Barcelona, Spain–October 1992
The US team of 5 visually impaired athletes attending the 1992 Paralympic Games returned with 3 silver medals. Lynn Manning, who trains with the Encino Judo Club at the Braille Institute, defended his title of world champion which he earned in 1990, but lost in the final round. Another US national champion and a former alternate to the US Olympic Wrestling Team, Dr. James Mastro, won a silver medal in the over 205 pound weight class. The third silver medal was won by Brett Lewis who was the first American to win a gold medal in international Judo competition in 1987.
The Paralympic Games are held every 4 years following the Olympic Games using the same venues and ceremonies. Over 4000 physically disabled athletes from 420 countries participated in the Games in various sports including volleyball, shooting, basketball, powerlifting, table tennis, and track and field as well as Judo.
In June the entire six-man team participated in a Paralympic Training Camp for elite US athletes at the Braille Institute Youth Center in Hollywood where coaches Neil Ohlenkamp and Larry Lee provided training to prepare them for the world class competition they would face in Barcelona. The Encino Judo Club hosted the training for the United States Association for Blind Athletes (USABA) and many members of the club joined in as training partners.