Born with bilateral fibular hemimelia, a congenital birth defect meaning all or part of the fibula is missing or underdeveloped, Farmer had both of his legs amputated as an infant, but he never stopped progressing. “As someone with two prosthetic legs, I actually work out a lot,” he explains, recalling that he started his gym as a kid in school before regularly visiting a local YMCA in Tampa. “I work a lot on training my legs and balance, just to help me with life, and walking, and longevity,” he notes. During his teenage years, Farmer also began training in a gym with other elite athletes, and it is these formative fitness experiences that have served to alleviate the types of gym-related social anxieties that many of us face.
Although Farmer says his workouts aren’t that different from those of able-bodied athletes, focusing on functional movements first, he has additional considerations that many gym-goers wouldn’t think of. “One of my amputations is above the knee, the other below the knee,” the sled star explains. “So I have an inherent asymmetry that I have to deal with.” To address this, Farmer works on his balance and uses unilateral movements to force each limb to work independently. “But as far as my sport on the ice, it’s kind of anything where you need cardio, you need strength, you need mobility, you need balance.”
What’s in Declan Farmer’s gym bag?
“I would say the biggest adjustment for me with my legs is having the right kind of shoes,” Farmer explains. “Very flat, neutral shoes, which are almost barefoot, are useful when walking. I always put on different shoes with different heel widths and the like, as this can interfere with walking.”
Naturally, disabilities vary among para-athletes, and some of Farmer’s teammates get around in wheelchairs, adding further considerations to their training. “They just have to be a little more mindful that they don’t have these super elaborate setups, and that they have machines or free weights or cables that are too close together, and things like that,” Farmer explains. “But I think if you have enough time, everyone finds their own routine and gets creative and makes it work for themselves. The whole Paralympic movement is about increasing access for people with disabilities.”
Declan Farmer hopes ice sledge hockey will have a professional league
Although Farmer is an ice sled hockey fanatic, he hopes that all disabled children can have the opportunity to find the sport that suits them best. But while this inspirational athlete has won on the ice, he has faced salary hurdles while trying to support his own sports career. This seems even more unfair when you consider that Farmer is considered one of the greatest hockey players around, regardless of his disability.
“Reward should be based on the effort and the value we add to the movements,” he explains. “I think we’ve had a lot of support for sled hockey in particular, that it’s grown, but without some sort of professional league there’s still a lot of room for growth. In the U.S., women’s able-bodied sports have grown tremendously over the last few years. There’s a league recently started, the Professional Women’s Hockey League in the U.S. And that’s always been our goal, what we chase as sled hockey players. So we’re going to kind of follow suit and try to pave the way for sledge hockey.” the same change for people with disabilities. I think there is room for a professional sled hockey league at some point. There are so many great players around the world.”
Declan Farmer is excited about his journey to the 2026 Paralympic Games
Currently living near the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado, Declan Farmer will be moving to northern Italy throughout January and February for an extensive training camp in the host country of the 2026 Paralympic Games. “I think that’s where we’ll put the finishing touches to the last four years of preparation for the Games,” he notes. “I think we’re really going to try to focus more on scoring better and some attacking skills.”
While accessible training locations can sometimes be a challenge, traveling from country to country is becoming less of a burden on Farmer shares, noting that a strong family bond with Delta Air Lines plays a big role in his Paralympic experience. “My mother is actually a flight attendant at Delta,” he says M&F, adding that she will take some well-deserved time off to fly from the US to Italy for the Winter Games. As a company, Delta has long been a great ally of para sports, with ‘Team Delta’, a group of Olympia and Paralympic ambassadors including Declan Farmer himself, plus other stars such as snowboarder Amy Purdy and Track & Field’s Dani Aravich.
As the official airline of Team USA, Delta will arrange travel for all Winter Games athletes. For disabled athletes, that’s a huge victory. “When you travel, and if you have a disability, it can sometimes be difficult because you have to carry extra bags for different medical equipment and things like that, and Delta never charges extra for that,” Farmer said. “They’re very good at being accommodating, whether that’s getting to the gate, getting to your seat if you’re in a wheelchair, things like that.” At the moment, however, Farmer is still mainly about training. “As a team, we are very good defensively at skating and being creative,” he reflects. “But I think updating some skills will be our biggest focus.”
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