Jarryd Wallace

 

The Backstory:
Jarryd Wallace made his first appearance in high-level parasports competition at the 2011 Parapan American Games, just 15 months after having his right leg amputated below the knee. What started out as a simple pain in his shin turned out to be a symptom of compartment syndrome, leading to his decision to amputate. Wallace had always been a runner and was determined to return to the sport. Wallace went on to take 6th place in the men’s 400m at the 2012 London Paralympic Games and 5th place in 2016 in the 100m sprint. He has three gold medals in World Championship competition and has set four world records.

Away from running:
In 2019 Wallace and his wife, Lea Babcock Wallace, welcomed their first baby. Though he misses not seeing his teammates as much, he is soaking up the extra time he has been able to spend with his family and stays in touch through social media.

In their own words:
“I can choose to wake up in the morning and put more pressure on myself, or I can choose to learn from where I’ve been and decide to move forward. Not having that extra pressure can literally be the difference between being on the podium and being in the back of the pack.”

“I think the differentiator between good Olympians or Paralympians and the greats are the ones who are able to adapt.”

“Right now, we’re just enjoying absolutely every moment that we have together, and being a dad has become the greatest joy of my life. Just having a little dude with his (eyes) watching you makes you that much more motivated.”

Learn more:
Team USA Page
IPC Page 
Atlanta Track Club: “Losing A Leg, Regaining A Life: Sprinter Jarryd Wallace Joins Atlanta Track Club”
New York Times: “After Losing a Leg, New Races To Be Won”
Team USA: “One Year To Tokyo, Track Paralympian Jarryd Wallace Learning To Slow Down”
Medium.com: “The Story of Jarryd Wallace”