Chasing Dreams: Jack Wallace

Two years prior to the 2022 Beijing Paralympic Games, Jack Wallace shared his story with The Hidden Opponent. Six years later, Jack is back at the Paralympic Games representing the United States. 

Since his story in 2020, Jack has become a two-time Paralympic gold medalist and was named the defenseman of the Beijing Games in 2022.

In 2020, Jack shared how he “regret[ed] not soaking in [the Paralympics] more than [he] did”, but he enters the Milano Cortina 2026 Games with a newfound perspective and confidence. 

“I honestly don't feel too much pressure. I put a lot of pressure on myself for Beijing [2022], and I just don't feel the same way,” Wallace told Olympics.com ahead of the third Paralympic Winter Games of his career. “I think it's how confident I am in our team and the great group of guys that we have, having that confidence that we've been there before. Everyone knows the work that we have to put into it, and I know the guys we have are willing to do it again.”

While Team USA has its sights set on gold at the Winter Games, Jack also has a larger hope on his mind. Over the past few years, Jack has been training to become a dual-sport Paralympic athlete, hoping to compete in paracanoe at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. 

Jack started competing in paracanoe in 2019, but after some setbacks, COVID-19, and reconstructive surgery of his elbow, he had to focus his energy on Sled Hockey. Then, fresh off his second Paralympic gold medal, he started preparing for the Paris 2024 Games. He started climbing the world ranks in paracanoe and eventually earned the title of Pan American Champion and won the B-Final at World Championships.  

He then trained for the next two years straight. Paddling straight through winter in below-freezing conditions and through the blazing Tennessee summer. All this while maintaining his roster spot on the dominant US Sled Hockey team. Unfortunately, the 2024 Paracanoe World Championships and Para Ice Hockey World Championships were scheduled for the same week on opposite sides of the globe. 

Jack competed in both, playing the first two games in Calgary and then flying to Hungary to try to earn his quota for Paris. After three days of battling jet lag and other nagging issues, he reached the B-Final and came in third place, just .008 seconds away from qualifying for the Paris Games.

The heartbreak of just narrowly missing a spot in Paris was devastating, but it has only served to motivate him to continue pushing forward in both sports. 

“Just because you're a para-athlete doesn’t mean you can’t push boundaries,” said Wallace. “Society is surely coming along to be more inclusive, but people sometimes put you in a different category when they find out you’re a ‘paralympian’ versus an ‘olympian.’ The best part has been growing up with this incredible chance to pursue my passion and travel the world while representing my country. It’s a truly humbling opportunity.”

We’re cheering on Jack as he chases his dreams at the Milano Cortina Games and as he competes for a spot in LA.💚