Joseph Woodke (born July 12, 1989) is an American

ice sled hockey Sledge hockey, also known as Sled hockey in American English, and Para ice hockey in international competition, is an adaptation of ice hockey for players who have a physical disability. The sport was invented in the early 1960s at a rehabilita ...

player. He was a member of the

United States national team The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

that won gold at the

2022 Winter Paralympics The 2022 Winter Paralympics (), commonly known as Beijing 2022 (), was an international winter multi-sport parasports event held in Beijing, China from 4 to 13 March 2022. This was the 13th Winter Paralympic Games, as administered by the Inte ...

Career

Woodke represented the United States at the

and won a gold medal.

Personal life

On March 29, 2011, while on foot patrol with the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

, he stepped on an improvised explosive device. The blast resulted in the loss of both of his legs and damage to his right ear. He spent more than a year and a half at Walter Reed Medical Center recovering.

References

1999 births Living people American sledge hockey players Paralympic sledge hockey players for the United States Paralympic gold medalists for the United States Para ice hockey players at the 2022 Winter Paralympics Medalists at the 2022 Winter Paralympics Paralympic medalists in sledge hockey United States Marine Corps personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) United States Marines {{US-icehockey-player-stub