Track and Field Comp Winds Down as Swimmers Take Stage
On the third day of the 2026 Desert Challenge Games, track and field and swimming competitions in Tempe and Gilbert, Ariz. gave observers repeated instances of athletic determination, performance and vindication to remember. The high local temperatures were unavoidable, but from the looks on most competitors’ eager faces, any concerns about the heat were secondary.
Along the throwing pits at Arizona State University’s Joe Selleh Track at Sun Angel Stadium, javelins arced impressively through the air, unaffected by the bursts of wind that gave athletes and fans intermittent relief from the heat.
For U.S. Army veteran and Paralyzed Veterans of America Southeastern chapter member Cedric Geter, 56, it doesn’t matter which implement is in his hand. He proved it by breaking records in all three disciplines: the shot put and discus on day two, and a world record javelin throw today.
A Desert Challenge Games competitor since 2017, Geter calls his showing this weekend the most satisfying since he started coming.
“Not tense, just relaxed,” Geter said of his state of mind all weekend long. “I felt so good yesterday, I told myself after shot putting that I was gonna break all three.”
Lots of people tell themselves a lot of things, but eyeing three records and then achieving them is closer to Babe Ruth calling his famous home run shot than most people ever get.
Geter served 26 years in the Army as a paratrooper before being injured.
“I started adaptive sport in 2013,” he said, “but track and field I didn’t start until 2017.”
After having his world record officiated, Geter was still firmly in his personal zone: “I don’t know what it is. Something just made me feel looser, more relaxed,” he said. “I want to go throw some more right now!”
The swimmers at Williams Field Pool in Gilbert, Ariz. matched that energy later in the day, with 16 competitors taking on 13 events spanning the Mixed 25-, 50-, and 100-yard freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly, as well as the Mixed 100-yard IM. Among the most active competitors was 9-year-old Enzo McGovern, who entered seven of the 13 events.
Sunday’s action concludes the 2026 Desert Challenge Games with the archery competition at Lehi Sports Park in Mesa, Ariz.
Visit Arizona Adaptive Sports website for full results.