36
Tucson, AZ
Classification: 0.5 Points
Chris Fleace grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, and joined the U.S. Army Reserves after high school. At the age of 21, Fleace shattered his fourth and fifth vertebrae by diving into a four-foot swimming pool.
After his injury, Fleace moved to Tucson, Arizona, where at the time many members of the U.S. national wheelchair rugby team trained. He met Chad Cohn and Derrick Helton, members of the 2012 U.S. Paralympic Team in wheelchair rugby, and began training with them and three-time Paralympian Josh Wheeler.
In 2023, Fleece made U.S. wheelchair rugby team for the first time and helped the team capture gold at the 2023 Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile. The following year, he was one of the last cuts before the Paralympic Games Paris 2024.
As a U.S. veteran, Fleace is active with Oscar Mike, a non-profit organization that helps keep injured veterans active. Fleace has credited wheelchair rugby as “getting his life on a better path” after his diving accident.
Bryan Kirkland had always been an athlete. Growing up in Alabama, he was the kind of competitor who couldn’t stay away from a field or a court. Football, basketball, track — if there was a game, he played it. And if it were a contact sport, he thrived ...
PARIS – It wasn’t the fairy tale ending that they had envisioned.Team USA wheelchair rugby bowed to an opportunistic Japanese team in the gold medal contest, 48-41, on Monday night at the Champs-de-Mars Arena. Despite the painful defeat, the U.S. perfo...
PARIS – Double teamed and banged around by aggressive British opponents, Chuck Aoki remained poised, delivering a perfectly timed and well-executed pass downcourt to his streaking teammate Sarah Adam, who cruised home for a pivotal try. It was a dagger...
The 18-year-old helped the U.S. win gold at the 2023 Parapan American Games, which secured the team’s spot in Paris.
Chuck Aoki is on a mission to help bring home a gold medal in Paris.
