Jacob Wasserman didn't let a bus accident that left him paralyzed stop his dream of competing in a major sport event. His resilience paid off, as he was selected on Thursday for Canada's 2024 Paralympic rowing team.

Wassermann will be making his Paralympic debut after only one full season of international competition. He is a former junior hockey goalie who survived the Humboldt Broncos crash that shook Canada.

Wassermann, 24, told reporters during a video conference after being selected to Canada's men's single-sculls PR1 team for the Paralympic Games in Paris from August 28 to September 8.

"I've learned to keep going forward and pursue my dreams, even when life throws you curveballs."

Wassermann was one of the 13 survivors of the Saskatchewan crash that claimed the lives of 16 people, including 10 teammates and 2 coaches. The accident occurred when a truck collided into their vehicle.

Wassermann was paralyzed below the waist and his dream to represent Canada at the highest levels of sport is hanging by a thin thread.

Wassermann, who is resilient and determined, tried adaptive water skiing and sledge-hockey before taking up rowing on the recommendation of a friend.

Wassermann, who began Para rowing in October of 2022, said: "I fell in Love with it immediately." "It turned out to be pretty natural for me as well."

During his short time in sport, he has excelled. He won the gold medal in his category at the 2023 National Championships. In March, he took silver in the PR1 Single Sculls Race at the Continental Qualification Regatta held in Rio de Janeiro.

The top finisher in the Paralympic Games qualifies for a quota for his or her country. However, Canada was able to get a spot through reallocation of quotas.

Wassermann said, "I had wanted to be a professional athlete from the time I was two years old. But then I got injured and hockey was no longer the path I would take. So I kept training and I eventually fell into the sport I was meant to do."

"I am now able represent Canada on the largest stage. The dream I had since a young age can still come true. It feels a bit surreal at times.

Wassermann attributes his rapid progress in rowing, to the hard work he put in the sports he played his entire life.

Wassermann said, "I have been training for 24 year." "All the work I have done in my life, whether I was a hockeyplayer before or since the accident, all the other sports and all the training, has gone into this sport.

"Once I got started, I only had to learn techniques. I have been an athlete all my life, and it didn't change. It worked well for me. "I fell into the sport that was right for me." (Reporting and editing by Hugh Lawson in Toronto, with Frank Pingue reporting from Toronto)