Orlando Perez made Paralympic history for himself Friday morning, becoming the first Puerto Rican sitting skier to complete a men’s giant slalom run and advance to the final at the Winter Paralympic Games
Paralyzed Veterans of America Mountain States Chapter member Orlando Perez recorded an individual Paralympic first Friday morning. For the first time in his two Winter Paralympic Games, he completed a men’s sitting giant slalom run and made it to the event final.
Competing for Puerto Rico, the 50-year-old Perez raced to 22nd place in his opening men’s sitting giant slalom run, finishing in 1 minute and 47.96 seconds at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, and advanced to the second-run final. However, he recorded a did-not-finish in his finals run.
Perez competed in the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing, recording two did-not-finishes in the men’s sitting slalom and men’s giant sitting slalom. He was chosen as Puerto Rico’s flagbearer for the opening ceremony there.
