Former skier:

At the Opera Ball in the Chancellor’s and President’s box

Johanna Mikl-Leitner, Governor of Lower Austria, invited Barbara Aigner to the Chancellor's Box and then took the former Paraski skier to the President's Box.(Bild: Petra Aigner)

Strong! Lower Austria's Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner invited Barbara Aigner to the Chancellor's Box at the Opera Ball and also took the Paraski skier, who retired four weeks ago, to the President's Box. There she introduced her 19-year-old compatriot to Alexander van der Bellen. He posted a photo of them together on his Instagram account the following day.

Johanna Mikl-Leitner greatly appreciates the Aigner family from Gloggnitz. The Governor is impressed by the way Petra and Christian Aigner raised three children who were visually impaired from birth and two non-disabled siblings, shaping them into very strong personalities and extremely successful top athletes.

At the Paralympics in Beijing, Veronika Aigner and the twins Johannes and Barbara won nine medals (4 x gold, 3 x silver, 2 x bronze). The New York Times wrote at the time: "This family is a nation of its own. In the medal count, the Aigners would have come eighth ahead of Norway."

Federal President Alexander van der Bellen posted this picture on his Instagram account after the Opera Ball.(Bild: instagram/vanderbellen)

"Look, so young, and already a medal"
"Babsi", who was also world champion in giant slalom in 2021, was subsequently awarded the Golden Medal of Honor for Services to the Republic of Austria. She proudly wore it at the Opera Ball. As she emerged from the presidential box, some ball guests whispered: "Look, so young, and already a medal."

But in sport, as in life, there are always highs and lows. Four weeks ago, Babsi announced her retirement from Paraski: "I'm in excellent shape, I feel really good physically. But none of that helps if your head is no longer right and you can't take any more risks in the race."

Babsi also met Andrea and Georg Blochberger, bosses of her previous head sponsor "Eis-Greissler", at the Opera Ball.(Bild: Petra Aigner)

"I'm sure I won't understand that any time soon"
But the Gloggnitz native has no regrets about her decision and has already found a new sporting challenge in judo. Her previous head sponsor "Eis-Greissler" wants to continue to support her. The meeting with Andrea and Georg Blochberger, the bosses of the ice company from Krumbach, in the State Opera House was accordingly very emotional.

Her conclusion after a long night: "It was all very special, starting with the make-up in the Palais Niederösterreich. The opera is an incredibly beautiful setting. I'm sure I'll never forget that I was in the Chancellor's Box and the President's Box."

An Opera Ball souvenir photo for eternity.(Bild: Petra Aigner)

Cheese krainer hot dog at the end
On the other hand, she was very quick to take off her shoes: "I rarely wear shoes with heels. And if you dance a lot, you can really feel your feet. In comparison, ski boots are really comfortable. In the sneakers afterwards, I was walking on air. That was really nice." Just like the Käsekrainer hot dog at "Bitzinger" at dawn.