Photo: Corey Peters (left) presents Aaron Ewen (right) with his official numbered Paralympic pin. Credit Snow Sports New Zealand.
The 2022 Snow Sports NZ Awards Night presented by Racers Edge was the setting for a special moment of recognition for New Zealand’s newest Paralympian, Aaron Ewen.
Paralympian #228 Aaron, whose hometown is Tuakau, was part of the three-strong team of Para alpine skiers at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games earlier this year. They were New Zealand’s most successful winter Paralympic Team for 20 years. On his Paralympic debut, Aaron achieved two 9th place finishes and an 11th place finish, impressing commentators with his attitude and commitment.
An official numbered pin is presented to every individual who represents New Zealand at the Paralympic Games. A Paralympian receives their number once they have competed at their first Paralympic Games. Paralympics New Zealand assigns numbers to debuting Para athletes in alphabetical order within each Paralympic Games.
Aaron’s pin presentation was even more meaningful because Aaron’s pin was presented by Beijing 2022 Chef de Mission Jane Stevens and fellow sit-skiing Paralympian #188 Corey Peters. Corey has been friend, teammate, inspiration and mentor to Aaron.
Corey had his own moment in the spotlight at the event when he took out the award for Adaptive Athlete of the Year sponsored by Cardrona Alpine Resort / Treble Cone. Corey achieved a long-held dream when he secured the Men’s Sitting Downhill gold medal in Beijing. He immediately followed up his phenomenal performance with a silver medal in the Super-G the very next day.
