One, two, three, four ...Brad Snyder managed to block out every next thought, every painful memory, every unwritten plan, and remain focused on the revolving numbers in his head.24, 25, 26, 27 ...With every long, powerful stroke -- the thrusts he learned as a child growing up in Florida, polished as captain of the Naval Academys swim team, and brought back to life while winning five gold medals at the last two Paralympics -- Snyder kept his mind concentrated on pulling his body to a shoreline hed never see.56, 57, 58, 59 ...Even before losing his eyesight in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan six years ago, swimming in chilly ocean temperatures didnt come naturally to the Gulf Coast native. So Snyder stayed locked in on his numbers Sunday morning, counting each stroke as he churned through the treacherous 2.1 miles from Alcatraz Island to a sandy beach just east of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.79, 80 -- one, two ...Since going blind, Snyder has learned that it usually takes about 40 strokes to swim from one end of a 50-meter pool to the other, so he did his math and concluded the swim from Alcatraz to Crissy Field would require approximately 30 sets of 80 strokes. When he heard a mile remained in Sundays swim, he figured he needed another 15 sets of 80.So he began counting.I break things up like that in my mind, just so I can have a perception of progress, he said.Snyders successful completion of Sundays swim is the latest sign of progress for the 32-year-old former Navy seaman.An explosive ordnance disposal officer on his second tour of duty, Snyder had his life altered Sept. 7, 2011, when he ran to the aid of some locals who had been severely injured by an improvised explosive device and Snyder stepped on another IED concealed nearby.Remarkably, his injuries were mostly confined to his facial area, but he lost sight in both eyes. Snyder spent 60 hours in a medically induced coma before awakening to a world of permanent darkness.He continued his recovery at a veterans hospital in Tampa, Florida, where he also began relearning lifes basic functions, tasks previously as routine as putting the right amount of toothpaste on his brush.His rehabilitation also took him back to the water, where he quickly discovered his injuries didnt prevent him from swimming -- just safely navigating through a pool. Four months after his injury, Snyder was recruited for the Paralympics, an event he never knew existed before he lost his eyesight.Never unwilling to test his limits, Snyder decided to give the event a try. One year to the day after his injury, he won the second of his two gold medals in London. He also won a silver there.He returned to the Paralympics this summer in Rio de Janeiro and took home three more golds plus a silver, and he broke a 30-year-old record in the 100 freestyle in his visually impaired class.When asked to participate in the Alcatraz Swim for Sight, which benefits the support foundation of the UC San Francisco Ophthalmology Department, Snyder immediately knew his involvement would be a great way to help the cause while also testing his swimming abilities in a different way.He spent a restful Saturday night in Fishermans Wharf and then joined about 100 others on a half-dozen boats that took them to the edge of Alcatraz, a maximum-security federal prison from 1933-63 that is now a tourist attraction. The rock island was considered an ideal penal location because the cold temperatures of the San Francisco Bay, powerful currents and distance from the mainland made it nearly impossible for prisoners to escape.Slipping into his wet suit, climbing aboard a military-style Zodiac boat, and feeling the saltwater mist spray over the bow and onto his face reminded Snyder of his days performing dive operations for the Navy.It made me feel kind of grounded to my past, he said. It allowed me to have some fun with it.Guiding him through the swim was Jill Dahle, whose sister was treated for a rare eye disease at UCSF when she was a child, and lead swimmer Bryn Lewis. Snyder and Dahle knew each other professionally but had never swum together.While waiting on the pier for a boat to take them to Alcatraz, Snyder showed Dahle the 3-foot bungee cord that would tether them together side by side. They briefly discussed the basics of their buddy system and then followed their instincts in the water.Brad is a beautiful swimmer, Dahle said. I breathe to my right, so I saw him every stroke. It felt very harmonious several times as we were taking strokes at the exact same time. ... Just being able to see that, I felt fortunate.Snyder had dipped his toes in the water prior to diving in but was still relieved by the 60-degree ocean temperatures. He had been told to expect conditions closer to the mid-40s.That wasnt all that was optimal on Sunday for open-water swimming. The sun was shining on their backs, the currents were mild, no obstacles (such as floating kelp) arose, and the only marine life in the area was a small group of sea lions lounging on the buoys. (Great white sharks have been spotted near Alcatraz.)A really unique case in which all of the conditions were in our favor, Snyder said.The most jostling Snyder felt was about a half-mile before the finish, but even those swells were more annoyance than hindrance. When they were a few hundred yards from the beach, Dahle gave Snyder a tap on the shoulder. Snyder initially thought she was letting him know theyd finished, but he quickly realized a short distance still remained.That was perfectly OK with Snyder.It really didnt feel that long. It felt like 20 minutes, he said by phone after completing the swim in just under an hour. Thats kind of indicative of it being an enjoyable time.Snyder said hes ready to take a step back now that the open-water swim is concluded. He has done a triathlon in the past but isnt sure if thats something he wants to pursue full time. The next Paralympics are still four years away.I dont know whats next on the horizon, he said. I really want to take some time off to allow my mind to not be thinking about Rio, or what event I have to do, or all these other things. ... Id love to enjoy some spare time, let my mind wander, let me ask those difficult questions. Who am I? Who do I want to be, and what do I want my contributions to society to be? Is it to remain in sports? I definitely think changing it up will be fun.Let the next countdown begin. Adidas NMD Nuevos . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. Adidas Gazelle Baratas . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends. http://www.baratasnmd.com/adidas-ultra-boost-baratas.html . The team said Saturday that Lopez was hurt during its 121-120 overtime loss at Philadelphia on Friday. The Nets said they would issue another update next week after consultation with their doctors. Adidas NMD R2 Mujer . