PEPPERSACK Joseph

United States of America

Date of Birth: 12 Mar 1999

Age: 22

Gender: Male

Sport Class: S8

Place of birth: RICHMOND, VA

Birth Country:

United States of America

Place of residence : RICHMOND, VA

Residence Country:

United States of America

Events and Medals
Records
Schedule
Bio
General Interest
Milestones

Events and Medals

Discipline	Event	Rank	Medal
Swimming	Men's 100m Backstroke - S8	7
	Men's 4x100m Freestyle Relay - 34 Points USA United States	8
	Men's 4x100m Medley Relay - 34 Points USA United States

Schedule

Start Time	Location	Event	Status
	Tokyo Aquatics Centre	Men's 100m Backstroke - S8 Heat 1	Finished
	Tokyo Aquatics Centre	Men's 100m Backstroke - S8 Final	Finished
	Tokyo Aquatics Centre	Men's 4x100m Freestyle Relay - 34 Points Final	Finished
	Tokyo Aquatics Centre	Men's 4x100m Medley Relay - 34 Points Heat 1	Finished

Biographical Information

Highlights

Joe Bags (Athlete, 29 Aug 2021)

Playing electric guitar. (Athlete, 29 Aug 2021)

Occupation:

Business Administration, Economics - University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA, USA

Partner Rachel McVicker

Languages spoken:

Justin Anderson

He took up swimming in 2008 in Hopewell, VA, United States of America. He took up Para swimming in 2011 at his local YMCA club. (frederisckburg.com, 03 Jul 2021; umweagles.com, 31 Oct 2018; 01 Jan 2018; Athlete, 29 Aug 2021)

He took up swimming to keep fit and to give him an activity that he can do without his prosthetic leg. "It feels great to swim because I can actually go faster than I can out of water. Also, to learn and for fitness. I might be frustrated one moment, but the next I'm in the pool doing what I love to do. Being in the water is freedom because I'm not bound to anything. I don't have to wear this [prosthetic]. I can move faster than I do on land." (Athlete, 07 Jan 2016; thinkalive.org, 06 Sep 2012; ; wtvr.com, 07 Feb 2019)

To win a medal at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (wjla.com, 03 Jul 2021)

Winning a silver medal at the 2019 Parapan Games in Lima, Peru. (Athlete, 29 Aug 2021)

US Para swimmer Robert Griswold, US swimmer Michael Phelps. (Athlete, 29 Aug 2021)

Coach Lauren Waterworth. (Athlete, 29 Aug 2021)

Philosophy:

"Happiness brings quality. Quality brings excellence." (Athlete, 29 Aug 2021)

General Interest

Classification
S8, SB7, SM8 (IPC, 06 Aug 2021)

Type of Impairment
Limb deficiency (Athlete, 07 Jan 2016)

Origin of Impairment
Congenital (Athlete, 07 Jan 2016)

Impairment Details
He was born without a right tibia [shinbone], due to tibial hemimelia [a condition where a child's shinbone is shorter than normal or missing]. At age four his right leg was amputated above the knee. In daily life he wears a prosthetic leg, but does not wear it when swimming. "[The amputation] shaped pretty much everything in my life. Waking up in the morning to brush your teeth having one leg makes it harder to see the mirror. Cooking is harder. I didn't go to school. I was home-schooled. I was in and out of the hospital so much, but I learned to adapt." (Athlete, 07 Jan 2016; playfoundation.net, 09 Oct 2013; umweagles.com, 31 Oct 2018; umw.edu, 17 Sep 2019; frederisckburg.com, 03 Jul 2021; frederisckburg.com, 03 Jul 2021)

General
COACHING AND COMPETING WITH ZACK SHATTUCK
While studying at University of Mary Washington [UMW] in Fredericksburg, Virginia, he was coached by US Para swimming teammate Zack Shattuck for two years. The pair were already friends from a swim meet they had met at several years before they both landed at UMW. Their coach and pupil relationship ended in May 2021 when Peppersack graduated from UMW. "It's nice to have somebody there who understands what it's like to be a swimmer who has a disability, especially someone who understands how competitive it is." (thesportspulse.com, 17 Jul 2021; wjla.com, 03 Jul 2021)

Social Media

Legend

:: Gold Medal Event
:: Silver Medal Event
:: Bronze Medal Event

Timing and scoring provided by OMEGA. Results powered by Atos