Welcome to Predazzo

Tesero, Italy

Each Games is so different from any other; comparing them is like comparing an apple to a banana, a mango, an orange, or a kiwi. The experiences are so ingrained, so hard-fought for, and cherished. I don’t believe I could rank them in their entirety. An example of this was the day we travelled from our Staging camp to the Games themselves, and the Paralympic Village in Predazzo. We did so by bus. And I remember thinking, this was the first time I had travelled by bus (or car) from a staging camp to the Games. Every other time I flew. It may be a small piece, but it adds to the uniqueness of each Games. Probably because I have never been to a Games in Central Europe. Predazzo was also the first village to be incorporated into a town. We could leave the village, and we were right in downtown Predazzo. I had never experienced that at the Games before, either. Usually, athlete villages are brand-new areas, and the town develops around them after the Games. There were a couple of those kinds of moments as I transitioned into the proper Games environment. The first day in the village, it begins to feel real, and even surreal. There is a lot going on, a lot of energy, a lot of excitement, a lot of nervousness.

As much as I would call it a routine, I went through my usual arrival habits. My roommate and I set up our room. Moved beds and furniture around, situating everything how we wanted it to be, allowing the room to flow better. I unpacked most of what I brought to help me feel like this was home. It almost feels like a skill to walk into a new room and know how to adjust it, so it works best for you. The goal is to settle in, get comfortable and establish a routine and organization. In a Games environment, it is not always possible to stay focused or remember everything, so establishing a routine and being organized helps me be as well-prepared as possible for what I need to do. Next, I ventured out into the village and tried to orient myself. Learning where everything is. Finding out if there are any shortcuts to getting somewhere? Locating the essential areas, I want to know about.

As we are talking about unique experiences, these Games offered another one on the first day. With the Games so spread out, Para Nordic was in Predazzo, Para Alpine, Para Snowboard and Wheelchair Curling in Cortina, while Para Ice Hockey was in Milano, and the Opening Ceremonies in Verona. The distances were too great to expect all athletes to come to Verona for the Opening Ceremonies. We were told it was going to be an eight-to-nine-hour turnaround to attend the Opening Ceremonies. Now, this is my fifth Games, but in all those Games I have never attended an Opening Ceremony, because I always compete the next morning. To conserve my energy not only for the following day but for a full schedule of competitions through the week, I have always decided not to attend. But Milano Cortina created a solution to that. We pre-recorded a fun, energetic clip featuring the entire team for the Opening Ceremonies broadcast, filmed a few days before the Opening Ceremonies. Whether it counts or not, you can decide, but I’m calling it as I half-participated in my first Opening Ceremonies.

I used the next couple of days for my last preparations. It was warm in Tesero and made for soft snow conditions. Which was what I had expected, and though they are not the nicest conditions to ski, I felt I was skiing very well in them. Some slight adjustments to the course from last year’s test event. I would have preferred the courses used in the test event. The new courses seemed simpler and easier, and maybe a bit short. With the softer conditions, the descents were tough to navigate. They proved challenging in the training days leading up to the first race. I was exploring different approaches from the top and a variety of lines through the slush. I was trying to find better lines, if they existed, and to practice the less-than-ideal lines, if I needed them or ended up on them during the races. 

After having the date ‘circled’ on my calendar for the past four years, the day finally arrived, March 7, 2026! All the preparation was done, and there wasn’t anything more I could do to get ready. I knew how I wanted to ski the courses. I had my plans set. I understood what it would take, and I did everything in my control to have all the pieces in place for this day. Day one was the Biathlon Sprint. In the end, it was not the start I had hoped for to these Games. Nor was it what I had intended to do after thinking about this day for almost four years. I did everything I needed to in the warm-up. I was ready physically and mentally. Of course, there are a lot of extra thoughts before the first race at the Games. You need to get your feet wet, so to speak. But I was managing very well and had the right amount of focus. I had a great start to the race. A strong starting lap, I was measured up the Zorzi (the major climb of the course) for the first lap, but pushed along the upper section. I lapped through the stadium and was headed towards the range for the first time. Everything was as I wanted it to be. Until it wasn’t! As I came out of the stadium in the corner, I broke my pole. I quickly took it off and threw it aside.

