As a competitive swimmer, Burns represented the USA in the 1992 (Barcelona), 1996 (Atlanta), and 2000 (Sydney) Paralympic Games, winning two gold medals, two silver medals, and one bronze medal. He set 5 world records in Paralympic swimming and numerous national records. Retiring from the Paralympics in 2004, he transitioned into endurance sporting events; Burns completed the 2006 Korea IronMan race and the Singapore Half-IronMan races in 2007, 2010, 2011, and 2012.&lt;ref name="Gregory Burns: Speaker's Biography/TImeline"&gt;&lt;/ref&gt; Burns is also an avid scuba diver, surfer, hiker, hand cyclist and sit-down snow skier.