Joshua Olson

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Joshua Olson (born August 21, 1979) is an American former rifle shooter who competed in the Paralympics. He grew up in Spokane, Washington, and lost his leg in the Iraq War in 2003. That injury led him to become a Paralympic athlete.

In 2005 Olson began training at Fort Benning as a marksman, reportedly hitting 49 of 50 in his first outdoor tryout. He later found success in international competition, earning silver medals at the Oceania Games and Hessian Trophy in 2009, and gold medals at the French Grand Prix and Alicante Cup.

Olson qualified for the 2012 U.S. Paralympic team after winning gold and silver at IPC-approved competitions in 2011. He represented the United States at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, finishing 12th in the mixed 50-meter rifle prone SH1 event.

Beyond shooting, Olson helped develop a prosthesis for wounded soldiers. In Orlando in 2004, he helped design a new prosthesis on a napkin, and at Walter Reed Army Medical Center officials liked the design enough to start sending copies to other injured soldiers.