Jonathan Lujan
 2013 World Championships La Molina Spain, Slalom | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born | February 21, 1971 Denver, Colorado |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 190 lb (86.2 kg) |
| Sport | |
| Country |  United States |
| Sport | Paralympic Alpine skiing |
Medal record | |
Jonathan Lujan(born February 21, 1971) is aParalympicalpine skierfrom theUnited States.
Lujan grew up inLittleton, Coloradobefore joining theUnited States Marine Corpsin 1993 and washonorable dischargedin 1997, where he returned toColoradoto become more active in parenting his young daughter Emily. After theattacks of September 11, 2001,he re-enlisted in the Marine Corps and was subsequently deployed toKuwaitin support ofOperation Iraqi Freedom.During the initial ground war Lujan was injured while riding in the rear of a vehicle and suffered two ruptured discs in his lower back. Complications from the surgery resulted in paralysis of his lower legs.[1]He was medically retired from the Marine Corps in 2006 due to those injuries.
In 2008 Lujan attended the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic[2]where he was introduced to ski racing by a ski coach named Scott Olson.[3] He spent the next 3 years skiing part-time for theNational Sports Center for the Disabledin Winter Park, Colorado. Realizing that if he wanted to be more competitive he needed to ski full-time, in 2011 Lujan quit his job and moved to Aspen, Colorado to ski for the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club (AVSC). In his first year racing full-time Lujan won two National Championship titles in Downhill and Super Giant Slalom on his home hill in Aspen.[4]
He also was the bronze medalist in US Nationals in Giant Slalom[5]and also took home another gold and two silvers at NORAM races.
In 2012 he was named to the 2012–2013 US Paralympic National B Team[6]and also competed at the 2013 World Championships in La Molina, Spain.[7]
Lujan was the Runner up for the 2012–2103 Super Giant Slalom National Championship, and took home two more silver medals in NORAM competitions in North America.
Lujan was named to the 2013–2014 US Paralympic National B Team,[8]and was a member of the2014 Winter ParalympicsUS alpine skiing team.[9]Lujan also writes a blogs about his experiences as a professional athlete on the Team USA website as a winter athlete.[10]Lujan is represented by Heather Novikis of Octagon Action Sports.[11]
References[edit]
- ^"Veterans Go for the Gold at Sochi Paralympic Games".ABC News.March 7, 2014.
- ^National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports ClinicWinter Sports Clinic
- ^The Backbone of the Winter Sports ClinicNDVWSC 2008 p.25
- ^"Aspen Business Journal".
- ^"Canada and USA Battle for Victory at NORAM Cup and Nationals".International Paralympic Committee.
- ^US Paralympic Alpine Skiing National Teams namedTeam USA
- ^"US Paralympics selects team for La Molina".International Paralympic Committee.
- ^US Paralympic Alpine Skiing National Teams namedTeam USA
- ^ProfileArchived2014-05-02 at theWayback Machine—2014 Winter Paralympics
- ^Jon LujanTeam USA
- ^"Olympics & Action Sports".Octagon.August 24, 2016.