In 2008, a snowmobile accident led doctors to amputate Mike Schultz’s left leg above the knee. A motorsport athlete since age 14, he faced a major setback but turned it around by designing his own high-performance prosthetic.
​He started competing and became a Paralympian in snowboarding, winning gold and silver medals at the 2018 Winter Paralympics. Now in his 11th year on Team USA’s Paralympic snowboard team, Schultz is calling it a day.

However, despite that, the now 44-year-old has earned rave reviews from Instagram creator Alex Parra. In his series on several athletes participating at the 2026 Paralympics, Parra raved about Schultz. He called him one of the “coolest athletes” at the tournament. An amputee himself, Para also touched upon Schultz’s background and his accident in his deep dive video on the American.

“He (Mike Schultz) has a background in engineering, and six years after losing his leg, he became a Paralympian,” Parra said in the video. “2014 was the first year para-snowboarding was even allowed in the Paralympics, and since then, he has won gold in 2018 and silver in 2022.”

Less than a year after his 2008 accident, Mike Schultz debuted his custom “Moto Knee” prosthetic at the 2009 ESPN Summer X Games Adaptive Super-X, where he finished second, marking his triumphant return to action sports. Building on that momentum, he continued competing and refining his designs before representing Team USA at the 2018 Paralympics.

So much so that he eventually qualified for Team USA and served as their flag-bearer in the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Paralympics. That paved the way for him to win a gold and silver medal. Schultz then picked up a silver medal in the 2022 Paralympics and now believes he can add to that collection in Milan.

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“Of course, I expect to be on the podium,” Schultz said, as per NBC Sports, “That’s what I’m driving for. That’s what my goals are, but it’s not just performance this time around. My career has a timeline on it, and I really want to soak it all in and make the most of it, no matter how the performance goes.”

However, while his work on the board has given Mike Schultz a platform, it’s his work off the board that has truly made him a household name.

Mike Schultz is taking BioDapt to new levels post-Paralympics retirement

That is exactly what Alex Parra highlighted in his feature of Mike Schultz. That beyond the impressive athlete lies an even more impressive creator. After his accident and amputation, Schultz created and designed a sports prosthetic. He then realized others were looking for something similar and founded BioDapt in 2010.

Now, 90% of the top Paralympic lower-limb snowboard athletes use Schultz’s designs. That especially includes everyone currently competing for Team USA and many of his competitors. Not only that, he has since expanded beyond extreme athletes to amputees and veterans as well.

“I’ve always had two sides to my career – competing and building,” Schultz said as per Today’s Medical Development. “For years, I’ve pushed myself to be the best athlete I could be, while spending countless hours refining the gear that makes that performance possible. As I step away from competition, I’m excited to take everything I’ve learned and apply it to helping the next generation of athletes go even further.”

However, for the moment, Mike Schultz’s focus is on the 2026 Paralympics, where he will compete in snowboarding boardercross and snowboarding banked slalom. The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Games will open on March 6 and will run for nine days, with the closing ceremony on March 15.