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Strong results at upcoming World Championships events could lead to Australia fielding its equal-largest Winter Paralympic Games team at Milano Cortina 2026, heralding a new era in the nation’s Winter Para-sport story. 

Australian athletes are set to compete at World Championships in three sports – Para-alpine skiing (Maribor, Slovenia, from February 4 to 11), Para-biathlon (Pokljuka, Slovenia, from February 6 to 9) and Para-snowboard (Big White, Canada, from March 4 to 10). The signs are promising, with experienced campaigners hitting form, rising athletes developing into world-class competitors and recent arrivals to the scene pushing hard to reach their goals.  

“We had some long-term members of our team retire after Beijing 2022, in (four-time Paralympians) Mitch Gourley and Mel Perrine, and that gave us concerns,” Australian Paralympic Team Chef de Mission Ben Troy said.  

“But as we’ve come closer to Milan, with the addition of our athletes in the Para-Nordic space (biathlon and cross country), plus unearthing development athletes in alpine and snowboard who’ve joined the national program, we should have at least 10 athletes qualified, including two guides.  

“But our aim is 15, including two guides, across four of the six sports, which would make it our largest Winter team, equal to the 15, including three guides, who represented Australia at PyeongChang 2018.” 

Among those vying to feature at the Milano Cortina Paralympics, which starts on March 6 next year, are Beijing 2022 bronze medallist, snowboard star Ben Tudhope who is chasing his second consecutive Crystal Globe in snowboard cross, sit-skier Josh Hanlon, who recently won his first medal on the World Cup scene, and biathlon exponents Matt Brumby and Taryn Dicken, who are preparing for their Para-biathlon world championship debut this week and seeking to become Australia’s first Paralympic representatives in the sport since 2006.  

“There is some great experience within the group, but this is a bit of a coming-of-age team that has the opportunity to make its mark on Winter Para-sport in Australia,” Troy said. 

“It’s great to see that, hopefully, we’ll have representation from all over Australia. We have competitors from every capital city except Darwin at the moment. So, it is a true cross-section of Australians, all with their unique stories of how they got to this point in winter sport.  

“The Para-snow sport fraternity is small, but they go hard and represent Australia really well. I’d encourage people to get behind our athletes. Winter Para-sport is amazing. For instance, watching someone who’s blind ski down a hill at 110 kilometres an hour is pretty crazy.” 

By David Sygall, Paralympics Australia.

Published 4 February, 2025.