PLANO, Texas, Dec. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota Motor
North America is turning up the heat on the journey to the Olympic
and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, welcoming four new winter
athletes to the Team Toyota family: U.S. Olympians Erin Jackson and Chris
Mazdzer; U.S. Paralympian Andrew Kurka; and Olympic Hopeful
Alysa Liu. As a mobility company, Toyota is proud to support
Olympic and Paralympic athletes and hopefuls in achieving their
goals — because no matter the challenge, when a person is free to
move, anything is possible.
"At Toyota, we celebrate the Olympic and Paralympic Games and
support the athletes who compete — or one day dream to compete —
365 days a year," said Ed Laukes,
group vice president, Toyota Marketing, Toyota Motor North America.
"The athletes on Team Toyota inspire everyone within the company as
they continue to defy odds, break down barriers, and challenge the
status quo."
After launching its global "Start Your Impossible" campaign
prior to the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018,
Toyota continues to emphasize its commitment to creating an
ever-better society through the freedom of movement. In partnering
with Team Toyota athletes, the company has been able to share in
this dedication and encourage others to do the same.
"We're so happy to welcome Erin, Chris, Andrew and Alysa to the
Team Toyota family," said Dedra
DeLilli, group manager, Olympic and Paralympic Marketing,
Toyota Motor North America. "They'll be in the company of some of
the world's most elite athletes on Team Toyota, and we look forward
to supporting them on their road to Beijing 2022 and beyond."
Team Toyota winter Olympic and Paralympic athletes include:
Nathan Chen (Figure
Skating): Skating since the age of three, Chen landed six quad
jumps in the men's free skate at the Olympic Winter Games
PyeongChang 2018, becoming the first skater to do so at an
international competition. At the same Games, he received a bronze
medal as part of Team USA in the
team figure skating event. The two-time World champion and
three-time Grand Prix Final Champion completed his sophomore year
at Yale University, and he is currently
taking time off to train for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing
2022.
Red Gerard (Snowboarding):
After learning how to snowboard at the age of two, Gerard became
the youngest American male to win an Olympic winter gold medal
since 1928 at Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, when he was
just 17 years old. Gerard recently partnered with Copper Mountain
to create Red's Backyard, a new zone featuring rails of varying
difficulty modeled after the 2019 Burton U.S. Open champion's own
backyard.
Erin Jackson (Long Track
Speedskating): Jackson was named to Team USA after only four months of training on ice
as a speedskater and went on to compete at the Olympic Winter Games
PyeongChang 2018. She is the first black woman to compete for the
U.S. Olympic long track speedskating team. A native of
Ocala, Fla., Jackson is a 2015
University of Florida Materials Science
and Engineering alumna, and trains in Salt Lake City as a member of the 2020-2021
Long Track National Team.
Chloe Kim (Snowboarding):
At 20 years old, Kim's achievements include four X Games gold
medals and Olympic gold in women's halfpipe snowboarding at the
Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018. In PyeongChang, she made
history by becoming the first woman to land back-to-back 1080s in
Olympic halfpipe competition. Kim is world, Olympic, Youth Olympic
and X Games champion in the halfpipe, and the first to win all four
titles.
Andrew Kurka (Para Alpine
Skiing): After an ATV accident sidelined Kurka's Olympic
dreams of competing in wrestling, he's found success on the slopes
and was even the first person in a monoski to ski the Christmas
Chute on the North Face of Mt. Alyeska in Girdwood,
Alaska. Two-time Paralympic medalist, Kurka won gold and
silver at the Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 in downhill
and super-G, respectively.
Alysa Liu (Figure
Skating): Skating since she was five years old, Liu became the
first woman to win two U.S. titles by age 14, and the first
American woman to successfully land a quadruple Lutz in
competition. The Northern
California native is also the first female skater to land a
triple Axel and quad jump in the same program and has her eyes set
on her Olympic debut in Beijing.
Oksana Masters (Nordic
Skiing): A four-time U.S. Paralympian, Masters is looking
to add to her Paralympic accolades at Beijing 2022 just six months after hopefully
competing in Tokyo. Masters has
competed at the Paralympic Games in both the winter and summer in
Nordic skiing, cycling and rowing, winning eight medals overall. As
a child, Masters had both legs amputated above the knee after she
was born with birth defects as a direct cause of the nuclear
accident at Chernobyl in Ukraine.
Chris Mazdzer (Luge): In
his third Olympics, Mazdzer won silver at the Olympic Winter Games
PyeongChang 2018, the first U.S. medal in Men's Singles Luge.
Mazdzer has 24 World Cup medals, 8 National Titles and has been
elected by his athlete peers to represent them on the USA Luge Executive Board, International Luge
Federation Executive Board and at the IOC.
