Christian and Petra Aigner might need to expand the family home in Gloggnitz, Austria, to make room for all the downhill skiing gear their kids won at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games.
Son Johannes launched the Paralympic medal haul on the first day of the Games when he won gold in the visually impaired men’s downhill. The 16-year-old skier has chained the medals in the four events in which he participated with the slalom which remains to come Sunday morning in Beijing (Saturday evening in the United States).
Meanwhile, the Aigner sisters joined the medal night later in the week with 19-year-old tech specialists Speedwell and 16 years old Barbaric (Johannes’ twin) won gold and bronze, respectively, in the giant slalom for the visually impaired on Friday. A day later in the slalom, Veronika won a second consecutive gold medal while Barbara picked up a silver medal.
And that’s not all.
Veronika competes with her sister Elizabeth23, guiding her, making the podium celebration a real family affair.
Video of the Aigner sisters winning gold and silver in slalom at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games:
In total, the Aigner family has won eight medals at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games (and Johannes can add a potential ninth in slalom).
“It’s really crazy that all the sisters and all the brothers got a medal,” Veronika said.
“I cried during the flower ceremony because I’m so happy to win with my sisters. We all cried during the ceremony,” Elisabeth said.
While Barbara’s guide, Klara Sykoramay not technically be related, she still feels like a member of the family.
“I’ve seen each of them grow and I’m incredibly proud of everyone,” Sykora said.
In alpine skiing for the visually impaired, athletes compete with a guide who provides verbal instructions, which are communicated via headsets or a loudspeaker strapped to the guide’s back.
Veronika, Barbara and Johannes have congenital visual impairment from cataracts, as does their mother Petra. Growing up in Austria, the other two Aigner siblings – Elisabeth and Irmgard – learned to serve as guides on the slopes.
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In January 2021, Veronika tore her cruciate ligament and meniscus in both knees after crashing in training. She managed to return to the slopes later in the year, but says the injury is still causing pain.
“But when I was driving the course, I was focusing on my sister and then I wasn’t focusing on the knees,” she explained after winning gold in the slalom.
It’s not the first time a family member has distracted himself from pain by thinking about his sister.
At the end of the 2019-20 season, Veronika was in contention to win the slalom title. But before a key race, Elisabeth was hit with severe stomach pains. She crossed to guide Veronika up the slope before heading to the hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery for appendicitis.
“I give him incredibly high credit for that,” Veronika said in November.
For the future, the Aigner sisters have set very specific goals.
Barbara is already planning the Milano-Cortina 2026 Paralympic Games in four years. “If I can handle this at 16, I’ll do it at 20 as well,” she says, as Veronika plans to compete until at least 2030.
As for the short term?
“We’re looking forward to a party when we get home,” Barbara says.
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