Head Shot
Para Nordic Skiing

Omar Bermejo

Paralympian 2014

Athlete Bio#

Height

5'11"

Age

43

Hometown

Grand Rapids, MI

Education

Union HS (Grand Rapids, Mich.) ‘00 University of Phoenix ‘13, Business

Personal
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)

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