Mark Soyer

Mark Soyer (born 24 April 1978) is an Australian para-alpine LW11 classified skier. He dealt with leukaemia twice as a child. At the age of 26, he severed his spinal cord during an accident while riding his motorbike on his parents' farm, and subsequently tried several different sports. Working as a manufacturing jeweller and gemologist in Melbourne, he has also been involved with para-skiing as a volunteer, and serving in administrative roles for various organisations. In 2007, he was a finalist for the Pride of Australia awards for courage.

Soyer took up skiing following his accident after attending a camp in Australia. He then travelled to Colorado to attend another camp, before coming back to Australia to attend another camp. In 2007, he was ranked as Australia's second best sit-skier, and was in the top 50 skiers in the world. He attempted to make the 2010 Winter Paralympics. He earned bronze medals at skiing events in New Zealand in 2011. In 2012, he was a member of the Australian Paralympic skiing team, based out of the Australian Institute of Sports, and was trying to secure a spot for the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia. He represented Australia at the 2018 Winter Paralympics.

In November 2004, at the age of 26, Soyer severed his spinal cord during an accident while riding his motorbike on his parents' farm. He was keen to exercise as soon as he could during his rehabilitation. He volunteers for Disabled Winter Sport Australia as a ski guide. He was involved in the founding of the AMG Free Ride Team. In 2007, he helped conduct three adaptive skiing camps in Victoria,

Skiing

Soyer is an LW11 classified skier, who skied before his accident. Before the year was out following that camp, he went to Colorado and participated in a skiing camp specifically for people who use monoskis. In 2007, he was ranked as Australia's second best sit-skier and was in the top 50 skiers in the world. In December of that year, he competed at the Hartford Ski Spectacular at the Beaver Run Resort in Breckenridge, Colorado where he finished thirteenth in the giant slalom, with a time of 1:09.12 in his first run, and 1:08.67 in his second run for a combined run time of 2:17.79.

In 2008, Soyer was trying to qualify for the 2010 Winter Paralympics. At that time, he was the second ranked skier in his class in Australia, and ranked in the top 60 in the world. At another skiing event in 2011 in Mt Hutt, New Zealand, he finished third in the Super G. In 2012, he was a member of the Australian Paralympic skiing team, based out of the Australian Institute of Sports, and was trying to secure a spot for the 2014 Winter Paralympics.

His results at the 2017 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships in Tarvisio, Italy were 13th in the Giant Slalom Sitting and Slalom Sitting, 17th in the Super G Sitting and did not finish in the Super Combined Sitting.

At the 2018 Winter Paralympics, he competed in five events. He did not finish in three events and was 16th in the Men's Super-G Sitting and 18th in the Men's Giant Slalom, Sitting.