Andrew Kurka
After a tough couple of years, Andrew Kurka is back atop the World Cup Para Alpine podium.
Kurka, a 15-year member of the U.S. Para Alpine Team from Palmer, won a hotly contested downhill race Tuesday in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, the site of the 2026 Paralympics.
Competing in the men’s sitting division three days after his 32nd birthday, Kurka navigated his sit-ski down the challenging route at speeds of up of to 60 miles per hour to win in 1 minute, 21.44 seconds. He edged runner-up Kurt Oatway of Canada by 0.19 seconds and bronze medalist Niels De Langen of the Netherlands by 0.20 seconds with fourth place just 0.58 seconds behind.
“I’ve been off for two years,” Kurka said in an article at fis-ski.com. “I came back in to today and I was ready to send it, ready to show that I still have it.”
Kurka’s fearlessness and technical savvy served him well.
“The Cortina downhill is steep, fast, icy and technical,” Kurka told the Alaska Sports Report via text on Wednesday. “The terrain causes lots of air and that makes it an exciting course. It’s a course where risk and reward run hand in hand. You go as fast as you can but you also need to respect the course or your ski will be gone.”
A day later, Kurka placed fifth in the Cortina Super G race.
In his career, Kurka has experienced extreme highs, such as winning gold at both the 2018 Paralympics in South Korea and 2017 World Championships in Italy. He’s also experienced great disappointments, such as suffering a freak injury at the 2022 Paralympics in Beijing, China.
Kurka injured his shoulder and thumb when a gust of wind pulled him into safety fencing at 55 mph just 30 minutes before the Beijing downhill race.
Andrew Kurka (center) in a group photo in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
In great pain, Kurka still managed fourth in that race but then missed the rest of those Paralympics and underwent a lengthy recovery process that required multiple surgeries.
He missed the rest of the 2022 season and only competed in one race in 2023.
Kurka is now finally healthy and easing back into competition with selective racing.
“My journey since my injury in 2022 has been slow but steady and filled with doubt and determination,” Kurka said. “I knew I couldn’t end my career on a loss. Especially one of that magnitude that I had no control over.”
The year 2022 included two other major events: Kurka married longtime girlfriend Veronica Quezada and the couple celebrated both in Alaska and her native Mexico, but towards years experienced a house fire in Palmer that caused significant smoke and water damage.
Through it all Kurka, also a licensed pilot, has stayed positive and motivated. He’s now again reaping the rewards of his hard work on the slopes and looking forward to the rest of the season.
“I’m reacquiring my comfort and speed on the skis, looking for consistent top 5 finishes and a podium here and there,” said Kurka, who severely damaged his spinal cord in an ATV accident at age 13. “Right now I’m in the running for a downhill overall globe.”