Parra won two medals at the 2002 Winter Olympics, held in Salt Lake City, Utah.

At the 2002 Winter Olympics, he took the gold in the 1500 meters, an event in which he had been expected to do well but faced a deep pool of competition.

He has worked part-time in Home Depot's gardening department in West Valley City, Utah.

[1] In his book, Reflections in the Ice, Parra recounts pursuing his dream of becoming an inline skater at 17, working at McDonald's in Tampa, Florida, and being so poor he had to eat out of the trash.

Parra became friends with Romney when he was president of the Salt Lake City Olympic organizing committee.