Mike Schultz will represent the U.S. Paralympic Team at the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — U.S. Paralympics, a division of the United States Olympic Committee, today announced that snowboarder Mike Schultz (St. Cloud, Minnesota) has been selected as the flag bearer to represent the U.S. Paralympic Team at the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018. The ceremony will take place on March 9 at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium in South Korea. Schultz, who will lead the 74-member U.S. Team, was chosen by a vote of fellow Team USA athletes.
“When I watch the Opening Ceremony and see that person carrying the flag, to me it’s a really big deal,” said Schultz. “For me to be that guy for 2018 is an incredible honor and I’m so excited and humbled that my snowboarding team and our U.S. delegation voted me to be that person. I’m really honored to carry the flag and represent our Paralympic team.”
Making his Paralympic debut in PyeongChang, Schultz has emerged as one of the top snowboarders in the world since joining the U.S. team in 2015. He won a silver medal at the 2017 World Para Snowboard Championships and comes off his best season yet, capturing the crystal globe for the snowboard-cross, banked slalom and the overall men’s LL-1 class. An avid action athlete, Schultz was a professional snocross racer before a severe injury during competition in 2008 led to the amputation of his left leg above the knee. He engineered his own prosthetic design, which is used by many of his teammates, international competitors and other amputees across the country.
“To me, there’s two symbols for Team USA: the national anthem and the American flag. To be on the world stage carrying our flag and representing the U.S. Paralympic Team is a huge honor. I’ll be trying my hardest to hold back the tears during the Opening Ceremony.”
The Opening Ceremony will be shown on NBC Sports Network at 6 a.m. ET on March 9.
Fans can follow the 2018 U.S. Paralympic Team at Team USA’s PyeongChang 2018 microsite and across U.S. Paralympics social channels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The U.S. Paralympic Team microsite will offer Team USA results from the Paralympic Winter Games, as well as athlete biographies, sport previews, competition schedules, and facts and figures about the U.S. delegation.
