In January 1998, Kevin Szott left his job as an assistant strength training coach with Penn State to take one step closer to his goal of making the U.S. Olympic Judo team. He left to become a resident athlete at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. What lead to this move was Kevin finishing third in the 1997 Maruchan International Judo Championships, beating out National Champion Martin Boonzaayer in the heavyweight division. Finishing third also made Szott the first disabled athlete to earn a national ranking. Kevin Szott is legally blind. At age 10, Kevin began losing his sight due to a combination of retinitis pigmentosa and macular disease. But this has not stopped him from competing in sports and athletic competitions. Szott has 13 national titles in wrestling and became an All-American in football at St. Lawrence University. He also has numerous medals and trophies from competitions in the Paralympics where he placed second in judo, placed seventh in shot put and ninth in the discus at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. Szott also has national and world titles in track and field as well as powerlifting. In October 1997 he was honored at a reception on Capitol Hill by being named the United States Association of Blind Athletes Male Athlete of the Year.