Tori Pendergast

Tori Pendergast was on a family ski holiday as a teen when Disabled Wintersport Australia first spotted her on the slopes. However, it was not until 2009 that she began her transition from recreational skier to medallist on the world stage.

In the lead-up to her Paralympic debut at the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Games, Tori achieved a silver and bronze medal haul at the 2012/13 IPC Alpine Skiing NorAm Cup in Winter Park, USA, and replicated that effort the following year at the 2013/14 IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Among her best international results to date, Tori was primed for success in Sochi, where she put the world on notice with top 10 finishes in both her events, the women’s slalom Sitting and women’s giant slalom Sitting.

Returning to Paralympic competition in 2018, Tori exceeded all expectations when she raced to fourth place in the women’s downhill Sitting. The 2,356m course had already claimed three heavyweights in Austria’s Claudia Loesch, Germany’s Anna-Lena Forster and the USA’s Stephani Victor when Tori slipped just metres from the finish line. In true Tori fashion, she recovered strongly to finish seconds outside the podium.

In other results from the Games, Tori placed eighth in the women’s giant slalom Sitting and recorded a Did Not Finish in the women’s super-G Sitting.

Working hard to emulate the success of Paralympic champions Laurie Stephens and Alana Nichols (USA), Tori continues to carve out a name for herself on the international scene. Her ultimate goal is to achieve a consistent World Cup season.

Outside of training and competition, Tori enjoys freeskiing, kayaking, gaming and binge-watching Netflix. In 2012, she completed a Bachelor of Business majoring in Marketing and International Business at the University of Technology Sydney, before joining Paralympics Australia in 2018 as an Event and Marketing Coordinator.