0
GOLD
3
SILVER
1
BRONZE
5'2"
33
Minneapolis, MN
Metropolitan State University
classification: 3.0
Sport: Wheelchair rugby
Specialty: Mixed wheelchair rugby
Chuck Aoki is an American wheelchair rugby player, a Paralympic medalist and one of the most recognized and decorated athletes in the sport. Aoki lives with hereditary sensory autonomic neuropathy (HSAN Type II), a rare condition affecting his ability to feel pain and temperature. This condition shaped his early experiences with sports and eventually led him to adaptive athletics.
Aoki initially began with wheelchair basketball at age seven, winning back-to-back national championships with the Jr. Rolling Timberwolves as a teenager. At 15, inspired by the documentary "Murderball," Aoki transitioned to wheelchair rugby, drawn to its intensity and camaraderie. He graduated from Southwest High School and afterward earned his master’s in public policy at the University of Minnesota. An advocate for athletes with disabilities, Aoki takes to social media to educate others on living with a disability.
At the London 2012 Paralympic Games, Aoki made an impressive Paralympic debut, helping guide Team USA's wheelchair rugby team to a bronze medal finish. Four years later at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, he elevated his team's performance, leading the United States to a silver medal in an intensely fought final match.
The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games marked a special milestone for Aoki, who served as Team USA's co-captain and flag bearer. He continued his stellar performance on the court, again steering the team to a silver medal.
Aoki continued his Paralympic journey, at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, leading Team USA to their third consecutive silver medal, and earning his fourth Paralympic medal in his career. With four Paralympic medals, Aoki became the most decorated U.S. athlete in the sport.
Chuck Aoki has an impressive world championship career, having first joined the U.S. World Championship roster in 2010. He holds the distinction of being one of only two USA wheelchair rugby athletes to medal at four different world championships.
At just 17, Aoki made history as the second-youngest player ever selected for the U.S. national wheelchair rugby team in 2008-09. His international debut came at the 2009 American Zonal Championships, where he helped the U.S. secure gold. He followed this with another gold at the 2010 World Wheelchair Rugby Championship and the 2011 American Zonal Championships.
In domestic competition, Aoki's achievements include two Division I National Championships alongside his Division II title. His exceptional play earned him multiple MVP awards and the 2011 United States Quad Rugby Association (USQRA) Player of the Year honor.
PARIS – Double teamed and banged around by aggressive British opponents, Chuck Aoki remained poised, delivering a perfectly timed and well-executed pass downcourt to his streaking teammate Sarah Adam, who cruised home for a pivotal try. It was a dagger...
Chuck Aoki is a three-time Paralympic medalist for Team USA In Moving the Ball Forward: Athlete Voices with Chuck Aoki, Chuck talks about how he discovered the sport of Wheelchair Rugby, the growth of the Paralympic Games, and what it means to be a Par...
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PARIS – It wasn’t the fairy tale ending that they had envisioned.Team USA wheelchair rugby bowed to an opportunistic Japanese team in the gold medal contest, 48-41, on Monday night at the Champs-de-Mars Arena. Despite the painful defeat, the U.S. perfo...
PARIS – Double teamed and banged around by aggressive British opponents, Chuck Aoki remained poised, delivering a perfectly timed and well-executed pass downcourt to his streaking teammate Sarah Adam, who cruised home for a pivotal try. It was a dagger...
The 18-year-old helped the U.S. win gold at the 2023 Parapan American Games, which secured the team’s spot in Paris.
Chuck Aoki is on a mission to help bring home a gold medal in Paris.
Newby, who has won two Paralympic silver medals, is one of the U.S. co-captains at the Parapan American Games.