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. Adidas GSG Baratas . But by the time the game started, the Toronto Raptors forward felt even worse. And, for three quarters, it showed as Gay shot a woeful three-for-13 from the field.SILVERSTONE, England -- Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg won an explosive British Grand Prix on Sunday, after four drivers including early race leader Lewis Hamilton were hit by dramatic tire blowouts and three-time champion Sebastian Vettel retired while leading with 10 laps remaining due to mechanical problems. With Vettels Red Bull teammate Mark Webber closing fast, Rosberg managed to win his second race of the year and third of his career by 0.7 seconds in a nail-biting finish - though he then had to survive a stewards inquiry. Ferraris Fernando Alonso, who started ninth, made a late charge up the grid and got past Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen with two laps remaining to claim third. Hamilton also recovered to finish fourth, after his blown tire sent him to the back of the grid in the eighth lap. Soon after celebrating, Rosberg risked seeing his victory slip away when he was referred to the stewards for not slowing down for yellow flags in turns 3 and 5. The stewards ruled that Rosberg "did not make a significant reduction in speed" but would only receive a reprimand, or warning. After three reprimands during a season, drivers are given a 10-place grid penalty. This was Rosbergs first. "Fantastic, its very special," said Rosberg, who also won in Monaco and in China last year. "Our team has done such a fantastic job. We have such momentum at the moment, progressing all the time." Hamilton seemed poised to win his first British Grand Prix since 2008 after getting a great start and extending his lead over three-time world champion Vettel. But on the eighth lap, the 2008 champions left rear tire exploded and he was forced to limp into the pits. Two laps later, Ferraris Felipe Massa lost his left rear tire and spun out. Then, Toro Rossos Jean-Eric Vergne also lost his rear tire on the 15th, with the rubber exploding across the track. That brought out the safety car until lap 22 and sparked renewed concerns about the reliability of Pirelli tires which has been a running theme all season. It also prompted drivers to later warn of the dangers of exploding tires - which affected McLaren driver Sergio Perez on both Saturday and Sunday. Alonso admitted he was "scared" after being sprayed with debris from Perezs tire and Rosberg called for action to prevent a similar situation in Germany next weekend. "Well, we shouldnt get into that situation," Rosberg said. "We need to do what needs to be done to sort it out and make the tires last." The FIA has ordered tire supplier Pirelli to attend a meeting on the issue on Wednesday in Germany. Pirelli said it was investigating the matter, but ruled out a new bonding process for the tires that was introduced ahead of the British Grand Prix being to blame. The company said "there may be some aspect of the circuit" that contributed to the problem. "There have obviously been some issues with rear-left tire failures which we have not seen before," Pirellis Motorsport Director Paul Hembery said. "We are taking the situation very seriously and we are currently investigating all tires to determine the cause as soon as possible, ahead of the next Grand Prix in Germany." Hamilton was still clearly angry after the race. "The safety is the biggest issue, its unacceptable," Hamilton told the BBC. "Four blowouts is unacceptable. Its only when someone ggets hurt that someone will be doing something about it.dddddddddddd I think its a waste of time talking to the FIA, and if they dont do anything that says a lot about them." TV pictures of Turn 4 on the Silverstone circuit, where some of the incidents took place, indicated the sidewall of the tires could have been punctured by a sharp part of the kerb. After the restart, Vettel extended his lead over Rosberg and appeared set for a fourth win which would have extended his lead in the drivers championship. But on the 42nd lap, Vettels car came to a stop after his fifth gear broke and Rosberg took the lead. That brought out the safety car for a second time for three laps. When it went off with seven laps to go, it triggered a frenzied dash to the finish. Alonso was among the most aggressive, passing McLarens Jenson Button, Force Indias Adrian Sutil and eventually Raikkonen for third. Webber also charged past Raikkonen into second with four laps remaining. Raikkonen later said his tires were too worn for him to fend off the challenges of Webber and Alonso. Webber -- who announced Thursday he was retiring from the sport at the end of the year -- just missed out on his third win at Silverstone in four years and a fairytale ending to the weekend. "I made the most of those safety cars -- and today the strategy was one of the best weve done," said Webber, who dropped down to 15th at the start after getting off the grid slowly and then being nudged off the track by Lotus driver Romain Grosjean. "I think it worked very, very well. I worked hard to manipulate the pace when I had to and then it was Nico and I left at the end," he said. "It would have been nice to have had a few more laps, but thats how it was today. It was nearly a really special day, but it was still a nice day." Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said he was happy to come away with some points, considering the kind of race his team had. "Obviously to get within 12 laps of winning the race and have a retirement due to a transmission issue is pretty painful, particularly at this venue, but Sebastian had done everything right today and it was a great shame," he said. "For Mark, after a difficult start and being hit at the first corner, he made a great recovery ... and came pretty close to claiming the victory, but nonetheless second place was a great performance from him on a big weekend for the team." Hamilton also benefited from the safety car going out twice, rising from last on the grid to ninth by lap 45 and then got past Sutil for fourth with a lap remaining. "There are massive positives to take out the team this weekend," Hamilton said. "Nico won and we got some good points and we are second in the constructors championship. Im grateful the car was strong I was able to come through the field and the right things happened. It was bad luck when the tire goes and you are in the lead. I was grateful that I had achieved things that helped me along the way." The wild finish leaves the championship wide open. Despite his late exit, Vettel remains the leader in the drivers championship with 132 points. His lead, though, is down to 21 points over Alonso on 111 with 11 races remaining. Raikkonen is third with 98 and Hamilton fourth with 89, some 43 points behind Vettel. The next race is the German Grand Prix on July 7. ' ' '