Sports
Mahtomedi Skier Competing For US At 2022 Paralympics In Beijing
The 17-year-old high school senior "has shown the potential to be a rising star for U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing," the team said.
MAHTOMEDI, MN — A year after becoming the first visually impaired skier to win an individual conference title in Minnesota, Mahtomedi High School’s Max Nelson is representing the U.S. at the 2022 Paralympics in Beijing.
The 17-year-old high school senior is the youngest skier on the U.S. Nordic Team for the Beijing Paralympics. He "has shown the potential to be a rising star for U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing," the team said when announcing his selection.
Max is slated to make his Paralympics debut Wednesday in a qualifying round for a sprint race, The Lowdown reported. He is also expected to compete in a cross-country skiing race and could be included in a relay, the report states.
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Max was left with limited vision in his right eye after undergoing more than 10 surgeries for a congenital retina disease, according to his profile on the Team USA website. He also had retina detachments in both eyes when he was 2, his profile states.
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He started skiing in first grade after trying wrestling, ice skating, swimming and a few other sports, according to his profile.
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Max told Team USA his most memorable sporting moment was winning the Metro East Conference individual championship in 2021, becoming the first-ever visually impaired Minnesota skier to win a conference title.
He followed up that win by competing in two World Cup competitions in 2021, finishing 14th in a men’s visually impaired cross-country race
Max is one of five Paralympians from Minnesota, alongside wheelchair curler Batoyun "Oyuna" Uranchimeg, of Burnsville; skiers Sydney Peterson, of Lake Elmo, and Aaron Pike, of Grand Rapids; and snowboarder Mike Schultz, of St. Cloud.
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