Paralympian #188 Corey Peters MNZM returns to the slopes of the Olimpia delle Tofane for his second competitive outing at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in the Men’s Super-G Sitting tonight (Monday 9 March), looking to improve on his fifth-place finish in the Men’s Downhill Sitting.
The 42-year-old New Zealander made a strong start in the downhill, recording the second-fastest times through the first and second intermediate splits. However, two costly errors off the jumps denied him a realistic shot at a medal, as he eventually finished fifth.
Peters showed plenty of raw speed in challenging conditions and, after claiming silver in the Men’s Super-G Sitting at Beijing 2022, knows he is more than capable of mounting a podium challenge.
Among his chief rivals will be defending Paralympic Men’s Super-G Sitting champion Jesper Pedersen of Norway, whose confidence will be high after winning gold in the Men’s Downhill Sitting on Saturday. Jeroen Kampschreur of the Netherlands is also expected to contend. A two-time world champion in the Men’s Super-G Sitting, the Dutch Para alpine skier was among the favourites in the downhill before crashing out on race day.
Reflecting on his downhill performance, Peters said: “I’ve had a good career with the medals already sat at home and I have two more events to come (at Milano Cortina 2026). We’ll just try to make amends in the next couple of events and see how well I can do.
“I expect similar conditions for the Super-G. The start will be a bit lower. In the downhill the first two or three turns were pretty decent, while the rest of the way down it was slushy from the Super-G start. Hopefully I can adapt to it and get a better result.”
NZ Paralympic Team Milano Cortina 2026 Chef de Mission Jane Stevens said: “While Corey and the team are disappointed with the eventual outcome of the downhill, the Super-G represents another great opportunity.
“Corey had a solid plan that he knew he needed to execute in the downhill, and for the most part he did this. A mistake at this level and on this course meant that he missed out on the medals. There are huge positives and learnings to take from this.
“In the downhill he showed encouraging signs that he has the raw speed. He was the fastest Para alpine skier under the speed gun and was second fastest through the first two intermediate splits. Unfortunately, a couple of mistakes proved costly but if he can put in a clean run in the Super-G, he will be highly competitive.”
Peters is aiming to extend his remarkable streak of medalling at every Paralympic Winter Games he has attended. He won Men’s Giant Slalom silver on his debut at Sochi 2014, added Men’s Downhill Sitting bronze at PyeongChang 2018, and claimed Men’s Downhill Sitting gold and Men’s Super-G silver at Beijing 2022.
Following his gold medal success in Beijing, Peters became a father later that year with the birth of his daughter Valentina. He took a year away from the Para sport to focus on family life before returning to competition, only to suffer a dislocated shoulder which sidelined him for the best part of a year.
Watch Peters in action live on TVNZ Duke after 10.50pm tonight (Monday 9 March), following the completion of the Men’s Super-G VI and Men’s Super-G Standing events.
Peters concludes his competitive programme at Milano Cortina 2026 in the Men’s Giant Slalom Sitting on Friday 13 March.
***Peters has been drawn third out of a field of 27 for the Men’s Super-G Sitting. Start lists and results go here.
***TVNZ Duke and TVNZ+ offers comprehensive coverage of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games. For more Games-related info go here.
***Back the NZ Paralympic Team with our official supporters’ gear from Macpac here.
