Paralympian #158 Adam Hall MNZM lit up the slopes of the Olimpia delle Tofane to claim a sensational silver medal in the Men’s Slalom Standing on the final day of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.
Competing at his sixth Paralympic Winter Games, the 38-year-old Kiwi maintained his composure in the heat of battle to surge from fourth after the first run to the second step of the podium, thanks to a scintillating second run that produced a combined time of 1:31.38
It was an incredible achievement by Hall, who secured the sixth Paralympic medal of his remarkable career to draw level with Paralympian #55 Patrick Cooper as the most decorated New Zealand Winter Paralympian.
Amid steadily falling snow, the Kiwi burst out of the start gate for the second run knowing he had to produce a great performance to apply pressure on the three Para alpine skiers occupying the provisional podium positions.
Holding an advantage of just over half a second over Robin Cuche of Switzerland, the race leader at that point, Hall had seen more than half of that margin eroded by the second intermediate split. However, leaning on his vast experience, Hall put on the afterburners down the lower end of the course to cross the line with a 0.35-second lead over Cuche, with three competitors still to come.
Such was the quality of Hall’s performance that Jules Segers of France, the next man out of the start gate, could not respond to the challenge, recording a combined time of 1:32.29, guaranteeing the Kiwi another Paralympic medal. There was another twist, however, as bronze turned to silver for Hall after the penultimate Para alpine skier out of the start gate, Italian Federico Pelizzari, lost the binding on his ski mid-race and recorded a DNF.
Leader after the first run, Aleksei Bugaev held a commanding advantage of more than a second and a half, and he would not be denied gold. Bugaev crossed the finish line in a total time of 1:28.55 for a comprehensive victory, reclaiming the title he last won in Sochi 2014.
Yet for a visibly emotional Hall it was another unforgettable moment in a remarkable career for the Outram-raised Wānaka-based Para alpine skier, who make his Paralympic debut at Torino 2006.
An ecstatic Hall, who has now claimed four Paralympic medals in the Men’s Slalom Standing (two gold, one silver, one bronze), said: “I’m in a dream. I don’t know what just happened. After the first run, sitting in fourth, I just had to lay everything out there. I knew waking up to all that snow that I had to bring out that Taieri attitude that it is just an ordinary winter day. I just had to attack it and let it rip. It was years and years of experience and leaving nothing behind. Wow! What a way to come down and perform like that against such a strong field.
He continued: “It feels so special to have so many family and friends in the crowd today, including my wife, Elitsa, and daughter, Gracelynn, who is seven and hopefully able to remember this for the rest of her life. This means so much to so many people, and to have so many family and friends here from near and far is amazing. I’d like to say thanks to the whole team who have been on this journey with me. It has been incredible, but we got the job done.
“There are no words to describe what this means. I put a pounamu under my bib, which made me feel like all of New Zealand has been on this journey with me. I hope I’ve continued that great legacy of Winter Paralympians, and to have brought home another medal is amazing. I love to thrive on that pressure.”
Earlier, in steady snowfall and poor visibility, Hall produced a vintage first run of 47.80 to sit in a strong fourth position — within 0.40 seconds of provisional bronze held by Segers of France.
Bugaev led the field after the first run with an electric 45.39, holding a massive 1.66-second advantage over Pelizzari. However, the big surprise came when pre-race favourite Arthur Bauchet of France made a huge error, leaving his gold medal hopes in tatters more than ten seconds off the pace.
The two-man New Zealand Paralympic Team secured a hugely impressive four top six finishes at Milano Cortina 2026:
Silver – Adam Hall – Men’s Slalom Standing
Fifth – Corey Peters – Men’s Giant Slalom Sitting
Fifth – Corey Peters – Men’s Downhill Sitting
Sixth – Corey Peters – Men’s Super-G Sitting
***For full results go here.
***TVNZ Duke and TVNZ+ offer comprehensive coverage of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games. For more Games-related information go here.
