Michael O'Hearn

Quick Facts

• Specialty: Para Alpine Skiing (Standing) — LW9-1 Classification
• Born June 20, 2001 with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita
• Was on skis by age three at the Adaptive Sports Foundation in Windham, New York
• Hobbies include outdoor recreation and training at the National Ability Center in Park City, Utah

Biographical Information

Micheal O’Hearne was born in Spring Lake, New Jersey, with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (a congenital condition characterized by multiple joint contractures). By age three, he was on skis, drawn to the sport through a combination of family support and the natural appeal of a mountain.

He competes in the LW9-1 classification, which covers standing athletes with impairments affecting at least one arm and at least one leg, including those resulting from conditions such as cerebral palsy, limb differences or reduced joint mobility. O'Hearn's training base is the National Ability Center in Park City, Utah, where he developed alongside some of the country's best para alpine athletes under structured high-performance coaching. Park City’s altitude, terrain variety, and elite instruction has been central to his development.

His competitive results reflect an athlete whose development is accelerating. At the 2025 Huntsman Cup in Park City, Utah, O'Hearn won the men's standing title. In January 2026, he posted a third-place finish at a FIS Para alpine race at Winter Park, Colorado. Those performances earned him a nomination from U.S. Ski & Snowboard to the U.S. Paralympic Team for the Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, his Paralympic debut in the men's standing alpine events.

A 2024 graduate of Westminster University in Salt Lake City, O'Hearn balanced academic work with a demanding training schedule. The Paralympic start gate in Italy is not a destination but a milestone: the visible marker of a career that began the moment he clipped into his first pair of skis.