Josh Turek, a four-time Paralympic wheelchair basketball player who won gold medals in Rio and Tokyo, was elected to the U.S. Senate in Iowa on Tuesday.

“As I have said all along, my story is truly the American dream,” Turek said in his victory speech. “Only in America could someone born into a working class family in Council Bluffs, Iowa, who went through the economic and healthcare struggle that I went through, ultimately be able to represent my country in four Paralympic Games, win two gold medals, represent my community in the Iowa legislature, and as of tonight, be elected to represent the state I was born and raised in in the United States Senate.”

Turek, 47, was born with spina bifida and said he underwent 21 surgeries by age 12.

He was introduced to wheelchair basketball through a sports camp in Omaha, Nebraska, then made his Paralympic debut in 2004 at age 25 as the U.S. lost in the quarterfinals.

Turek said he was cut from the national team six times after the 2004 Athens Games before coming back to win three more Paralympic medals in 2012 (bronze), 2016 (gold) and 2021 (gold). In 2012, he led the U.S. with 10.8 points per game.

“To any kid reading this with dreams of playing for your country or Olympics or Paralympics, just know there is nothing special about me,” Turek posted in 2019. I’m just a kid from Iowa that had a dream and never gave up. I am proof that with hard work and dedication you can achieve any goal.”

Turek announced his move into politics in March 2022, six months after his final Paralympic game, with an Iowa House of Representatives run.

He became a National Wheelchair Basketball Association Hall of Famer in 2023.