SANTIAGO, Chile — The American flag could be found everywhere. Aside from his jersey, a small flag could be seen on Jason Tabansky’s wheelchair. It was on his ball cap. It was also the design for his shoes. 

When Tabansky — an archer for Team USA’s in the Parapan American Games — competes, he’s competing for those who served his country. 

“Our country’s colors mean a whole lot to me,” Tabansky said. “With military service and having brothers and sisters that have sacrificed their homes, their life and put it out there for them. Everytime I don these colors, it’s for them and for the rest of the country. So I’m not competing for me, I’m competing for everyone else.”

Tabansky, following a personal record performance and first place finish in the men’s individual W1 ranking round where he shot 640, is in prime position to take gold at this year’s Parapan American Games. On Monday, he’ll compete against fellow American Lucas Herro before taking on the winner or loser of Chile’s Victor Saiz and Brazil’s Eugenio Franco.

In the ranking round earlier on Sunday, Tabansky was in full control the whole match, never trailing at any point during all 12 rounds. Franco finished with a score of 607, Victor Saiz recorded a 571 and Herro was just behind with a 570. Tabansky had 18 10’s and four X’s in his dominant round. 

“​​We started off cold. And then it turned into full summer, so temperature change kind of affects the body a little bit,” Tabansky said. “I had a little bit of wind that was a little tricky, throwing some shades on the target. Overall, I think it was really good. I’m really happy with the way I shot today.”

Tabansky competed in Santiago in November 2022, competing in the World Archery Pan American Championships. He took gold then, and the experience has helped him be familiar with the weather trends of the area, though it is a different venue. 

Even though Tabansky held the huge margin on Sunday, he never cared to know how his competitors were doing, especially in this format of archery. In fact, he also doesn’t keep track of his own score. Instead, he relies on his wife, Courtney Brassard, who is also his coach, to help adjust his shot in case he drops a point, Tabansky said. 

“One thing about archery in this format — and I’ve got a lot of friends that shoot pro — is you never know,” Tabansky said. “You can’t control what the other guy shoots, you can only control what you shoot.”

Tabansky didn’t discover target archery until after his injury in September 2015, where he was injured in the line of duty at the age of 32. He became an incomplete tetraplegic and has been wheelchair-bound since, losing his ability to walk. 

Joining the military when he was just 17 years old, Tabansky was in basic training when the 9/11 attacks occurred. He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2002, Iraq in 2005 and back to Afghanistan in 2012 before medically retiring after 16 and a half years following his injury in 2015. He’s been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Senior Crew Badge Member and the Order of St. Michael.  

But prior to his injury, he always had an interest in bow hunting. Recovering in the Veterans Affairs (VA), they had a sport recreational therapist that recommended him to other sports, including archery. Tabansky had no idea what target archery was at first, but now he’s on the doorstep on his first Paralympics in Paris in 2024.

Should Tabansky finish with gold, he’ll bring a bonus slot back to the United States, which can be added to the total number of potential qualifications next April and May, when there will be two trial tournaments to determine the spots for Paris. And Tabansky feels he’s ready to compete with the rest of the world.

“I’m super stoked for Paris next year,” Tapansky said. “I’m very confident based on my performance at (the) World Championships that I can compete with the rest of the world.”