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John Klish Makes USA Deaflympic Squad

2010 XTERRA National Champ John Klish, 31, of Eagle, Colorado, has made the U.S. Deaflympic Team for the 22nd Summer Deaflympics to be held July 26-August 4 in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Klish will race for the USA Deaf Cycling team in four events; the 1000m Sprint, 40km individual time trial, road race, and 50km points race.

“Being selected for the USA Summer Deaflympics Team is an honor and a major achievement for myself and my fellow Deaflympians,” wrote Klish on his fundraising page.  “The biggest challenge I face is not the competition itself, but the ability to secure funding to represent the USA at the Deaflympics. Unlike hearing Olympians or Paralympians, elite deaf and hard of hearing athletes like myself must do our own fundraising because we do not receive financial support from the United States Olympic Committee.”

The local racing community, XTERRA Tribe, and millions more who have watched the 2011 XTERRA World Championship show know all about John Klish and his inspiring story of overcoming deafness and cancer.  The 2011 USAT Off-Road All-American is also the founder of DEAFlete, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing opportunities for deaf athletes and increasing engagement between deaf and hearing athletes.

Follow along on his journey to Bulgaria on his facebook page, and learn more about John here.