In September 2024, Carson Clough ’18 MBA won the silver medal in the triathlon event representing Team USA at the Summer Paralympic Games in Paris.
“Only a few years ago, I thought that people who did triathlons were kind of crazy,” Clough says. “And I honestly still think that. I’m just a part of the crowd now.”
Shortly after graduating from Florida Tech, Clough was involved in a wakesurfing accident, resulting in the partial amputation of one of his legs.
While many people would let an incident like this knock them down, Clough prefers to look back with a sense of humor.
“I tell people: That day, I was awarded a pirate leg on my right side,” Clough says. “The foot is still in the lake, and it can stay there.”
Not letting it slow him down, Clough began his healing journey and credits his doctors, family, friends and lessons learned as a collegiate athlete on the Florida Tech lacrosse team for his speedy recovery.
Credit: Joe Kusumoto
“In college, while trying to juggle schoolwork, practice and my social life, I learned I did a lot better when I kept myself active,” Clough says. “So, after the accident happened, I just continued with that same mentality, transitioning from a wheelchair to learning how to walk again. Next thing you know, I got an email from the USA triathlon team, and in the top left corner, it had the Paralympic rings.”
In just two years since picking up the sport, Clough has competed to No. 2 in the World Triathlon Qualification Rankings.
In March 2024, Clough automatically qualified for the Paris Paralympic Games by winning the Americas Paratriathlon Championships in Miami, Florida. Over 20 of his family and friends were there to cheer him across the finish line.
“When things do get hard, when I’m tired or I’m not motivated, I just think about all the people that have supported me in different ways,” Clough says. “I am not only chasing my dreams but also theirs.”
Clough partially credits his team members at The Giddy Goat Coffee Roasters, where he is co-founder and CEO, for helping him achieve his Paralympic dreams.
Without an extra push from former Florida Tech professor Scott Benjamin, Clough might not have taken the leap when a family friend approached him with the career opportunity before graduation.
“I’ll never forget going into his office with this crazy business idea and not knowing what to do,” Clough says. “He told me I’d be an idiot if I didn’t jump on the golden opportunity to craft something new and have my own business.”
Five years later, the company has expanded to three locations throughout Charlotte, North Carolina, employing over 40 residents to help create a unique coffee-roasting experience.
“Don’t be afraid to take a chance,” Clough says. “And make it a goal to just reach the finish line—literally or figuratively.”
This piece was featured in the winter 2025 edition of Florida Tech Magazine.
