Team USA will bring 10 Coloradans to compete in Beijing during the 2022 Paralympics this month.
The Colorado Springs-based Olympic committee announced the complete national team last week. This year’s roster includes 67 athletes from 27 states. Colorado has the largest delegation on the roster.
Ralph DeQuebec, a sled hockey defenseman from Denver, and Malik Jones, a forward from Aurora, have a chance to continue the men’s team’s winning streak. The team has won gold in the past three paralympics. DeQuebec is one of 39 Team USA members going to Beijing with previous paralympic experience.
The opening ceremony, when athletes gather to light the Olympic flame, took place early Friday morning, around 4:30 MST. This year marks the 13th iteration of the paralympic winter games, which first started in 1976. The summer paralympic games began in 1960.
Tyler Carter, a Colorado Springs-based alpine skier, carried the flag during the ceremony alongside his Park City-based teammate Danelle Umstead. It’s Carter’s third paralympics, and likely his last, he wrote in a Facebook post following the announcement.
“I’m beyond honored and speechless,” Carter wrote. “I’ve given everything to alpine skiing, striving to bring positivity and better the Paralympic movement.”
The competition officially kicks off March 5 and runs through March 13. Live coverage is available on several streaming services and local TV broadcasters.
These are all the Coloradans participating in the Winter Games and their sports:
- Pam Wilson, Denver (wheelchair curling)
- Ralph DeQuebec, Denver (sled hockey)
- Malik Jones, Aurora (sled hockey)
- Allie Johnson, Fraser (alpine skiing)
- Jasmin Bambur, Granby (alpine skiing)
- Tyler Carter, Colorado Springs (alpine skiing)
- Kyle Taulman, Golden (alpine skiing)
- Thomas Walsh, Vail (alpine skiing)
- Zach Miller, Silverthorne (snowboarding)
- Mike Minor (snowboarding)
Editor's note: Olympians are asked to self-identify by hometown, which is what this list is based on. Note that this could be different from their birthplace, where they grew up, or where they currently reside.
