Sgt. 1st Class Elizabeth Marks took silver in the 50-meter freestyle race on Aug. 25, bringing home Team USA’s first swimming medal at the Tokyo Paralympics. 

During the 50-meter freestyle preliminary heats, Marks broke a Paralympic record with a time of 33.16 seconds, according to Team USA. 

The Army took to Twitter to congratulate Marks, saying, “Congratulation[s] Sgt. 1st Class Elizabeth Marks!” 

Marks, who serves as a combat medic, sustained bilateral hip injuries in Iraq in 2010. She began swimming as part of her rehabilitation and was found fit for duty in July 2012. She was welcomed into the Army’s World Class Athlete Program shortly thereafter and is the Army’s first female Paralympic athlete, she said in an interview with Fox News. 

In 2020, as she adapted her training because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Marks said the World Class Athlete Program continued to support its athletes remotely. 

“Everyone was taken out of training for most of 2020, so it had to be creative training at home, on your own,” Marks told Fox News. “The World Class Athlete Program did a great job of having our strength coaches and our medics come up with solutions such as at-home workouts. … It was more of a year to build our mental strength … but we got through it.” 

In addition to Marks, two other World Class Athlete Program soldiers are competing in the Tokyo Paralympics. Staff Sgt. John Joss III and Staff Sgt. Kevin Nguyen are both competing in shooting events. 

The Tokyo Paralympic Games began Aug. 24 and are set to end Sept. 5.  

Marks has more opportunities to medal in Tokyo, including in the 100-meter backstroke and 100-meter breaststroke. She clinched gold in the 100-meter backstroke at the Rio Paralympic Games in 2016. She also won a bronze medal in the 4x100-meter medley relay during those games.

After her second-place performance in the 50-meter freestyle, Marks said she’s grateful for the support. 

“Thanks everyone for all of the love and support!” she wrote on Instagram. “As much as I’d love to respond and share in the celebration, we have work to do. Lots of talented women here to try and keep up with. It’s a great problem to have. Thanks again!!!”

On Aug. 26, Marks competed in the 200-meter individual medley and ultimately placed fourth. 

Ever the soldier-athlete, Marks credits her success to her fellow soldiers and the Army. 

“The World Class Athlete Program and my brothers and sisters in the military, they give me so much motivation and so much life that they make it easy to want to achieve,” Marks told Fox News. “I am very proud to be a member of the U.S. Army.”