Andrew Kurka is an Alaskan personality who is a paralympic alpine skier by profession. He has competed at various national events including super combined, super G, giant slalom, and many more. Despite this, he remained a six-time Alaskan champion in wrestling with freestyle and Greco-Roman specialty before making his final career in the U.S Paralympics National Team in 2010. He has developed his figure as a world champion and the winner of para-alpine skier, who has also qualified for the U.S. Paralympic Team in 2014. In March 2018, Andrew won the downhill at the Winter Paralympics 2018 in South Korea, which made his first streak for the competition.
Early Life
Andrew Kurka was born in Anchorage on 27th January 1992 and as of 2022, he is 30 years old making his long journey of transformation from a wrestler to a skier. Kuka was brought up in a small Alaskan village called Nikolaevsk, where people generally speak the Russian language. In the summers, he used to spend his leisure time with the family while traveling through places like Palmer, Alaska, while he often used to spend his time at a home in Aspen, Colorado during winters.
It was at the age of 13 when Kurka met with an ATV accident. The accident severely damaged the three vertebrae in the middle of his spinal cord. He was about to make his career in wrestling, but leaving all his aspirations behind, he tried his hand in monoski for the first time at the age of 15. He was highly encouraged by his physical therapist to overcome the challenges of the injury and perform at the events. With his achievements and hard work, Kurka became the first person in monoski to ski the north face of Mt. Alyeska in Girdwood, Alaska.
Andrew Kurka Career
Skiing Career
Andrew Kurka never got settled with his injury, even, he began working for his career two years after his accident when he first decided to manage a career in skiing and made a debut with the 2010 Winter Paralympic In Vancouver, Canada. Later he made his international debut with the paralympic winters and earned a palace in the U.S. Paralympic team in 2014 in Sochi, Russia. However, he crashed himself while being involved in the training before making his journey to games in Sochi and this injured his back. At the beginning of 2018, he again made his entry to the U.S Paralympic team for the Winter Paralympic Games 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
A career in Music
During the summers, when is free from skiing and all winter games, Kurka works for country music as a DJ at Country Legend 100.9 in Wasilla, Alaska. He was also honored by the Classroom Champions in 2017 as an athlete mentor. Classroom Champion is one of the non-profit organizations, which has partnered with paralympic and Olympic athletes including various teachers and students.
Achievements
At the age of 15 in 2017, Kurka earned 13 medals in different international competitions including three medals (one was gold, the second was silver and the third was bronze) for the World Championships in Tarvisio, Italy. After two years at the age of 17, Kurka competed while being a wheelchaired bodybuilder and became the first one to do so at the Crystal Cup in Anchorage, Alaska. Kurka’s story was being noticed and appreciated by one of the organizations called Alaska Children’s Miracle Network. They recruited him as their “Miracle Child”. As a result, he became the ambassador of the CMN Hospitals Alaska Champion and this made him travel worldwide with the stories of different children in hand who have maintained their uncertain journey of the future.
Andrew Kurka Biography |
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| Real Name | Andrew Earl Kurka |
| Birth Date | 27 January 1992 |
| Age (as of 2022) | 30 Years |
| Birth Place | Anchorage, Alaska, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Paralympic alpine skier |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Sun sign | Aquarius |
Physical Statistics |
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| Height | in feet inches – 5’ 9” – in Centimeters – 175 cm |
| Weight | in Kilograms – 68 kg – in Pounds – 150 lbs |
| Shoe Size | 9 (U.S.) |
| Hair Color | Brown |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Body Type | Athletic |
Family |
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| Father | – |
| Mother | – |
| Sister | – |
| Brother | – |
Qualification/Education |
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| School | – |
| College | – |
Relationship Status |
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| Marital Status | Married |
| Affair | No |
| Who is her wife? | Verónica Quezada |
Personal Life
The achiever of 13 medals and the alpine skiing gold medalist, Andrew Kurka, is engaged to his long-time girlfriend named Verónica Quezada. The couple got involved in the rituals of offering rings in October 2021. The couple, later, posted a picture together while smiling and posing for social media, where Kuka shared a message of love in a heart-shaped bottle with a ring on his girlfriend’s finger. Kurka proposed to his girlfriend on the beach while they both were snorkeling in Punta Mita, Mexico.
Kurka, who was then 29 years old, had a lot of things to celebrate as he was named to the U.S. Paralympic Team for the consecutive 11th year. The pair legally signed for their marriage in the documents in December 2021. It seems they are getting married soon, even, they have concluded a month that is July in 2022. Andrew’s girlfriend, Verónica Quezada, is also an athlete who is rare of her kind. She has received a degree in microbiology and by profession, she represents the Black Lioness in handball. She can be found on Instagram by her verified name @bergonic.
Andrew Kurka Net Worth
Andrew Kurka’s estimated net worth is nearly $1-2 million. The primary source of income is his paralympic career and his DJ work in summers he has been maintaining since the age of 15. He has got a verified name on social media including Facebook and Instagram, where he often posts pictures with his girlfriend and skiing competitions showing his love for both.
