Auburn resident Paul Kozma recently won gold and silver at the Washington State Senior Games July 23-25 at Tumwater High School in Olympia.
Kozma – a 63-year-old Auburn-resident and disabled Vietnam veteran who is undergoing treatment for epilepsy, which included removal of parts of his right temporal lobe as well as a part of the brain called the hippocampus – finished first in the 800-meter race and second in the 1,500 at the games.
In the 800 Kozma, who ran distance in college at Clemson University, defeated the field of 13 by 100 yards, clocking a 3-minute, 3-second time.
“My goal was to beat three minutes,” Kozma said. “If someone had been pushing me, three minutes would have been no problem.”
Next up for Kozma was the 400 where he was in contention in third place before a fall ended his medal hopes.
Despite a sprained wrist suffered in the fall, Kozma was cleared to run in the 1,500 where he finished second in a mixed field of 55-to 64-year-olds.
The win caps a successful summer for Kozma, who also competed at the 35th Annual Northwest Classic Track and Field Meet in Miami, winning two golds in the 800 and 1,500.
In addition to the help of his wife, Trish Kozma, and the rest of his family, Kozma credits the Veterans Administration healthcare system and the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) for helping him to stay competitive at the national level.
“A lot of credit has to be given to the VA Healthcare System. They enabled me to build a new life through their cognitive rehab and then vision clinic,” Kozma said. “Without them I be running around the Riverside High School track for my health. The money makes it all happen..”
“The CAF is kind of special,” he continued. “Other than soliciting non-profit donations they are looking for more vets, firefighters and cops, EMTs and first responders permantly disabled during service to our country and their community. There are a lot of the out their that have no idea about the foundation, just like me.”
For more information on the CAF visit their Web site at www.challengedathletes.org.
