Joshua Rucker’s life changed forever at 18, when a work vehicle accident left him paralyzed from the belly button down after his van flipped 15 times. He awoke from a coma a month later with a broken back and a severed spinal cord, facing a new life of challenges.
Simple tasks like putting on his shoes became daunting.
“It was terrible, man. I was very depressed. I gave up quite a few times,” said Rucker, who’s 41. “But the only difference was that I just eventually got back on the horse or wagon and kept on going.”
The lifelong athlete and competitor found his passion for sports and competition was the key to his rehabilitation over the last 23 years. Among his accolades, the Detroit native played Division I wheelchair basketball at Oklahoma State, competed as a professional wheelchair bodybuilder, and won a world championship in adaptive CrossFit.
His secret to success in competition and life? Setting goals and never giving up.
“Nothing happens overnight, especially in a situation like me where you can’t use your legs, you can’t walk, you can’t even move them, nothing like that,” he said. “You’re picking up a dead weight. It was very frustrating and very hard, but I keep pushing every day.”
While weightlifting has always been an integral part of Rucker’s life, he’s gotten into powerlifting in recent years.
After injuring his shoulder while training for a paralympics event about six years ago, Rucker turned to equipped bench press, a powerlifting technique that uses a supportive, high-tension bench shirt to assist in lifting heavier weights. He embraced the method to continue pushing his limits.
“I’ve always wanted to be the best bencher in my weight class, and I just had to go a different route,” he said.
Rucker will compete in the bench press at the Sahuarita Gym Classic at Sahuarita Gym on Sept. 6, in Green Valley.
There is no adaptive division in the competition, something Rucker is looking forward to.
“Hopefully, they just accept me and I get to go against other people in my weight class, no matter if I have a disability or not, and they’re able-bodied,” he said. “Hopefully, eventually I get to beat them and win.”
While he aims to lift as much weight as possible at the competition, a primary goal is to inspire others with disabilities and raise awareness about opportunities for them in the sport.
“That’s my goal, to bring awareness, showing people in my situation I’m still going out, I’m still trying to accomplish things and participate,” he said. “I want to push hard, lift some heavy weight, and hopefully just get treated the way that I think they’re going to treat me.”
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