Paralympic Skier Adam Hall Earns Triple Honour

New Zealand alpine skier Adam Hall (pictured right), 30, who won a gold and a bronze medal in the men’s slalom and super-combined, respectively, at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games, has also been named a recipient of the top Paralympic Games award, the Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award. Hall, who is from Dunedin, is the first New Zealander to receive the honour.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) named Hall and Finnish Nordic skier Sini Pyy the male and female recipients of the award, which is named after a South Korean doctor who advocated for people with disabilities for more than 50 years.

The award was established by the IPC at the 1988 Seoul Summer Paralympics. It is presented to paralympians who best exemplify the spirit of the Games and the Paralympic values.

Hall, a gold medalist in the men’s slalom standing event at Vancouver 2010, was born with spina bifida. He began skiing at age six and switched to snowboarding three years later. Hall later switched back to skiing to compete in the Paralympic Winter Games in 2006.

Chief executive of Paralympics New Zealand Fiona Allan congratulated Hall on his award:

“Adam is an exceptional athlete and what he has done to mentor and support and encourage more disabled athletes in New Zealand … to get the most out of life, whether it is through Paralympic sport or not, is amazing.”

“He is an excellent ambassador and it extends much wider.”

In other Paralympic Games news, New Plymouth’s Corey Peters, 34, won bronze in the downhill sit-ski.

Original article by Yonhap News Agency, March 16, 2018.