PRINCETON, N.J. - Add one more crew to the team that will compete in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil next month. With a final ruling handed down this week by the Court of Arbitration for Sport that upheld a ban issued in early August by the International Paralympic Committee of the entire Russian Paralympic team for doping violations, Helman Roman (Miami, Fla.) and Laura Goodkind (Long Beach, Calif.) have been added to the competition schedule in the trunk and arms mixed double sculls event.
With the addition of Roman and Goodkind, the U.S. will have crews in all four Paralympic rowing events, which in addition to the trunk and arms mixed double, will include the men's and women's arms and shoulders single sculls and the legs, trunk and arms four with coxswain.
Roman and Goodkind won the event at the 2016 Non-Qualified Paralympic Trials on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J. in April, which qualified them to represent the U.S. at the Final Paralympic Qualification Regatta on April 21-23 on Lake Varese in Gavirate, Italy, where they finished third behind the Russian entry.
According to procedures, the Russian disqualification moved the U.S. into the second of the two remaining spots left on the competition schedule.
Roman, an Army veteran whose ankle was shattered in 2009 in an IED explosion while he was serving in Afghanistan, began rowing at the Miami Beach Rowing Club. Goodkind, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as an infant and has been having major reconstructive surgeries since age 3, found rowing in 2014.
"It's a great feeling serving and representing my country again," Roman said. "Hard work always pays off."
Goodkind called the news that she will be racing in the Paralympics "surreal."
"That fact that we were granted the opportunity to compete due to extenuating circumstances was kind of interesting to grasp," she said. "But I'm glad the IPC was able to recognize that they want an equal playing field for people of all abilities. I appreciate the rules being respected. It's an opportunity that is mind blowing. I didn't know the Paralympics existed as a kid, but I knew the Olympics existed. When the Olympics came on, I was right in front of the TV, admiring everyone there and hoping that I would able to be there. Then in my twenties, finding the Paralympics existed was a bit of a mental shift.
"That's awesome and the fact that we have this spot now is incredible. I'm really stoked and I'm just trying to get used to idea," she said.
"We are all very excited about welcoming Helman, Laura and (coach) Stephanie Parrish to the 2016 U.S. Paralympic Rowing Team," said USRowing Director of Para Rowing Tom Darling.
"Both athletes have been ramping up their training. Helman and Laura were the top combination coming out of our March training camp and have shown real speed at the pre-qualification regatta in early April. I'm excited about their potential to make the finals in Rio."