The PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Games start up this Friday and I wanted to share portraits of two athletes you should know about.

Alana Nichols is a Paralympian who suffered a spinal cord injury at age 17 while attempting a back flip on her snowboard. Alana is the first American female to win gold medals at both Summer (Wheelchair Basketball) and Winter (Alpine Ski Racing) Olympic Games.

“My story proves that given the right frame of mind, we can still reach our fullest potential as athletes, despite disabilities.”

Rico Roman is a Paralympian on the USA Sled Hockey Team who received a purple heart after loosing his left leg to an IED while serving on his 3rd duty in Iraq. Rico helped his team take home gold in 2014 and is back this year to defend his team’s title.

“Life has a way of testing your grit, where it questions what you're made of. Nothing's easy, but at the end of the day we have to dig deep and push past those points.”

Creative: Gyro. Doug Kamp & Mark Sedlacek

Retouching: Jeff Whitlock