CHICAGO, July 3, 2017 — Athletes at the 2017 Department of Defense Warrior Games competed yesterday in track events at Lane Tech High School here. Medically retired Army Sgt. Ryan Major kicked off the meet, finishing first in the men’s 100-meter wheelchair race.

Army head coach Rodney Carson said he had big expectations for his team.

“We’re going to do outstanding,” Carson said. “Overall, we’re doing really good; the athletes are staying motivated and staying injury free, so we’re going to do well throughout the whole competition.”

More than 170 athletes from the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, the United Kingdom and the Australian Defense Force competed in sunny, hot conditions at the track. Medical staff stood by to assist and coaches and teammates encouraged their athletes. Spectators cheered and clapped for the athletes regardless of military branch and country. Major described the crowd as “intense and motivating” after he won the silver medal in the men’s 800-meter wheelchair race.

Although Army took that initial victory, Socom fired back with a new Warrior Games record set by Army Sgt. 1st Class Dawn Page in the women’s open division 100-meter run in her first Warrior Games. She said being in the Warrior Games gives her a sense of camaraderie and a venue in which she can test her mettle.

“People are the asset,” Page said. “We want to give ourselves a fighting chance to get past our injury, to get past our illness, to get past our whatever, to feel better as the person who enlisted or rose our right hand to serve in the military and find a way to come back and compete. This wounded warrior program offers you that possibility, to be the best that you can be and to know that you are not out there alone competing.”

Medically retired Army Sgt. Christy Gardner is also fighting past her injury, as her commitment to training has shattered the expectations of her healthcare providers. She excelled during the track meet -- placing first in her division in the 100-, 200-, 400- and 800-meter races -- and plans to compete in field events as well as sitting volleyball and swimming.

”When she first got injured,” recalls Norna Heidrich-Crowell, Gardner’s mother, “she came home with a list of all the things she would never do, and she’s proven them all wrong. To see her out there running is mind-blowing, and to see all the other athletes is such an amazing feeling.”

Track events at the Warrior Games include standing and wheelchair races, which are divided into categories based on the athletes' functional abilities. The races include distances of 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 800 meters, 1,500 meters and a mixed classification 4x100-meter relay.

The Warrior Games continue through July 8 and are an annual event allowing wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans to compete in Paralympic-style sports, including archery, cycling, field, shooting, sitting-volleyball, swimming, track and wheelchair basketball.