Hit by an RPG, driven to gold: Jaco van Gass on resilience at the highest level

Jaco van Gass has built a reputation as a leading Paralympic speaker, known for translating elite performance into clear, practical insight on resilience, discipline and long-term focus.

A former Parachute Regiment soldier, his life changed during his second tour of Afghanistan when he was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, resulting in the loss of his left arm below the elbow and multiple serious injuries.

He went on to become a highly decorated para-cyclist, winning Paralympic gold medals, world titles and setting world records on the international stage.

Away from competition, Van Gass draws directly on that journey. His perspective is shaped by recovery, elite sport and the demands of sustained performance over time.

In this exclusive interview with the High Performance Speakers Agency, he reflects on the defining moments behind his career, how he approaches setbacks at the highest level, and the mindset required to perform when it matters most.

Q1. From serving in Afghanistan to becoming a multiple Paralympic champion, what have been the defining moments in your journey and how did each one shape the athlete you became?

Jaco van Gass: “It’s quite an interesting journey. I was born in South Africa and grew up there, and I always had this desire to do something different and go out into the big wide world.

“I learned that because South Africa is part of the Commonwealth, it enabled us to be part of the British Army and sign up. Growing up on my grandparents’ farm, I learned to shoot and do fieldcraft and all that kind of stuff, so it was a big interest for me.

“I decided to take the leap of faith and sold everything I had in South Africa, bought a ticket with that money, came over, and literally landed on a Monday morning in the beautiful summer of July 2007. That same Monday morning, I was in the careers office starting the first paperwork.

“Fast forward from that, I joined the British military, the Parachute Regiment in particular. I went through my training, passed out receiving my maroon beret, and then went on to my jumps course.

“I represented the Parachute Regiment. We’ve got three regiments, 1 Para, 2 Para and 3 Para, and I was part of 1 Para, which is also part of a Special Forces support group.

“In 2008, I did my first tour to Afghanistan and learned a great deal about what we do out there, about myself, and about the unit itself. A mere six months later, returning from the 2008 tour, I had my second opportunity in 2009, going out there again and playing a much more active role.

“Within five and a half months out there, with just two weeks left before returning to the UK, we deployed on what was most likely one of our final operations.

“It was a very successful mission, and heading back into the desert where the helicopters were going to pick us up, we came across a Taliban stronghold that was there unbeknownst to us. A huge firefight broke out, and during that firefight, I was hit by an RPG - rocket-propelled grenade - and it changed my life forever in an instant”

“That night, the rocket hit me from my left side. I lost my left arm just above the elbow, had a collapsed left lung, multiple wounds down my left side, lost about a third of muscle and tissue to my left upper thigh, and suffered a range of injuries. 

“When I woke up in Selly Oak Hospital six days later, out of an induced coma, I looked down on myself and realised these were life-changing injuries. In my case, they were career-ending injuries, so that was really significant for me.

“Then I started to wonder what life was going to be like. If I couldn’t be in the military that I loved so much, who was going to employ someone like me? What was I going to do?

“I suffered quite a bit with my mental health, just from the unknown, wondering whether I was a bad soldier and why this had happened to me. I had quite a bit of depression and even got to a place where I thought, ‘Why did I survive?’

“But I had a lot of support systems around me, and I knew I had to pick myself up. There’s a quote I came across which said that ‘life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it.’

I thought that was so powerful that I’ve applied it to my life ever since. That led me to all kinds of things, from learning to walk again, run again and doing marathons.

“I had the wonderful opportunity to be part of a team to walk unsupported to the geographical North Pole. I went on to do a number of other mountains. I attempted Everest with Walking With The Wounded, a charity organisation. I learned to ski, and it became this huge challenge of what I could do and what I couldn’t do.

“It was actually coming back from the Everest expedition in 2012 that we flew back, and it was time for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London. I was very fortunate because I lived in London at the time, so I was in and around the buzz.

“Just opposite the flat I shared with another wounded soldier, one of the arenas had been built. The shooting arena was literally within our area.

“So I went to those Games as a spectator and sat there amazed by the standard of the athletes, the impact they had on the crowds and the impact they had on me.

“I also found myself at that stage in my life, leaving the military and being medically discharged. So again, there was uncertainty, but coming away from London, I thought it would be amazing to become a Paralympian. That became my new dream and my new goal, and I worked towards it with the aim of going to the next Games in Rio in 2016.

