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Humboldt Broncos Crash Survivor Competes at 2024 Paralympics

Jacob Wassermann, one of the survivors of the Humoldt Broncos bus crash, competed at the 2024 Paralympic games.

Jacob Punturi

Aug 28, 2024; Paris, France; Athletes from Canada celebrate as they take part in the Parade of Athletes during the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Summer Games at Place de la Concorde. Mandatory Credit: OIS/Lillie Yazdi via USA TODAY Sports
Aug 28, 2024; Paris, France; Athletes from Canada celebrate as they take part in the Parade of Athletes during the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Summer Games at Place de la Concorde. Mandatory Credit: OIS/Lillie Yazdi via USA TODAY Sports / OIS/Lillie Yazdi via USA TODAY Sports

The hockey world has been in collective mourning processing the tragic news of Columbus Blue Jackets' forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew's passing.

Hockey fans can use a dose of positivity, and the 2024 Paralympic Games in France are one of the greatest sources of positivity to exist. This year's games features a competitor from Canada that many NHL and hockey fans are and should be rooting for.

Jacob Wassermann just completed his debut for Team Canada's para rowing team at the 2024 Paralympic Games. The 24-year-old rower might better remembered as one of the 13 survivors of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in 2018. The horrific accident took the lives of 16 junior hockey players and staff members of the Broncos, and left several of the survivors like Jacob with life-changing injuries. The crash left Wassermann paralyzed from the waist down.

In 2022, Wassermann found a new sport: para rowing. The Canadian Paralympic Committee described how his ascent in the sport has been so incredible and fast-paced.

"Wassermann discovered Para rowing in late 2022, and his rapid rise in the sport has been remarkable," they wrote. "In 2023, he won a gold medal at the Canadian Para Rowing Championships and secured a silver medal at the 2024 World Rowing Americas Paralympic Qualification Regatta in Rio de Janeiro."

Riding the momentum of his recent successes, Wassermann entered the 2024 games as one of the most exciting newcomers to the Para rowing sport. In fact, he was the youngest competitor in his sport, and secured a 10th place finish. Devin Heroux, olympic games reporter for CBC Sports, shared news of Wassermann's finish via his X account.

With an impressive debut in France, Wassermann is setting himself up to be a gold medal-contender for the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, California. His resilience is also one of the most incredible things to witness, as he shows the entire hockey world how much you can do despite unimaginable obstacles.

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Jacob Punturi
JACOB PUNTURI

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