Freehold Native Wins Gold At Paralympics, Breaks World Record

FREEHOLD, NJ — Freehold native Robert Griswold won gold at the Olympics on Friday, breaking the world record in the men’s 100-meter backstroke S8 final.

“I’ve been reflecting on it over the last few minutes, and I just had more peace than I’ve ever had before a race,” Griswold told Team USA.

The Freehold Township High School graduate holds multiple American records in backstroke, butterfly and freestyle and went into this year's Paralympics defending his bronze medal in 100 backstroke at the 2016 Rio games.

The 24-year-old, who has cerebral palsy, began his journey in the water when his parents took him to the Ocean County YMCA at the age of six, thus propelling him to the competitive track by age nine, according to his Team USA profile.

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Griswold later formed a clinic at age 16 to educate locals about adaptive swimming and athletic opportunities for those with physical disabilities. He graduated from Carson-Newman University in 2019 with a degree in political science.

The athlete said support from his family played an important role in his winning performance.

“I felt peace knowing that I’ve got a family and friends who love me and people who really value me and care about me. I carried that with me, and I’m trying to do the best I can and give back to the people who’ve given so much to me,” he said, according to Team USA.

Griswold broke the world record with a time of 1:02.55

Additional reporting by Nicole Rosenthal