PREVIEW: Australia’s Most Diverse Para Alpine Skiing Squad Set For Take Off

Courtesy Australian Paralympic Team

It’s a squad that features the Australian Paralympic Team’s youngest member, oldest member and one of its Opening Ceremony flag bearers. It also includes one of Australia’s best medal chances and a sighted guide who, for a short time, held one of Australian sport’s biggest secrets.

Meet the Australian Para alpine skiing team, which starts competition with the downhill discipline on Day 1 of the Milano Cortina Paralympic Games. 

Leading off in the downhill will be Josh Hanlon, who made an encouraging impact at his debut Games four years ago in Beijing, and should push for a medal in several events. 

“I’m happy with the way I’ve been skiing and I’ve had a bunch of race experience this season, which has helped,” said Hanlon, who became an amputee due to a bacterial infection when he was 20.

“I’ve been working with Courtney (Hess), our sports psych, just to manage that emotional regulation, keep on top of things so I can perform the best I can.”

While Hanlon will compete in the speed events as well as technical, teammate Michael Milton admitted he’s facing a mental battle after a recent fall caused a fracture in his non-dominant leg. 

Milton is Australia’s most decorated Winter Paralympian, who came out of retirement last year and has made a stunning return to the Paralympic Games. His fall, however, has created uncertainty around his safety competing on the tricky Tofane hill. 

“The lack of certainty is an issue, definitely,” Milton said. 

“This injury is a little bit unique because I can ski and have been able to ski with no pain. There are some mental scars there in terms of coming back from a serious injury, but physically, I’m absolutely fine to ski at 100 percent and have been for close to 10 days now.

“The issue comes if I crash on it, and you can never rule out a crash. But we’re getting comfortable, trying to go hard again and it’s great to have (medical) clearance. I’m looking forward to racing the super G and the combined.”

Milton holds the Australian all time speed skiing record of 213 kilometres per hour. But that was then, this is now.   

“As you go past 50, I think some natural conservatism comes in to your mind and body,” he said. 

“Safety and awareness are probably a little bit different than when you’re 20 or 30, but at the same time, I like to go fast and it’s ingredient number one to be a successful ski racer. It’s still there.”

At the other end of the experience scale is 16-year-old debutante Liana France. 

“I think I’m mainly here just for experience and just really making sure that I take everything in,” France said. 

“I want to make the most of this amazing experience and set myself up for the next couple of Games. It’s been a really good experience so far. 

“From my development, when I got scouted to now going to the Games, it was a pretty smooth process. I’m very lucky and I’m very excited about everything that’s coming up.”

France had aimed to become an Olympic skier, but that goal changed to Paralympic skier after she acquired her impairment in a vehicle accident.  

“Training’s been really good lately. I’m seeing a lot of progression, which is nice,” she said. 

“I’m at the stage that you want to be at for the Games, so can’t be more happy about that.”

The final cog in the Para alpine wheel is Georgia Gunew and her sighted guide Ethan Jackson. 

“It’s a huge event so I’m trying to keep as grounded as I can be,” Gunew said. 

“I’m trying to just keep following our usual processes and do everything that we normally do before a race so we’re set up for the best run that we can do.

“We were fortunate enough to get to go to the test event a couple of years back, so we’ve seen the slalom, which is a bit of an advantage for us. I think it’s going to be great,

“There isn’t as much of a numerical place goal for us. It’s about going out and doing the best we can, showing everyone what we’ve practiced, what we’ve learned, what the work we’ve put in for the last four years is amounting to. 

“We just have to trust our bodies and ourselves that we can do it. I always say to Ethan that this feels like a test we’ve studied for. We’ve put in the work, so we just have to go out there and ski the best we can and I think have a good time doing it.”

Gunew was announced as one of Australia’s flag bearers for the Opening Ceremony, a secret she was meant to keep until it was officially announced. But there’s not a lot she keeps from her guide Jackson. 

“That’s the part about trust, you know, we spend so much time together,” Jackson said. 

“Instantly she told me. That’s just how we work. That’s the basis of our relationship.”

Jackson added: “These last two years, especially, G and I have just grown. Even this build up to the Games, G’s really just come into a peak in her skiing that we haven’t seen before.

“I’m just stoked to know that we can go out there and show everyone on the circuit, everyone back home, everyone around the world that, we’re a strong competitor. 

“We’ve grown as individuals and as a pair. Instead of me just communicating things that are worrying, we can start communicating places we can make speed.”