Rico Roman

Retired Army Staff Sgt. Rico Roman overcame a serious injury to become a Paralympic hockey player. Born in Portland, Ore., on Feb. 4, 1981, Roman joined the U.S. Army shortly after graduating from Alpha High School in Gresham, Ore., in 2001. While serving in Iraq in February 2007, he was wounded by an improvised explosive device that led to his left leg being amputated above the knee. Within a year of the amputation, Roman had completed two bike marathons and rode 150 miles in a day to raise money for multiple sclerosis research. At the suggestion of members of nonprofit organization Operation Comfort, Roman joined the San Antonio Rampage sled hockey team in 2009. He joined the United States National Sled Hockey Team in 2011 and was part of the 2013 USA Hockey Sled Cup championship squad. Roman secured a spot on his first Paralympic Team in 2014, earning a gold medal at the Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, that year. He qualified for the team again in 2018, participating in the Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. Roman, a Purple Heart recipient, also participated in hand cycling, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair football in the wake of his amputation. He and wife Ela have two children, Juliet and Raul.