“Sadly, I didn’t make the final cut. It was such a big disappointment and such a setback, but I did reflect on what had happened, and the journey towards Rio was immense. I really grew as a person during that time.

“I made a very difficult decision to remove myself from the Paralympic team and become an independent rider because I didn’t have balance. I needed to find balance in my life. Everything was so focused that the rest of my life fell away and suffered because of that. I recognised that balance is important.

“During my time building up towards 2020 as an independent rider, I fell in love with cycling again. I enjoyed it, but I also did really well. I raced domestically and was invited to take part in a World Championship representing Great Britain. I came away from that World Championship as a three-time world champion, which was incredible.

“With that, I was invited back onto the team with British Cycling with the aim of going to Tokyo. We went to Tokyo and it was amazing. I came away with two golds, one bronze medal and three world records, which was incredible. It was insane because my aim had always been to become a Paralympian.

“With the British Cycling team, the way you get selected is that they recognise and believe that you will at least win a medal. So for me, I thought if I win any form of medal, I’ll be the happiest guy in the world. Yet I came away with two golds, a bronze and three world records, so it was incredible.

“But even standing on top of that podium, there was a little bit of an empty space in my heart because, due to Covid, the Games had been delayed and no friends or family could travel. So many people make sacrifices similar to mine. I can’t go on a holiday without a bike, and your family shares all the ups and downs with you. They go through all of it with you, and then to reach that goal and achieve something so amazing without them there just didn’t feel right.

“So I knew in my heart that I had to commit to the next Games in Paris, with the hope that the world would get over Covid and people could travel again. That’s exactly what happened, and we pushed towards Paris.

“Again, it was a very successful Games. That three-year period had its ups and downs and setbacks, but we got to Paris in very good form. I was feeling so confident in my ability, but not just my ability, also my preparation.

“I really felt truly prepared for it. In my heart, whether I won or got beaten, it didn’t matter because I knew I had given everything towards that build-up and campaign.

“But the universe, or whatever you want to call it, wasn’t quite done with me. It really wanted to test me because I’d had 10 months of consistency, which was amazing in every aspect of my life, from fitness to rehab to everything else. 

“Then, seven days before my first race, I got hit by a car. We did a recce of the time trial course, and this car just came out of nowhere and drove straight into me. I found myself on the tarmac and, with the injuries still unknown at that stage, I thought, ‘this cannot be happening. I’m seven days away from the biggest race, and you’ve just driven into me.’

“But I managed to deal with that because with all the setbacks, difficulties and stepping stones I’d had previously leading up to that moment, there was an element of calmness that came through me. I knew there was nothing I could do about the situation I found myself in.

“Staying calm was probably the best thing because being angry and wasting energy wasn’t going to help.

“I’m lucky to report that seven days later, we did get back on our bike. I broke two of my own world records and won two gold medals in Paris. This time it was what they call a fairytale ending.

“Sitting in the crowds in London, what inspired me was finally there. I won two gold medals, two world records, and I had my wife with me, my family with me and many friends from all over the world had flown in.

“It was an absolute fairytale ending to nearly 12 years of a dream that I just never gave up on.”

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Q2. When setbacks disrupt a long-term target, how do you reassess the goal, rebuild momentum and stay competitive?

Jaco van Gass: “Setbacks, I see, are inevitable. We’re always going to face setbacks and tough times, but we can also see them as stepping stones for building character and learning from them. That’s what I’ve learned over the years as well.

“You shouldn’t be afraid to use that moment to reflect on how far you have come. Yes, it’s a setback now, but also look at where you were two weeks ago, a month ago, a year ago. You’ll see a great element of progression up to that point.

“Setbacks are also a stepping stone for growth. What have I done wrong? Why have I failed in what I’ve done? How can I get better? For a race, if I have a game plan for what I want to do and it doesn’t go to plan and I do really badly, I can reflect and go, okay, maybe I lacked some element of skill or endurance.

“So next time I need to work on my endurance and maybe enter a different form of race to improve my skill level, then come back and perform in this race, and hopefully get the result I require. That will enable me to move forward much quicker, much better, and perform at a higher level.

“So, yes, I see setbacks sometimes as a perfect platform for you to adapt, learn and become a better person.”

This exclusive interview with Jaco van Gass was conducted by Tabish Ali of the Motivational Speakers Agency.

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