Rower John Salvi won nationals as a high school senior and came in 5th place at the U-19 World Championships last year. Impressive in their own right, Salvi’s accomplishments are even more significant in light of the fact that he battled brain cancer while in high school. He’s been in remission since October 2022.

“The sport is massively physically intense and mentally exhausting, which makes success in the sport that much more fulfilling,” says the 19-year-old, now a sophomore studying engineering at Stanford University. Salvi comes from a line of accomplished rowers, including his grandfather Silvano Salvi, a “tremendous athlete” who competed in the Italian national team in the coxless four, he says.