PC: CPC | Michael P. Hall

Luckily, a staff member was just ahead of me, and though it wasn’t practiced, they got me a pole with little wasted time. I didn’t have time to put it on properly, as I would soon be in the range. I was grateful for the pole, but it didn’t have the strap I wanted, so I signalled that I wanted another pole, and that message was radioed to the range, where I knew there was one of the poles I wanted. I came into the range and approached the shooting mat. Menno had the new pole waiting there, and I switched to the proper one as I got into position. There was a lot to think about. But that moment demanded I switch it all off and get into the headspace for shooting. And though I took an extra breath, I was successful in setting up and hitting the first target. I got the second, third, and fourth. Then there was a momentary thought that I recovered well, I got this! Miss! Well, I have done well and even won Sprint races with a miss before, so I charged out of the range. But I wasn’t thinking clearly just yet; I almost skied around the corner back onto the course, thinking the penalty loop was where it was last year. Only at the last moment did I remember that the penalty loop wasn’t there anymore, and I hit the brakes hard, but I still made it into the penalty loop. I was angry with myself at that moment. That could have cost me dearly. I got over it, did my penalty loop and headed back onto the course. There was no time left to manage energy; this was going to be an all-out effort. I pushed myself hard over that second lap, trying to find any seconds that I could make up on the others. I approached the range for my second bout, knowing my only option here was to go clean. And this time I did that. Then back onto the course for the last lap, putting down anything I had left. I did well, but it wasn’t good enough for a podium. I finished fifth. A bit of a shock, and frustration at the same time. I believe I did almost everything I had control over the way I wanted to. Considering the circumstances at that moment, a single miss was still a good bout. But there was still a miss, and I want to believe I can control those moments better and still perform at the level I need. I have been very fortunate with equipment in my career, so much so that I couldn’t remember the last time I had broken a pole in a race. But it happened today. I wanted more, and the result wasn’t what I'd hoped for. That was perhaps the most frustrating thing about the day: there wasn’t a reason(s) as why any of it happened. The race was strangely frustrating that way, but there were moments that built confidence. I was the only athlete in the top 7 to miss a shot and still finish fifth. Then, looking at the data, without the miss, I had skied quickly enough to be second. If you start considering lost seconds with the pole and almost missing the penalty loop, it becomes a very tight race for first. After I took some time to digest it and reflect, I knew that my fitness, focus, and prep were all there; it only came down to execution. And I know how to do that.

Podium celebration after the Biathlon Individual. PC: CPC | Michael P. Hall

The following day was the Biathlon Individual. This sounds strange, but one of the things that I had been playing with and used in Milano Cortina as part of my preparation was an ice vest. Yes, I know it sounds ridiculous that a winter athlete is using an ice vest at the Winter Games. I don’t do well in heat, especially in the tail end of winter when I’m not used to it yet. I had used it prior to the Sprint, and again before the Individual. It might all be psychological, but that still helps. The race started, unfortunately, very similarly to the day before. No broken equipment, but I had a miss in the first bout. Now the Individual is a longer race, and with a minute penalty for each miss, a lot can happen. I just had to stay fighting throughout the remainder of the race. There were a few moments of negative thoughts in the earlier laps, but I kept pushing and, more importantly, started shooting clean. On the third lap, at about the halfway mark, I was told I was in 10th place. I was shocked to hear that. It has been a long time since I was that low in the splits. The second part of the info might have been what saved my race. It was added that I was only 20 seconds from third. I was behind, but no one was surging ahead either. I finished that lap and added a second clean bout. Now, onto my fourth lap of five, I was told I had moved up to sixth. I knew I was running out of time, but there was still an opportunity. In the final bout of shooting, I made sure I went clean. This time on the lap, I was told I was six seconds ahead of someone. I figured by the tone that I was in third and six ahead of fourth, so I had to fight to defend a podium position. To my surprise, when I crossed the finish line, I was second. It was a great relief that after a hard-fought battle, grinding it out for the entire race, being on the back foot right from the start. I was able to hold strong and secure a silver medal. My 13^th career Paralympic medal. I joked that the 13^th played hard to get.  

Day three at the Games was a day off from competition, but not a rest day. For me, it was about shifting my mindset towards Cross Country, and more specifically, to classic skiing. The next two races would be classic races.

Stay tuned for the rest of the story coming soon…