A former Canadian junior hockey player who survived a bus crash that killed 16 teammates and staff has qualified for the 2024 Paralympic Games.
But instead of taking the ice, 24-year-old Jacob Wasserman will compete in upcoming games as a rower.
Wasserman earned a national spot on Team Canada in the PR1 men’s single sculls in Paris, Boats Canada announced Thursday.
“Let’s say Oui to Paris!” the group said on Instagram.
He placed second in the continental qualifying regatta in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, securing his spot in France through reallocation.
The PR1 single scull race is one of five rowing events held at the Paralympics since the sport was first held at the Paralympics in 2008.
This is categorized for rowers who “don’t have the core or leg capabilities to use two oars” and who “wear a strap around the midsection” for support and balance.
Wasserman was paralyzed from the waist down in April 2018 when a truck driver collided with a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team in rural Saskatchewan.
Sixteen people died in the tragic accident, including 10 hockey players, two coaches, a therapist, team statistician, radio announcer, and a 59-year-old bus driver.
Wasserman, the team’s goalie and then 18 years old, was one of 13 survivors of the accident.
He also suffered a brain injury, two collapsed lungs, a fractured shoulder blade, broken ribs, a broken nose, and was placed in a coma. According to Canadian Press.
The driver of the truck that caused the accident was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2019.
Jaskirat Singh Sidhu pleaded guilty to 29 charges of dangerous driving stemming from the incident in which he ran a stop sign.
Wasserman briefly tried to pursue a career in sledge hockey after his accident, but felt it “wasn’t right for me.” According to radio station CJME.
He eventually found his passion on the water.
In 2019, Wasserman represented Canada at the world championships in adaptive water skiing, riding a modified wakeboard attached to skis.
Wasserman then turned to rowing after a chance encounter at a grocery store in October 2022.
“I actually ran into one of my current teammates at the grocery store and he said it was trying something new,” Wasserman said. told Discover Humboldt. “I thought it looked interesting and I wanted to give it a try. It went from there.”
“I’m starting to really enjoy rowing and I plan to keep doing it once I’m on the water. It’s an Olympic sport, so there are definitely more opportunities, and even in the short time I’ve been in the sport. , there is even more exposure and support associated with the boating community in the region.”
