Mike Schultz

Monster Mike ["I earned this when racing snocross back in 2004 because of my aggressive riding style."] (nbcolympics.com, 02 Mar 2022)

Motocross, mountain biking, horseback riding. (Athlete, 03 Mar 2022)

Winning a gold medal in snowboard cross at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (Athlete, 03 Mar 2022)

US Para snowboarder Keith Gabel. "He's been on the US team through my time with the team. He's fun to travel the world with and has helped me become a better rider." (Athlete, 03 Mar 2022)

US snocross rider Tucker Hibbert, US motocross rider Ryan Dungey, US freestyle skier David Wise. (Athlete, 03 Mar 2022)

In 2017 he suffered a concussion after crashing while competing at an event in the Republic of Korea. (gq.com, 07 Mar 2022)

In 2016 he crashed while riding his dirt bike. He broke six ribs, tore cartilage in his thumb, and sustained a concussion. The injuries meant he was unable to compete in snowboarding at the 2017 Winter X Games in Aspen, CO, United States of America. (gq.com, 07 Mar 2022)

He shattered his right heel during his adaptive boardercross semifinal at the 2015 Winter X Games in Aspen, CO, United States of America. He underwent surgery and was unable to participate in high intensity activity for six months. (paralympic.org, 19 Oct 2015; denverpost.com, 23 Jan 2015)

"I squat up and down five times, slam my rear foot two or three times, and slap my head." (Athlete, 03 Mar 2022)

"I've got two passions in life. One is being a competitive athlete and the other is the creative side of me - designing and fabricating things with my hands." (OIS, 03 Mar 2022)

He was named Best Male Athlete with a Disability at the 2018 Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly [ESPY] Awards. (teamusa.org, 27 Dec 2018)

He was flag bearer for the United States of America at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (nbcolympics.com, 07 Mar 2018)

In 2010 he was inducted into the Athletes with Disabilities Network [ADN] Hall of Fame in the United States of America. He also received the organisation's Roger McCarville Male Athlete of the Year award. (oandp.com, 01 Nov 2010)

Before his accident he was a professional snocross racer. He has won gold medals in adaptive motocross at the X Games, and in adaptive snocross and adaptive snow bikecross at the Winter X Games. (tricountynews.mn, 20 Feb 2019; ridefox.com, 01 Jan 2014)

He became the first male Para snowboarder representing the United States of America to win three medals at the Paralympic Winter Games by claiming silver in snowboard cross at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing. He also won gold in snowboard cross and silver in banked slalom at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang. (SportsDeskOnline, 22 Sep 2022)

In December 2008 he was competing in a snocross race when his snowmobile drifted sideways as he jumped over a mogul and landed on his left leg. He suffered a severe compound fracture to his knee, and after multiple operations the limb was amputated above the knee. (denverpost.com, 23 Jan 2015; monstermikeschultz.com, 01 Jan 2014; ridefox.com, 01 Jan 2014)

GIVING HIS COMPETITORS AN EDGE
In 2010 he founded BioDapt, a company that produces high-impact sports prosthetics including the Moto Knee, which he has used himself, and the Versa Foot. His prostheses have been used by his competitors, including at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing. "When I realised there were not many options out there for sport prosthetics, I was like, 'You know what, I'm the perfect guy to solve this problem'. Now, we've got a few hundred athletes and veterans using our product, as well as the majority of the US Paralympic snowboarding team. I've got the athlete hat and the businessman hat. It's tricky, a fine line. My wife Sara and I were calculating the number of athletes [at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing] using our equipment. It's athletes in 11 countries. Me helping them with their performance equipment isn't, I always feel, the best thing, but I assure you I am so much more about the bigger picture - using what I've learned to improve our sport overall." (OIS, 03 Mar 2022; teamusa.org, 03 Dec 2021; Facebook page, 01 Feb 2022; Facebook profile, 11 Dec 2020; medgadget.com, 23 Jan 2020; LinkedIn profile, 01 Jan 2019; si.com, 30 Oct 2017)

CONSIDERING RETIREMENT
He considered retiring following the 2018/19 season, but decided to continue after he won a gold medal at the 2019 World Championships in Pyha, Finland. "It was a few months after the [2018 Paralympic Winter] Games that I was like, 'I don't have a world championship under my belt yet, so maybe I'll stick around another season so I can do that'. Then I got a world championship in bank slalom, and I was like, 'Well, I'm already a year in, it's only three years to the [2022 Paralympic Winter] Games. I'm still getting better every time I'm on the snow. I'm improving and I'm learning things, so heck yeah, let's just keep going." (OIS, 02 Mar 2022)

BOOK
He authored a book published in January 2022 called 'Driven to Ride: The True Story of an Elite Athlete Who Rebuilt His Leg, His Life, and His Career'. (amazon.com, 18 Jan 2022; foyles.co.uk, 01 Dec 2021)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
He has served as a member of the borders commission of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee [USOPC]. (teamusa.org, 18 Aug 2020)