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The 2022 Paralympic Winter Video games are coming in March 2022 to the networks and digital platforms of NBCUniversal.
On the way in which there, be taught somewhat bit extra about a number of of the names hoping to symbolize the US:
Andrew Kurka, Alpine Snowboarding
A five-time state champion in wrestling, Andrew Kurka dreamed of going to the Olympics and successful gold on the mat… However his life modified when he flipped a four-wheeler and broke his again at age 13… He continued to wrestle, successful one other state championship with out using his legs… Three years after the accident, his bodily therapist introduced him to an adaptive ski and snowboard faculty, and he set his sights on a brand new dream… In 2018, he turned the primary Alaskan Paralympic medalist when he received a gold medal in downhill and a silver medal in super-G… Raised by a single mom who labored two jobs, the Alaska native grew up in a small Russian-speaking village.
Thomas Walsh, Alpine Snowboarding
The day earlier than he was speculated to set off to Inexperienced Mountain Valley Faculty (a ski academy in Vermont), Alpine skier Thomas Walsh was identified with Ewing’s sarcoma, a uncommon type of bone most cancers that developed in his pelvis and lungs… He underwent chemotherapy, radiation, and pelvic resection remedies for 14 months earlier than being declared cancer-free… Whereas within the hospital, the Vail native was ceaselessly visited by certainly one of his childhood associates: Mikaela Shiffrin… Each natives of Vail, Shiffrin and Walsh go approach again… Walsh’s first racing coach was Eileen Shiffrin, Mikaela’s mom… It was throughout one of many hospital visits that Shiffrin informed Walsh she had by no means been to a highschool promenade… Walsh remembers, “Mikaela mentioned to me, ‘You higher be round for that since you’re taking me to your promenade'”… Walsh had the chance to journey to Sochi to observe Shiffrin compete because of the Make-A-Want Basis… After the Olympics, he started researching what it could take for him to compete in Para Alpine snowboarding… He made his World Cup debut in 2015 and his Paralympic debut in 2018, the place his greatest end was fifth in slalom… Completed third in each large slalom and tremendous mixed on the 2019 World Championships.
Dan Cnossen, Cross-Nation Snowboarding, Biathlon
Nordic skier Dan Cnossen was one of many breakout athletes of the 2018 PyeongChang Paralympics, leaving the Video games with six medals… 9 years earlier, he was serving as a U.S. Navy Seal lieutenant commander in September 2009 when he stepped on an IED and needed to have each legs amputated simply above the knee… Cnossen had greater than 40 surgical procedures because of the harm and discovered how one can use prosthetics… An avid runner, he was launched to Nordic snowboarding in late 2010 after attending a coaching camp in Montana… Cnossen mentioned he “instantly fell in love with the peacefulness and its reference to nature.”
Dani Aravich, Cross-Nation Snowboarding
Sports activities had been built-in early on into Dani Aravich’s life… Born with out her left hand and forearm, Aravich was inspired by her mother and father to get entangled in athletics, first in soccer, then distance operating… She was a DI cross-country and observe and discipline athlete throughout her first 12 months at Butler College… After faculty, she was working for the Utah Jazz when a household pal approached her about coaching for the Paralympics… She began coaching for the 400m (as a result of her classification doesn’t embody distance occasions) and made her Paralympic debut in Tokyo… Six months later, she hopes to compete in 2022 in Nordic snowboarding after being recruited to the game by a U.S. coach who invited her to a coaching camp… Whereas she admitted coaching for each Video games in such a short while span offered its challenges, “I might by no means wish to look again 10 years from now and be like, ‘Oh, nicely, I made the Winter Video games in 2022. Wonderful, however I may need been in a position to make the summer time too. Why did not I’m going for it?”
Oksana Masters, Cross-Nation Snowboarding, Biathlon
A ten-time Paralympic medalist, Oksana Masters has excelled in each winter and summer time sports activities, successful 5 medals in PyeongChang and two in Sochi in nordic snowboarding, a bronze medal on the 2012 London Paralympics as a rower and most just lately, two gold medals in biking on the Tokyo Video games… An harm led her to modify from rowing to biking after London, and on the 2016 Rio Paralympics, she completed simply shy of the rostrum, which she mentioned saved her excited about successful a medal in Tokyo… Born in Ukraine with a set of beginning defects believed to be attributable to the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe, Masters bounced between orphanages for seven years till she was adopted by a single mom… She can be among the many busiest athletes on the planet within the subsequent six months with a fast turnaround between the Summer time and Winter Paralympics.
Brody Roybal, Sled Hockey
At simply 15 years previous, Roybal was the youngest member of the 2014 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Group. 4 years later, he was a part of one other gold medal-winning staff in PyeongChang. Roybal is a congenital bilateral amputee, born with out femurs in both leg. Rising up, Roybal performed softball and basketball, then switched to wrestling in highschool. His true ardour was contact sports activities, driving him to strive sled hockey at age eight in 2006. At age 12, his profession took a slight detour when he broke one elbow and injured the opposite in a skateboarding accident. After making an attempt wrestling, his quickly realized that his true ardour was sled hockey. Later that 12 months, he was attending USA Hockey’s participant improvement camps with goals of Paralympic gold. He made his debut with the U.S. Nationwide Sled Hockey Group through the 2013-2014 season…Member of the ARC Efficiency Group…Has been employed by DICK’s Sporting Items as a member of their contenders program…Son of Robert and Michelle Roybal…Hobbies embody skateboarding, understanding and gaming…Has one brother, Spencer…Was named the 2015 March of Dimes Inspirational Athlete of the 12 months. In June of 2021 on the OSTRAVA 2021 World Para Ice Hockey Championships he was named Named Finest Ahead, Named Finest Participant of the Recreation in two matchups… USA/CAN; USA/NOR and was general named MVP of the U.S. Group.
