Omar Bermejo

Quick Facts

• Bermejo joined the United States Marine Corps at age 17 and had risen to the rank of sergeant within ten years of service
• Bermejo was injured in a motorcycle accident in June 2008, shortly after returning from his fourth deployment in Iraq. The crash left Bermejo with a nearly-severed arm that would be amputated at the shoulder shortly thereafter
• Bermejo went through a depression after the amputation as he looked for a reason to stay motivated in everyday life. It wasn’t until a visit to the nearby VA Medical Center that Bermejo met other veterans in his condition that convinced him not to give up on himself.
• At a rehabilitation camp in Lake Placid, N.Y., four months after his amputation, Bermejo put on cross-country skis for the first time and fell in love with the sport.
• Bermejo is a resident athlete at the Wood River Ability Program (Paralympic Sport Club Ketchum) in Sun Valley, Idaho; he also spent time training last summer with the Maine Winter Sports Center in Caribou, Maine.

Career Highlights

• 2014: Paralympic Winter Games, 9th 4x2.5km open relay (with Augusto Perez, Bryan Price and Kevin Burton), 17th 12.5km biathlon, 17th 15km Biathlon, 18th 7.5km Biathlon, 29th 10km, 30th 1km sprint
• 2014: U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing National Championships, 1st 7.5km biathlon, 1km, 10km and 15km
• 2013: World Cup Canmore, 9th 15km biathlon, 12th 7.5km and 12.5km biathlons, 13th 20km
• 2013: World Cup Cable, Wis., 5th 15km biathlon, 6th 7.5km biathlon, 7th 12.5km biathlon and 20km, 12th 15km and cross-country sprint
• 2013: U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing National Championships, 1st 15km, 10km, cross-country sprint, distance and sprint biathlon
• 2012: Named to U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing Development Team
• 2014: Paralympic Winter Games, 9th 4x2.5km open relay (with Augusto Perez, Bryan Price and Kevin Burton), 17th 12.5km biathlon, 17th 15km biathlon, 18th 7.5km biathlon, 29th 10km, 30th 1km sprint
• U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing National Championships, 1st 7.5km biathlon, 1km, 10km and 15km
• 2013: World Cup Canmore, 9th 15km biathlon, 12th 7.5km and 12.5km biathlons, 13th 20km
• World Cup Cable, Wis., 5th 15km biathlon, 6th 7.5km biathlon, 7th 12.5km biathlon and 20km, 12th 15km and cross-country sprint
• U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing National Championships, 1st 15km, 10km, cross-country sprint, distance and sprint biathlon
• 2012: Named to U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing Development Team

Paralympic Experience

• 1-time Paralympian;
• Paralympic Games Sochi 2014, 9th (4 x 2.5km Relay Open - Open), 17th (12.5km Middle - Standing - Men, 15km Individual - Standing - Men), 18th (7.5km Sprint - Standing - Men), 29th (10km Freestyle - Standing - Men), 30th (1km Sprint Freestyle - Standing - Men)

World Championships Experience

• Most recent: 2021 – 14th (PTS4 - Men)
• Years of participation: PTS4 - Men 2018, 2021; 10km Classic Style - Standing - Men 2015; 12.5km Middle - Standing - Men 2015; 15km Individual - Standing - Men 2015; 1km Sprint Classic Style - Standing - Men 2015; 4 x 2.5km Relay Mixed - Mixed 2015; 7.5km Sprint - Standing - Men 2015
• Top finish: 7th – 2015 (4 x 2.5km Relay Mixed - Mixed)