5'8"
46
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Wentzville High School ‘98
Classification: LW11, Sitting
David Williams grew up in the St. Louis, Missouri area, graduating from Wentzville High School in 1998 before going on to serve in the U.S. military. In 2014, while on active duty, Williams sustained a spinal cord injury that left him with permanent paralysis.
After his injury, David heard about other veterans who had taken up skiing and found renewed purpose through adaptive sports. He discovered adaptive alpine skiing through the Aspen Valley Ski Club's adaptive program in Aspen, Colorado. He describes what he loves most about the sport with directness: the constant process of learning and growing — both physically and mentally.
Williams's breakthrough at the national level came when he won the U.S. national championship in super-G in the LW11 sitting division, the classification for athletes with partial trunk control, fair sitting balance, but no hip function. That result, which he cites as his most memorable moment in the sport, validated the years of development that preceded it and earned him selection to the U.S. Para Alpine Ski Team.
He made his Paralympic debut at the Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, competing in giant slalom and super-G in the men's sitting division. That same year, he represented the United States at the 2021 World Para Snow Sports Championships, competing across three disciplines — downhill, giant slalom and super-G. Competing at both a Paralympic games and a world championships in 2022 reflected the pace of his progression from recreational adaptive skiing in Aspen to the elite international circuit in roughly six years.
Off the snow, Williams enjoys hand biking and traveling.
At the Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, para alpine and cross-country events will be held at the same venues as their Olympic cousins: the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo and the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Val d...
Disability Pride Month is a time to recognize the history, achievements and experiences of people living with disabilities. It reminds us that disability is a natural part of human diversity, not a deficit or a condition that needs a fix.Team USA’s Par...
Paralympians Andrew Kurka, Patrick Halgren and Matthew Brewer cherished recent descents down Cortina d’Ampezzo’s revered Olympia delle Tofane race hill.Competing at the FIS Para Alpine World Cup in the Italian Dolomites ski resort, Jan. 30-Feb. 2, the ...
U.S. women (and one mixed team) shined in 2023 with world titles, record-breaking performances and some notable firsts.
