Para Alpine ‘Sisters’ Make Their Paralympic Debut
Published Thu 12 Mar 2026
Courtesy Paralympics Australia
Two young Australian women with the world at their feet made their Paralympic debut at the Milano Cortina Games on Thursday and both have indicated they have a huge appetite for success.
Georgia Gunew and Georgia’s guide Ethan Jackson in the women’s vision impaired class, and Liana France in the women’s standing class came 10th out of 15 skiers and 14th out of 22 skiers, respectively, in the giant slalom at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina.
“I’m just stoked to have that first one done,” said Gunew, who was one of the Australian Paralympic Team’s two Opening Ceremony flag bearers.
“We’d been in the Village for two weeks and watching everyone else compete and I was just really ready to go, really excited to get one in.”
Gunew and Jackson improved from 12th after their first run to 10th with their second, making the most of the softening snow.
“We’ve practised this, we’ve done this for four years,” she said.
“My body knows what to do, even if my mind’s feeling like a little bit more hectic than usual. I’m so happy we get to do it again in just a couple days (in the slalom).
“We can definitely give it a better crack, I’d say. There are some absolutely amazing skiers in my category, so we’re going to send it as best we can and see what we can do.”
Gunew added, of her teammate France: “It’s great skiing with Liana too. I’ve never had another female competitor from Australia [compete] on the same day as me in the whole time I’ve been skiing with the team, so it’s been so cool.
“She’s a very young and energetic, and she always has something a bit funny to say. I love having her on the team, and I hope that her 2nd run goes great.”
It did. France – who became Australia’s youngest female Winter Paralympian – improved from 17th to 14th between her first and second runs. At just 16, she showed there is plenty in the future to be excited about.
“I was actually in my zone and I wasn’t stressed and I felt like I was ready to race,” she said.
“I was up there doing all my affirmations. I was like, ‘You know how to ski. You know how to ski’. Hopefully I showed it out there today that I do, in fact, know how to ski.”
A giant pink Australian flag, held high by her friends and family, greeted France when she slid to the finish.
“I did kind of tell my parents, I was like, ‘You guys need, like, a flag with my face on it’. I made sure they had a good photo of my face and I was like; can it please be pink? Pink is the colour. Pink is definitely my favourite colour.
“I just saw it and, oh my God, oh my God, it was such an unreal experience. All the support of my family and friends in the crowd, it is super, super crazy. I can’t even explain how grateful I am. Just seeing my face on the flag, really. It’s really great.”
France returned Gunew’s sentiment about the Australian Para alpine skiing team’s sisterhood.
“You don’t even understand the amount of comfort that Georgia gives me,” she said.
“She is a person that I can talk to who knows what I’m going through, has been through the same experiences.
“Being able to talk to her, I think that’s one of the main things that really makes me feel like there’s other people going through all these races … and all the nerves and just being able to talk to someone about it. Georgia is honestly like a big sister to me.
“It’s just so unreal to be able to be achieving these goals that I’ve had ever since I was a little.”
France had aimed to become an Olympian, but that became ‘Paralympian’ after she acquired her impairment three years ago.
“Honestly, ever since I was little, I’ve always wanted to be an Olympian, I always wanted to be in the Olympics, and now, after my accident, being able to compete for my country at the Paralympics is like, wow, I don’t think it’s sunk in yet at all.”
