Sport: Sled Hockey
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Currently Resides: Bush Prairie, Washington
Birthdate: February 4, 1981
Social Media: Twitter: @RicoSled23; Instagram: @RicoSled23; Facebook: RicoRoman
Toyota Vehicle: Toyota Tundra
Paralympic History: 2014, 2018

Competition Highlights

• Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, gold
• Paralympic Winter Games Sochi 2014, gold
• Three-time world champion (2012, 2019, 2021)
• Six Para Hockey Cup titles (2012, January 2016, December 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
• 10 seasons with the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team (most recently 2021 – 2022)

About Rico Roman

The son of Connie Roman, Rico Roman has two brothers, Benito and Carlos. Roman is a retired U.S. Army Staff Sergeant who had his left leg amputated above the knee when he was wounded by an improvised explosive device while serving his third tour in Iraq in February of 2007.

As a Purple Heart recipient, he was introduced to sled hockey in 2008 by Operation Comfort, an organization dedicated to assisting injured U.S. service personnel at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. In addition to sled hockey, Operation Comfort introduced Roman to hand cycling and wheelchair basketball.

Within a year of his amputation, Roman completed two bike marathons and rode 150 miles in a day to raise money for multiple sclerosis research. In 2009, he joined his first major league hockey team and has been hooked ever since. Roman made his debut on the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team in 2011 and went on to secure a spot on his first Paralympic team in 2014. He lit the cauldron during the opening ceremony of the 2014 Warrior Games.

Roman is married to Ela and the couple has two children, Juliet and Raul. When not on the ice, he likes to work on cars, hunt, play wheelchair basketball, hand cycle and swim. His favorite NHL team is the Seattle Krakens and favorite NBA team is the Portland Trail Blazers.