The Paralympic Games kick off this Friday in Beijing. Sun Valley teen Jesse Keefe will be representing Team USA in para alpine skiing and it's his first time participating in the Paralympic Games.
Keefe began skiing when he was two. By then, his right foot had already been amputated because he was born without an ankle bone. His mom wanted him to learn to ski as soon as he could walk.
He grew up training with the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation.
Keefe spoke about his journey last month during a U.S. Paralympic Alpine Skiing training trip at Sun Valley Resort.
“I didn’t really figure out about para racing for a long time," he said. "I mean, of course I knew about it, but I never was introduced to it. I never had a para team or anybody really like me in Sun Valley.“
He said once he was introduced to the para skiing community, he really enjoyed it.
Keefe won the 2021 National Giant Slalom race in the standing category and started competing on the National Para Alpine Team last year. The races took him on some of his first international travels.
He’s aiming for a gold medal at the Beijing Games, but said just getting more comfortable with big races will be worth it.
“I’m still 17," he said. "If I can get as much experience as I can out of this, then that is fine by me.“
He said how he performs under pressure will inform his training before the next competition.
Find reporter Rachel Cohen on Twitter @racheld_cohen
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