The 23-year-old had been part of the United States’ Alpine skiing squad for the Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympics but suffered a broken back during a training run which prevented him participating in competition.

It was the third time Kurka had broken his back with the first accident, an all-terrain vehicle crash, seeing him damage three vertebrae which left him slightly paralysed from the waist down in 2013.

Kurka, who was previously a six-time Alaskan state champion in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling before his accident, believes slowing down could help him to prevent more injuries and secure further success, having claimed bronze in the sit skiing super-G at the 2015 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Alpine Skiing World Championships.

“You have to look at the big picture, I get injured a lot and much of that is bad luck, happenstance and a lot of stupidity by me,” he said. 

“If I can decrease the stupidity and my gung-ho attitude, I can get some more finishes out of it.

“Really what I’m looking for at this point is consistency in finishing.

“I only started skiing competitively three to four years ago, but I get injured a lot and haven’t been on snow as much as I’d like to.”

The 23-year-old has also claimed giant slalom gold at the National Championships during his sit skiing career.

He is part of a 12-member US Paralympics Alpine skiing national team for the 2015 to 2016 season and Kurka hopes to make up for missing Sochi 2014 by claiming medals at Pyeongchang 2018.

“Right now, I plan on competing until I’m at least 30 years-old, so Pyeongchang is definitely on the top of my mind,” he said.

“My goal is to ultimately be the best in the world and a Paralympic champion, that’s where my focus is right now.”