Amputee Jed Altschwager is set on Tokyo Paralympics just two years after a serious work accident

JED Altschwager lost his left leg because of one wrong move in a split second decision two years ago but the eternal optimist says it has given him a new focus that could lead to the Tokyo Paralympics.

Jed Altschwager training at West Lakes. The 31-year-old lost his left leg in a workplace accident.

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JED Altschwager lost his left leg because of one wrong move in a split second decision two years ago, but the eternal optimist says it has given him a new focus that could lead to the Tokyo Paralympics.

The Birkenhead 31-year-old was operating an excavator in his job as a construction supervisor when the accident happened on July 27, 2015.

“In a bit of a precarious spot we had a tip and I rode it down and ended up putting my foot out as a reaction and that got crushed between the carriage and the road,” he said.

“Later that night in Flinders (Medical Centre) I had my wife come down and a couple of good mates and they (doctors) tried to see if they could put it back together.

“But they said they’re going to have to amputate and then a bit of shock set in.”

But it didn’t last long. Doctors amputated his left leg just below the knee and two weeks later Altschwager was in rehab and looking for positives.

“It was a bit of ‘game on’ from my perspective, I immediately started to look for opportunities,” he said.

“Even the doctors said ‘look, you’re really positive Jed but you’re going to go home and have some ups and downs’.

“And I remember saying ‘I don’t want to’, so I started to look for opportunities and one of those was studying, so I did marketing at TAFE the year after while going through rehab and not really walking that well.

Altschwager trains 14 hours a week, including in the gym and on the water. Picture: Sarah Reed.

“My life before the accident was surfing a lot then from my mid-20s I was in a band and having a beer most weekends and my body and fitness I just didn’t really care about.

“I’d never set foot in a gym until I went to a rehab clinic but I started to really enjoy the fitness side of it and building the muscles back up in my leg.”

By mid 2016 he got into CrossFit and along the way became a dad, with his wife giving birth to now one-year-old son Wolf.

Continually looking for the next challenge, Altschwager started researching para-sport and got a call from a talent scout asking whether he’d be interested in rowing.

In the gym with wife Jessica and one-year-old won Wolf. Picture: Sarah Reed.

He now has five different prosthetic legs for a range of activities including a rowing-specific one he uses for training 40 hours a week.

Altschwager’s wife Jessica said she wasn’t surprised by his determination with training towards his new sport.

“As soon as he said he was going to do it, he was in 110 per cent, and he’s really tough on himself if he has any days off,” Jessica said.

“He’s very determined and gives it his all, sometimes too much and I have to remind him about balance.

“I’ve just started back at work so he looks after Wolf a couple of days then he heads to the gym at night so he doesn’t miss a session.

“He’s really transformed his body, he started exercising post-accident and the rowing has given him the extra motivation.

“But I’d like to see a bit more of his rowing because I’ve only seen a few races, so I’m looking forward to the season starting.”

Next week - less than a year after taking up rowing - he will attend a national training camp in Canberra before competing in the iconic Head of the Yarra regatta in Melbourne.

The training camp is for para rowers and also includes fellow South Australian Will Smith after they were identified as possible contenders for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

Altschwager had never done any rowing before his accident but was an outdoor person and while the surfboard might now be gone, it turns out he’s pretty handy with the oars.

He plans to compete in the national championships next year and the long-term goal is Tokyo.

“That’s the dream,” he said.

Altschwager has been invited to a Paralympics training camp in Canberra this month.

“I’m aiming to be in that four (person crew) but we still need to move the boat fast enough to warrant going to the world cup next year.

“That’s somewhat of a goal, we won’t really know until we get around the mark and start doing some racing.”

Altschwager made his racing debut at club level at West Lakes last weekend where he competed in the individual scull and mixed double in the masters category.

“I came second in the single against able bodied competitors and second in the double,” he said.

“I was a bit nervous at first but settled in and felt good, it was just good to get it out of the way. I’ll probably go (up) a grade in the next regatta which will prepare me for the other para athletes because there is no one in the state who I can race against - most of them are in New South Wales.”