Lera Doederlein

Quick Facts

• Lera was born in Saratov, Russia with a congenital condition called Arthrogryposis of the lower extremities. Lera was adopted and came to the U.S. in 2005. Until she was 14 years-old she relied on leg braces and hand crutches for mobility. At 14 years-old she made the decision to have both of her legs amputated for better mobility and better quality of life.
• Lera was at a camp for amputees and met Beth Ann Chamberlain, who thought she would be good at the sport. After a year, she attended a ski spec camp, loved it and never looked back
• Lera is very active. She enjoys many sports including Para Nordic skiing, sled hockey, hand-cycling, adaptive surfing, wheelchair lacrosse and sitting volleyball
• Her parents are David & Hiromi ‘Fami’ Doederlein and her siblings are Isaac, Keenan & Tori
• Her full name is Valeria.
• Her hobbies include adaptive sports, Netflix and popcorn, PS4
• Her sporting idols are Oksana Masters and Isaac Doederlein (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Featherweight, world ranked second).
• Her favorite thing about the sport is the speed and freedom.
• Her most memorable moment was when she participated in the 2019 USA/Canada Sled Hockey rivalry series
• Lera would describe herself as determined, passionate and optimistic
• In addition to Para Nordic Skiing and Biathlon, Lera has been actively training and competing in sled hockey as a member of USA Hockey Women’s Sled Development Team and San Diego Ducks Sled Hockey team. She has also been training in hand cycling as a member of CAF Women’s Handcycling Team. Lera's attitude is to try every sport at least once.

Paralympic Experience

• 1-time Paralympian
  • Paralympic Games Beijing 2022, 9th (10km Middle - Sitting - Women, 6km Individual - Sitting - Women), 14th (1km Sprint - Sitting - Women, 7.5km - Sitting - Women)

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