Noah Bury, a creative writing major at Weber State University, will represent Team USA in the 2026 Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter Games on March 6. Bury is currently ranked 32nd worldwide in men’s para alpine slalom skiing.
“When I got the call that I was going to be on Team USA, it was like a very deep exhale,” Bury said. “It was like finally getting that job offer you’ve been waiting years and years for.”
Bury follows in the footsteps of other Weber State athletes, such as David Blair, who won gold in discus at the 2016 Rio Olympics and bronze during the 2024 London games.
Born with tibial hemimelia, a rare birth defect that led to his right leg being amputated below the knee at eight months old, Bury has participated in many sports since childhood. “It was wired into me that I’m not different than anybody else, so I did all the normal sports: baseball, basketball, tennis, all that good stuff,” he said. “Being disabled requires a lot of ingenuity. You can’t do things the same way everyone else can, so it’s finding avenues and ways to do it differently.”
He began skiing at age five but focused on it exclusively starting in high school. “I just fell in love with the community, the biomechanics, and the movement of skiing itself. There’s no two days on snow that are ever the same,” he said.
His mother, Jamie Wankier Randles—an associate professor of nursing at Weber State—said skiing suited him well. “When he’s on snow, it’s an equal playground,” she said. “Noah has one of those personalities that when he dives into a topic or a hobby, he goes in with everything he’s got.”
While working lifts at Snowbasin Resort in Weber County—a region served by Weber State University as part of its commitment to supporting Utah communities—Bury met an adaptive sports director who encouraged him to attend an event for winter adaptive sports. Though initially hesitant about competitive racing due to his preference for free skiing, Bury decided competition would help him improve technically.
“I realized that if I wanted to become a better skier technically, I had to do this. I had to try it out,” he said.
Adaptive skiing requires specialized equipment including a prosthetic limb designed specifically for use on snow; this prosthetic features a brace up his quadricep and snaps directly into bindings without needing a boot. Bury described having to repair his equipment during training but remained unfazed by challenges: “It didn’t even phase me because I was in this beautiful place, with these amazing people, having this experience,” he said.
In January 2024 Bury began training with the National Sports Center for the Disabled in Winter Park, Colorado—a move that expanded his competitive opportunities both nationally and internationally. He recently achieved first- and second-place finishes at Open National Championships held in Park City.
To accommodate intensive training schedules while continuing his studies through Weber State University, which offers flexible learning pathways and supports student success through personalized education options—including online learning—Bury relocated from Layton to Winter Park and expects to graduate in fall 2026.
“I’ve enjoyed the autonomy. I like being able to study when I want to do it versus having to go to class at a certain time,” Bury said. “Weber State is a great community. I’ve met some of my best friends through Weber.”
Wankier Randles will lead a study abroad trip when Paralympic events begin but hopes she can return home in time for her son’s competition. She noted his rapid progress: “He’s really fresh to the whole sport. He’s really excelled and he’s just going to keep growing from here.”
Bury does not expect medals this year but looks forward to participating as part of Team USA.
Weber State University provides affordable education and acts as an educational resource for regional communities while fostering inclusion and excellence among students from diverse backgrounds (official website). The university is located near Ogden with views of local landmarks such as Great Salt Lake and focuses on supporting student growth through research experiences and civic engagement.
