A large crowd gathered at Veteran’s Plaza Wednesday afternoon to give Boerne resident Jason Tabansky a hero’s welcome.
Tabansky just returned from the 2024 Paris Paralympics where he earned a gold medal in the W1 archery competition.
Local dignitaries, citizens and even members of the Boerne Little League baseball team showed up for the 30-minute celebration hosted by the Greater Boerne Chamber of Commerce.
Tabansky received a police escort to the event and seemed humbled by all the attention. He became emotional during his speech as he thanked a long list of people, including the residents of Boerne.
“Thank you to the city of Boerne for making me feel like I was never alone,” said Tabansky, who was wearing the gold medal draped around his neck. “I could feel your cheers out on that stage, so this is for you, too.”
Tabansky also thanked his wife, mother, friends, his doctors, physical therapists and people from his rehabilitation center and pointed out that winning gold is far from a solo accomplishment.
“Getting to a gold medal is not an individual thing as many people think,” he said. “Being on the stage might have been a moment where I was alone, but I had a whole army behind me.”
Boerne Mayor Frank Ritchie, Kendall County Judge Shane Stolarczyk and Texas Rep. Ellen Troxclair (R-Lakeway) were all in attendance and mentioned how Tabansky is an inspirational figure because he has overcome many obstacles in his life.
Tabansky was injured while in the military in 2015 after he slipped off some stairs while covering up an aircraft on a rainy day in England. He bruised his spinal cord and eventually ended up in a wheelchair, which led to his new adventure as a Paralympian archer.
Troxclair read from a proclamation issued by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
“As an athlete and moreover, as an army veteran, you are an inspiration to so many. You have proven to all mankind what we know in Texas, that it is not our challenges that define us, but how we rise above them,” part of the proclamation read. “You represented your home state impeccably, you have etched your name into sports history and I am so proud to call you a fellow Texan. You have captivated people the world over and as you reflect upon the journey that led you to this moment, know that Texas and Boerne celebrates with you.”
Tabansky only qualified for the 2024 Paralympics after an archer ahead of him dropped out of the event because of an injury.
Tabansky made the most of his opportunity, and after preliminaries, went on to defeat athletes from the Czech Republic and Brazil to advance to the finals.
In the gold- medal match, Tabansky edged the world’s No. 1 ranked shooter, Han Guifei of China, to win the event.
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