Meet Adaptive Athlete: Diana Romero

Diana was born in Perth Amboy, NJ, and grew up participating in JROTC, where she enjoyed being part of a team. She graduated from high school in 1989 and went on to pursue a college degree and became an Air Force Flight medic. 

 

She spent the majority of her 28 year service as a flight medic and family readiness & group career advisor. Diana had multiple combat deployments including Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003-2004. 

 

On February 21st, 2015, while traveling from duty in New Jersey, Diana’s vehicle was struck by an 18-wheeler during a severe snow storm. This resulted in a multitude of injuries and ultimately left her with left drop foot, an abnormal gait, nerve damage, and decreased range of motion and balance. During the process of recovery, Diana turned to adaptive sports and she currently competes in compound archery, seated field activities, recumbent cycling, swimming, and powerlifting.

 

Her goals are built around training to be the best possible athlete. She wants to learn to prepare mentally, operate at peak performance physically, and increase her knowledge of nutrition, creating a game plan alongside her training.