Having the support of family and friends at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games will provide incalculable benefit to Paralympian #158 Adam Hall MNZM in his pursuit of the podium. We chat to three of his biggest supporters; wife, Elitsa, best friend, Brett Doherty, and strength and conditioning coach, Matty Graham, who will all be present in Cortina at Games time.
Elitsa Hall – Wife
As a two-time Paralympian herself, Elitsa Hall fully understands the high performance demands her husband, Adam Hall, experiences competing at the elite level.
So, while attending the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games she can confidently be the perfect support aid to the five-time Paralympic medallist who competes in the Men’s Giant Slalom Standing and Men’s Slalom Standing on the Olimpia delle Tofane.
“As a wife of a top-level competitor it hands down helps that I have been there too,” said Elitsa who competed for the USA in Para alpine skiing at the Torino 2006 and Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.
“But my role is to keep him grounded, to distract him and make life light and fun for Adam. He has performed at this level many times before, my job is to be supportive and give him a sense of home.”
Elitsa admits it has not been easy adjusting from elite Para athlete to Adam’s number one supporter.
“It took years to make that shift, it required a lot of communication and figuring out,” she explains. “It took time to move from the intense life of a Para athlete to being there for my loved one who was trying to reach his goals. Over time, that became my why.”
For Elitsa it is important she provides a counterbalance for Adam at home which allows him to “step away” from his life as a high-performance Para athlete.
“Adam will come home from training and tell me about his day, but it is important we talk about normal life – like what we are having for dinner. About how our daughter Gracelynn’s day has been, who is on school pick up tomorrow. Making that shift at home and allowing Adam to leave that high performance side of his life by the door is important.”
Family has always been hugely important to Adam, now aged 38. Therefore, Elitsa made the decision to travel with their daughter, Gracelynn, to Milano Cortina 2026 to watch Adam compete at what will be his sixth Paralympic Winter Games.
“It really does make a difference to Adam having his loved ones around,” explains Elitsa. “He has been in Europe since November, so it has been a long season. It is special for Adam to know that there are familiar faces in the crowd that are there for him – he really appreciates that.”
Elitsa, who first met Adam aged 14 during a training camp in the USA, admits the pair will have very little face to face time at Milano Cortina. Adam will be staying at the Paralympic Village and fully focused on competition. Elitsa and Gracelynn will be staying in accommodation away from the Village. Yet the family will make regular contact.
“He will message me throughout the day. He will tell me he has done his inspection, he will tell me when he has done his warm-up, he is a good communicator. He will also talk a lot to Gracelynn as she tells him about her day, and she might ask Adam if he’s made a snow angel yet?”
Adam will be seeking more Paralympic medals in Milano Cortina 2026, to add to his hugely impressive collection of two gold and three bronze medals, so should he achieve his goals how will that make Elitsa feel?
“As his wife, Adam knows how proud I am of him,” says Elitsa. “He has done this thousands of times before, I just want him to have a blast, enjoy himself and continue to love the sport, that is all that matters.”
Brett Doherty – Best Friend
Best mates since they were toddlers playing with dump trucks in the dirt, Brett Doherty is relishing the chance to watch his mate Adam Hall rip it up on the slopes of Olimpia delle Tofane at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.
The Air New Zealand pilot had planned to travel to the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Games, where Adam won two bronze medals, but COVID-19 restrictions meant spectators were not allowed to attend.
Now at Milano Cortina 2026, Brett will finally get the opportunity.
“It is super important I am there to watch him compete,” he explains. “I was keen to go to Beijing (2022), but to be able to now see him compete on the world stage, soak up the atmosphere and hopefully see him do well for the country and himself will be amazing.”
The pair grew up as neighbours in the rural Otago town of Outram and have been best pals for as long as they can remember.
“Adam’s father cut a hole in the fence between our two properties so we could easily go between the two houses,” recalls Brett. “We used to play in the dirt and get covered in mud, much to the disgust of our mothers. We had a couple of trollies we used to push around. Adam’s trolly had blocks in that that used to rattle around.”
The pair – who are just four months apart in age – went through both primary and high school together and have remained best buddies through adulthood sharing a passion for fishing, kayaking and snowboarding (Adam for much of his youth was a snowboarder before switching to Para alpine skiing).
Describing Adam as “loyal and funny” – he says from an early age he showed many qualities which have served him well throughout his sporting career.
“Adam was always determined and hard-working and growing up he was much better at cricket that me playing at a much higher grade. He was always dedicated in whatever he pursued, and he also had a lack of fear. I used to remember him flying around the farm on his motorbike.”
Brett does not expect much face-to-face contact with Adam in Milano Cortina and the father-of-two is happy to stand back, send the off good luck text to his close buddy and then watch the New Zealand Para alpine skiing legend give it heaps at what will be his sixth Paralympic Winter Games.
“I’m super proud to be there to watch him,” says Brett. “He’s my mate, who just happens to be good at sport. I’ve watched him compete on TV, but when I’m at the Paralympic Winter Games it will really hit home just how good he is. To be there, will be quite emotional.”
Matty Graham – Strength and Conditioning Coach
For the past decade Matty Graham has served as strength and conditioning coach and friend to both Adam and Paralympian #188 Corey Peters MNZM – who is also competing for the NZ Paralympic Team in Milano Cortina.
He describes the work the Team have done together as “a privilege” and in Milano Cortina 2026 for the first time he will get the opportunity to watch both Paralympians compete live at a pinnacle event.
As a strength and conditioning coach, Matty does not typically travel with Corey and Adam. However, thanks to securing a Prime Minster Scholarship from High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ) he has been able to combine some professional development opportunities in Europe while also supporting the duo in a strength and conditioning role for Snow Sports New Zealand.
“It is going to be great to see the boys in action,” says Matty. “This is the first time I have seen them race in person at a major event which I am looking forward to. Outside of watching as a ‘fan’, I am looking forward to seeing them in the pinnacle event environment and how we can develop and adapt their physical preparation for them and the wider Team, so they are supported in the best way possible from a strength and conditioning perspective in future campaigns.”
Over the past ten years, Corey and Adam have experienced significant injuries, undergone operations, coaching changes, a pandemic and funding uncertainties. Yet the bond remains steadfast.
“One thing that has not changed over this time is Adam and Corey’s professionalism and dedication to becoming the best Para athletes they can be day after day, week after week, year after year,” adds Matty.
As the vast majority of strength and conditioning has already been complete, the focus in the final stage of the boys’ preparation is a final few key strength and power sessions.
“The analogy of sharping a knife is a good one to think about,” he adds. “If you sharpen a knife too much then it starts to become blunt again. So, over this time we pay very close attention to their monitoring data and how they are feeling day to day so they can arrive at the top of the racecourse sharp, fresh and ready to race.”
Then it will be over to Corey and Adam as the pair aim to add to their combined haul of nine Paralympic Winter Games medals at Milano Cortina 2026. So, should Corey and Adam achieve their goals in Milano Cortina 2026, what emotions will Matty be experiencing?
“I will be absolutely stoked for them and for our Team,” he says. “There has been a lot of work getting to this point and regardless of the outcome I am proud to be a small cog in the machine that is the NZ Paralympic Team.”
***Follow the action at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games on TVNZ Duke and TVNZ+