Toby Miller
(Snowboarding): Hoping to make his Olympic debut at the Olympic
Winter Games Beijing 2022, 20-year-old Miller won his first Junior
World Championships in 2018. Snowboarding since the age of six, the
California native's accolades also
includes the U.S. Snowboard Association's National Championships in
halfpipe and a bronze medal in SuperPipe Session at the 2020 X
Games.
Alana Nichols (Para Alpine
Skiing): Five-time Paralympian and six-time medalist, Nichols
is the first U.S. female Paralympian to win gold medals at both
summer (Wheelchair Basketball) and winter (Alpine Ski Racing)
Paralympic Games. An avid snowboarder throughout her youth, Nichols
suffered an injury at age 17 while attempting a backflip on her
snowboard that caused her to become paralyzed from the waist
down.
Amy Purdy (Snowboarding):
Two-time Paralympian and three-time Paralympic medalist, Purdy won
silver (snowboardcross) and bronze (banked slalom) at the
Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018. She lost both of her legs
below the knee due to a bacterial meningitis infection and went on
to become a co-founder of Adaptive Action Sports, a non-profit
dedicated to introducing people with physical challenges to action
sports.
Rico Roman (Sled Hockey):
A retired Army Staff Sergeant, Roman had his left leg amputated
above the knee when wounded by an improvised explosive device while
serving his third tour in Iraq in
February of 2007. The two-time Paralympic sled hockey gold medalist
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.
Evan Strong
(Snowboarding): Strong's dreams of becoming a professional
skateboarder were shattered just days before his 18th
birthday when he was struck by a drunk driver in a head-on
collision while riding a motorcycle which led to the partial
amputation of his left leg. Strong's success on the snow has won
him gold (snowboardcross) at Paralympic Winter Games Sochi 2014 and
silver (banked slalom) at Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang
2018.
Danelle Umstead (Para Alpine
Skiing): Despite having no central vision and losing her
peripheral vision, Umstead has found passion and success on the
slopes where she and her guide (husband Rob) have been the first
husband and wife duo to represent Team USA and win three bronze medals across their
Paralympic Winter Games appearances. In addition to competing,
Danelle is mentoring other disabled athletes and creating her own
non-profit called Sisters in Sports Foundation.
Louie Vito (Snowboarding):
Having attended a ski and snowboard academy from eighth grade
through high school, it's no wonder that Vito has been so
accomplished on the slopes. In addition to being four-time Grand
Prix overall halfpipe champion and two-time Dew Cup overall
champion, Vito is also the first athlete ever to both co-host and
compete in the X Games at the same time.
Torin Yater-Wallace (Freestyle
Skiing): Yater-Wallace is a two-time Olympic freestyle skier
and became the youngest medalist in Winter X Games history, winning
the silver medal at X Games Aspen at age 15. After recovering from
a serious injury that took him out of most of the 2018 – 2019
season, the eight-time X Games medalist made his return to snow in
late 2019.
The roster of Team Toyota summer Olympic and Paralympic athletes
can be found here.
In March of 2015, Toyota joined The Olympic Partners (TOP)
programme of the International Olympic Committee and International
Paralympic Committee in the newly created mobility category for
2017 through 2024. In addition to its relationship with the IOC and
IPC, Toyota is a partner of Team USA; US Speedskating; U.S. Figure Skating;
USA Hockey and the U.S. National
Sled Hockey Team; USA Curling;
USA Skateboarding; USA Surfing; USA Swimming; USA Track & Field; USA Triathlon; the National Wheelchair
Basketball Association; U.S. Masters Swimming; U.S. Paralympics
Alpine Skiing; U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing; U.S. Paralympics
Snowboarding; U.S. Paralympics Cycling; U.S. Paralympics Swimming;
and U.S. Paralympics Track & Field.
Fans can keep up with Team Toyota on Instagram
(@TeamToyota).
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the
cultural fabric in North America
for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable,
next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands plus
our 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly employs
more than 47,000 in North America.
The company has contributed world-class design, engineering, and
assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks at our 14
manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in
Alabama that begins production in
2021.
Through its Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights
the way it partners with community, civic, academic and
governmental organizations to address our society's most pressing
mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move,
anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit
www.toyotanewsroom.com.
Media Contacts:
Leigh Anne
Sessions
Toyota Motor North America
469-292-5849
leigh.sessions@toyota.com
Marissa Borjon
Toyota Motor North America
469-292-6395
Marissa.borjon@toyota.com
For customer inquiries, please call: 800-331-4331
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SOURCE Toyota Motor North America