Palmer Paralympian wins gold

PALMER — Before leaving for South Korea to compete in the 2018 Paralympic Games, Andrew Kurka had a specific goal.

“I really, really want to bring back the first Paralympic medal for Alaska, and I really want it to be a gold,” Kurka told the Frontiersman in February.

The Palmer Paralympian needed only one event to make that dream a reality. Kurka, a sit-skier, earned gold during the first day of the games in Pyeongchang. He finished first in the men’s downhill, notching a time of 1 minute, 24.11 seconds.

The gold comes after four long years, as Kurka eagerly waited for another opportunity to compete in the Paralympics. Kurka, now 26, was a member of Team USA for the games in Sochi, Russia, in 2014, but an injury knocked him out of competition. He suffered a broken back during his first training run at the Sochi games.

That marked the third time Kurka broke his back. His first injury left him partially paralyzed. At 13, Kurka was in a four-wheeler accident at Jim Creek near Palmer. The all-terrain vehicle flipped and Kurka landed on his head. The impact compressed his spine and cracked his skull. He was medevaced from Jim Creek to Providence Medical Center in Anchorage.

Kurka broke his back a second time training for the Winter X Games early in his adaptive skiing career.

Since recovering from a broken back for the third time, Kurka has been among the best in his sport. Last year, Kurka earned three medals during the World Para Alpine Skiing Championships in Italy. He earned his first world title, gold in the men’s downhill, and added a silver in the giant slalom and broke in the super-G during the world championships.

Kurka will continue the 2018 games with the super-G, super combined and giant slalom events.

Kurka is one of a pair of Palmer athletes competing in the games. Grace Miller, a student at Mat-Su Middle College School, is a member of Team USA’s cross-country skiing team.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com. Frontiersman reporter Tim Rockey contributed to this story.