Jarryd Wallace

Started: He previously competed in non-Para athletics and gained an athletics scholarship to study at the University of Georgia in Athens, GA, United States of America. 12 weeks after he acquired his impairment in 2010, he bought a running blade online and took up Para athletics. (teamusa.org, 25 Aug 2020; redandblack.com, 26 Jul 2020; cnsatlanta.com, 29 Sep 2011) Reason: He was an 800m and 1600m high school athletics state champion and, after he acquired his impairment, he looked at the world record lists for Para athletics. He told his parents that he wanted his name to be on those lists. "I decided to set big goals and do things that hadn't been done before." (teamusa.org, 25 Aug 2020, 01 Oct 2016; redandblack.com, 26 Jul 2020; si.com, 25 Jul 2016) Awards: He was named in the 40 Under 40 Class of 2020 by the University of Georgia Alumni Association for his athletic performance and his work as a project director with Xiborg, a running blade company. (news.uga.edu, 16 Jul 2020) In 2013 he was named USA Track and Field [USATF] Male Para Athlete of the Year. He was also a member of the 4x100m relay team that was named 2013 United States Olympic Committee [USOC] Paralympic Team of the Year. (redandblack.com, 22 Dec 2013; onlineathens.com, 31 Oct 2013) In 2012 he received the Athletic Association Inspiration Award from the University of Georgia. (worldoncampus.com, 08 Aug 2012) Additional Info: SWITCHING EVENTS After claiming bronze in the T64 200m at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, he began losing some of his motivation for the sport. He realised he needed to either step away from Para athletics or find a way to reignite his passion. Following discussions with coach Dan Pfaff, he switched his focus to the long jump. "I kind of just surrendered the last layer of my expectations over to [Pfaff], which I think was a very freeing thing for me to do." (usparatf.org, 24 Aug 2023) OTHER ACTIVITIES He was an executive producer on a documentary titled 'Race to Tokyo', which followed his preparations and those of Japanese Para sprinter Keita Sato for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. He has also worked as a motivational speaker and as a project director for Xiborg, a Japanese prosthetic blade company. After collaborating with Xiborg he then set up his own prosthetic company called Rivl. "I'm taking the skills that I've learned over the past 10 years in the industry and developing affordable prosthetic technology, specifically running blades. I started a company that will be manufacturing, producing, and distributing affordable running technology to the everyday user." (redandblack.com, 28 Apr 2022, 26 Jul 2020; LinkedIn profile, 01 Dec 2020; Race to Tokyo Facebook page, 04 Sep 2019) NINJA WARRIOR In 2019 he featured on the US television show 'American Ninja Warrior', where participants race to complete obstacle courses. "One of the producers reached out to me when they had decided they were going to be filming in Atlanta and asked if I would be interested in competing on the show. I had never been in a ninja gym before, but I knew the show and was a big fan, so I thought it would be a really cool opportunity to share my story and represent US Paralympics as well." (teamusa.org, 05 Jun 2019)

Sporting Relatives: His father Jeff has coached the tennis team at the University of Georgia. His mother Sabina competed in athletics for the University of Georgia and was named in the All-Southeastern Conference [SEC] team. (redandblack.com, 26 Jul 2020; global.toyota, 22 Mar 2019; gloryinthegame.com, 01 Jun 2011)