Wyoming's Jack O’Neil Ready to Kick Off Paralympic Games

* University of Wyoming press release

LARAMIE — University of Wyoming swimmer Jack O’Neil is set to kick off his 2024 Paralympic Games campaign with Team USA. The Games run from Aug. 28-Sept. 8, with the swimming portion of the games spanning Aug. 29-Sept. 7 at Paris La Defense Arena in Nanterre.

Jack O’Neil was featured on the One Wyoming Podcast with Ryan Thorburn and said, “It was so surreal. This is a goal I have been working at since I knew what the Paralympics were. One of the driving purposes of having my leg amputated was seeing the Paralympics for the first time in 2012 and seeing what those people were capable of. So, knowing that I’m going in the same spot as some of the people who inspired me to amputate my leg and lead a better life, it’s just incredible.”

O’Neil will be competing in the preliminaries of the 100-meter backstroke Saturday at 2:30 a.m. It can be streamed on Peacock or digitally.

Should O’Neil qualify for finals in the 100-meter backstroke, he will swim again at 10 a.m. That race will be for a spot on the podium.

O’Neil could also compete as a member of the 34-point mixed medley relay team for Team USA on Monday at 2:30 a.m. If O’Neil is selected to compete on the relay and advance to finals, they would swim again at 12:10 p.m.

“All the people that have helped me along the way, my University of Wyoming teammates and coaches, the entire university, I’m so proud to represent them and everything that they’ve put into me,” O’Neil said. “I’m really just a product of the amazing community behind me.”

– How Many Medals Have Wyoming-Born Athletes Won at the Olympics?