Alyona Alekhina
Alyona Alekhina (Russian: Алёна Андреевна Алёхина; born 19 June 1988) is a Russian-American retired professional snowboarder who is now a singer, songwriter, musician and model.[1] She was a seven-time national Russian snowboarding champion and two-time champion of Europe, but her career ended after a 2013 accident.
Early life
Alyona Alekhina was born in Moscow and grew up with an interest in sport and an active and extreme way of life. She tried gymnastics and skateboarding before settling on snowboarding.[2]
Athletic career
When Alekhina was 17, Roxy became her first sponsor.
She was preparing to participate in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. However, in April 2013 Alekhina sustained a severe spinal cord injury while shooting a Quicksilver commercial at the Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort in California. She was paralyzed from the waist down. She had several surgeries and continues rehabilitation therapy.[1][3]
Post-2013 career
Alekhina is involved in a range of different projects such as music, modeling and charitable work.
Personal life
Alekhina met Ryan Key, the front man of the band Yellowcard, in 2012 and the couple became engaged the same year. They married in 2013, a month after Alekhina's accident; the wedding ceremony was held in the hospital intensive care unit.[7][8][9] The marriage ended in divorce.
References
- ^ a b "Snowboarder and spinal-injury survivor Alyona Alekhina tours UCI research centers". Orange County Breeze. 2015-02-28. Archived from the original on 2019-09-01. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
- ^ "Russian culture". Russian culture (in Russian). 2014-01-03. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
- ^ "Alyona Alekhina, paralyzed Russian snowboarder, will not give up". www.timesunion.com. 2018-07-10. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
- ^ Inertia, The (31 August 2019). "Mauro Diaz Is Having a Hell of a Year". The Inertia. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
- ^ Grondahl, Paul (2018-07-10). "Alyona Alekhina, paralyzed Russian snowboarder, will not give up". Times Union. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
- ^ "Alyona Alekhina releases new single 'Time (Lights on the Balcony)'". fldmag. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
- ^ Songfacts. "One Bedroom by Yellowcard - Songfacts". www.songfacts.com. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
- ^ Kohn, Daniel (2014-10-14). "Yellowcard's Ryan Key Lifts Himself Up After Tragedy, Writes An Inspiring Album". OC Weekly. Archived from the original on 2019-09-01. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
- ^ "Yellowcard triumphs over tragedy". NewsComAu. 2014-10-01. Retrieved 2019-10-04.