Declan Farmer, Sled Hockey
Declan Farmer made his Paralympic debut in Sochi at 16, because the second-youngest member of the gold-medal successful staff. He was born a bilateral amputee (one above the knee and one beneath the knee) and has been enjoying sled hockey since age 9. Born in Tampa, Florida, Farmer has since moved to Nashville Tennessee after graduating from Princeton College with a level in Economics in 2020. He’s a two-time Paralympian, having competed in each Sochi and PyeongChang. Farmer started to make his mark on the nationwide scene by attending USA Hockey’s Participant Improvement Camps in 2010, 2011 and 2012. At simply 14 years previous, he made his first U.S. Nationwide Sled Hockey Group for the 2013-14 season and assisted the staff in successful gold on the 2014 Paralympic Winter Video games. In PyeongChang, Farmer was instrumental in successful the gold but once more the place he scored the most important objective of his profession, tying the gold-medal sport with 38.7 seconds left. As the sport headed into additional time Farmer had what he described as the most important second of his athletic profession when he scored the successful objective of the Paralympics in opposition to Group USA’s largest rival Canada at 3 minutes, 30 seconds into additional time. In one more dynamic Canada / USA matchup, the U.S. went on to win gold on the 2021 Para Sled Hockey World Championship that came about in Ostrava, Czech Republic. On the conclusion of the Worlds, Farmer posted 3 objectives, 4 assists and 29 pictures on objective.
Josh Pauls, Sled Hockey
Born with out tibia bones, Josh Pauls had each legs amputated at 10 months previous… He had goals of turning into the primary NHL goalie with no legs earlier than becoming a member of an area sled hockey staff in 2002 on the encouragement of his mother and father… Six years later he made his U.S. nationwide sled hockey staff debut at age 15… In 2010, at age 17, he was the youngest member of the gold medal successful staff on the Vancouver Paralympic Video games… He received a second gold in Sochi and a 3rd in 2018 in Pyeongchang. He at the moment serves as Captain of the US Sled Hockey Group and helped lead the staff to a world title win in opposition to Canada on the 2021 Para World Ice Hockey Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
Rico Roman, Sled Hockey
Rico Roman, a father of two, admittedly didn’t develop up as a hockey fanatic… Hailing from Portland, Oregon, he served within the U.S. Military for 9 years and had his left leg amputated above the knee after being injured by an improvised explosive machine in Iraq in 2007… He was launched to sled hockey by Operation Consolation, a corporation devoted to helping injured U.S. service personnel, and after failing to make the nationwide staff on his first strive, devoted himself to turning into a greater sled hockey participant… Roman received gold with the U.S. on the 2014 Paralympic Video games in Sochi after which once more in 2018 in PyeongChang. He additionally received Gold with the Group on the 2021 World Para Ice Hockey Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
Jen Lee, Sled Hockey
Born in Taiwan (identified through the Video games as Chinese language Taipei); Hometown: San Francisco, CA – Employees Sergeant, U.S. Military (Retired), Lee had his left leg amputated above the knee when injured in a bike accident in 2009. He was launched to sled hockey by Operation Consolation, a corporation devoted to helping injured U.S. service personnel. Lee has mentioned, “For me, being a part of Group USA offers me the flexibility not solely to symbolize my nation, however I additionally worth the camaraderie of all my teammates. I used to be a army service veteran previous to being harm, and the chemistry and the bond that we have created on and off the ice with my teammates is one thing I’ll always remember.” A backup goalie for U.S. Sled Hockey, Lee is poised to take the highest goaltender spot following the current retirement of Paralympic legend Steve Money. The U.S. is on the lookout for a fourth straight gold in Beijing having defeated Canada, 2-1, in an unforgettable OT thriller in 2018 at PyeongChang.
Brittani Coury, Snowboarding
Coury broke her proper ankle whereas snowboarding in 2003, and within the years to return skilled continued issues with the ankle, requiring a number of surgical procedures. In June 2011, after 9 surgical procedures, she determined to have her leg amputated beneath the knee to pursue a extra lively life… Motivated by those that had helped her along with her harm, she sought to grow to be a registered nurse… She first competed in Para snowboarding in 2016 and received a Paralympic silver medal in banked slalom in 2018… She was at a contest in Norway in March 2020 when she was awoken at 2 a.m. to pack her issues and go away resulting from COVID-19… As a nurse, she volunteered to assist on the COVID-19 ward of her hospital in Salt Lake Metropolis, Utah.
Different U.S. Paralympic hopefuls to observe embody: Mike Schultz (Snowboarding); Noah Elliott (Snowboarding); Brenna Huckaby (Snowboarding); Evan Robust (Snowboarding); Keith Gabel (Snowboarding); Laurie Stephens (Alpine Snowboarding); Danelle Umstead (Alpine Snowboarding); Kendall Gretsch (Biathlon, Cross-Nation Snowboarding); Jake Adicoff (Biathlon, Cross-Nation Snowboarding); Aaron Pike (Biathlon, Cross-Nation Snowboarding); Liza Corso (Biathlon, Cross-Nation Snowboarding); Josh Sweeney (Sled Hockey, Biathlon, Cross-Nation Snowboarding); Steve Emt (Wheelchair Curling); Matthew Thums (Wheelchair Curling); David Samsa (Wheelchair Curling); Pam Wilson (Wheelchair Curling); Oyuna Uranchimeg (Wheelchair Curling)
NBC Olympics Analysis contributed to this story.
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