his life came after he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2011.
Read the inspiring story of McDowell's Olympic journey here.
McDowell will also compete in the mixed relay, which is scheduled for July 31. In that event, five athletes will compete for the US, with each athlete performing a triathlon of a 300-meter swim, an eight-kilometer bicycle race and a 2-kilometer run.
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