Paralympic Cross-Country Skiing and Austrian Athlete Carina Edlinger

    The Beijing 2022 Paralympic Games recently took place from March 4th to the 13th. Athletes, with all different forms of disabilities, from all across the globe, came together to unite through a common love of sport. Over the course of the ten day event, six winter sports were featured, including alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, ice hockey, snowboarding, and wheelchair curling. Each event was packed with action and passionate athletes that helped to shape that unique sport. One event I was able to watch, and was quite fascinated by, was the women’s cross-country skiing event. If I am being completely honest, I have never really watched the Winter Paralympic Games before, so there was not much that I knew about this particular event. So, I took to the official Paralympic website and did some research.

Cross-country skiing made its debut in the 1976 Örnsköldsvik Paralympic Games. It is open to male and female athletes with physical and or visual impairments, in which athletes are then classified into “sport classes” to ensure fair competition. Sport classes LW 2-9 pertain to standing skiers. Sport class LW 2 is for skiers who have an impairment affecting one leg, such as amputation, in which they will use a prosthesis and two skis. LW 3 includes skiers who face an impairment in both of their legs, where LW 4 is for those who have impairments in the lower parts of one leg, but with less effect than those classified in sport class LW 2. Athletes in sport class LW 4 may have an amputation above the ankle or decreased muscle function in one of their legs. Sport classes LW 5-8 classify those with arm impairments. Sport class LW 5/7 is for athletes who have impairments in both arms, in which they are unable to use ski poles, and subsequently, compete without them. LW 6 includes athletes who face a large-scale impairment in just one arm, such as a missing arm above the elbow. These athletes are not able to use their impaired appendage during races, so it may be fixed to their body, and they use one ski pole in the other hand. Sport class LW 8 is for athletes facing moderate impairments in one of their arms, in which they will ski with just one ski pole. For those who have combined impairments in arms and legs, sport class LW 9 is designed to host differing abilities, in which the use of one or two ski poles is dependent on the athlete. Sport classes LW 10-12 classify sit skiers, all of which have an impairment hindering full use of their legs. LW 10 is for skiers who have an impairment limiting both leg and trunk function, in which they are unable to sit without the use of their arms. LW 10.5 is for skiers with limited trunk control, but unlike those in LW 10, can maintain sitting balance. Sport class LW 11 includes athletes with leg impairment and fair trunk control, while LW 11.5 competitors have near to normal trunk control. Skiers in sport class LW 12 have leg impairments but normal trunk control, similar to those in classes LW 2-4, in which they can choose the way in which they would like to compete, either sitting or standing. The last classification for cross-country skiers in regards to athletes with vision impairments. Sport class B1 skiers are completely blind or have very limited visual activity. While racing, these athletes don eyeshades. Athletes in B2 have increased visual activity compared to those in class B1, and class B3 is for athletes with a restricted visual field and or low visual acuity. Sport class B1 skiers are required to compete with a guide, while those in B2 and B3 can decide if they want to compete with one. 

The women’s cross-country skiing event I watched featured sport class B2 athletes. The event was fast paced and quite exhilarating, especially since it was the final for the 1.5 km sprint. A total of four athletes, all accompanied by sighted guides, competed. Two of the women were from Germany, one from Ukraine, and the other from Austria. Carina Edlinger took home gold for Austria with an impressive finish time of 3:49.6. The 23-year-old athlete overcame multiple obstacles in her gold medal pursuit. Just days before her event, she was paralyzed from the neck down. She claims to have experienced similar mobility issues at the 2018 games, where she took home bronze. Thanks to the support from those around her, including friends, her guide, Lorenz Lampl, and her sidekick guide dog, Riley, she was able to get her health back on track and just in time to compete. In fact, Carina credits Riley with being her biggest supporter and reason behind her success. While being awarded her gold medal, Carina shared the podium with Riley and even gave him a medal of his own while celebrating the biggest accomplishment in her career thus far. 

Edlinger began cross-country skiing at the age of 10, and made her international debut at the European Championships back in 2014. She has competed as a vision impaired athlete since she has Stargardts, a rare congenital disease that occurs as a result of excess fat build up on the macula. Her vision began deteriorating back in 2010, but that has not stopped Carina in the pursuit of her dreams. Over the course of the past few years, the skier has obtained numerous accolades to her name. In 2017, she was named Rookie of the year at the Leonidas Sports Gala in Salzburg, Austria. Then, in 2018, in addition to her Paralympics bronze, the Austrian Ski Federation awarded her with the Golden Sport Award for Impaired Sport. Carina was then voted the 2019 Female Para Athlete of the Year by the Austrian Ski Federation, and again in 2021, but voted by Sports Media Austria members. Besides skiing, spending time with her guide dog, or vacationing, Carina has been actively pursuing a career in journalism. In fact, she has written multiple articles for the International Paralympic Committee website. Carina Edlinger is truly a remarkable individual and inspiration to us all. She has overcome every obstacle that has come her way and proven herself time and time again to be the one to watch, accompanied by her guide dog, Riley, of course. 

Picture by 2022 Getty Images

https://www.paralympic.org/carina-edlinger

https://olympics.com/en/news/carina-edlinger-gets-gold-with-help-from-friends-and-dog