4.04 seconds ahead

Won gold again in the final slalom of her career

Veronika Aigner also won the slalom at the Paralympics in Cortina, leaving Italy with four gold and one silver medal.(Bild: GEPA)

Veronika Aigner is a phenomenon. At the Paralympics in Cortina, she won gold again in the final slalom of her career with guide Eric Digruber. And she did so with a lead of 4.04 seconds! The visually impaired athlete from Lower Austria thus concludes the Games with four victories and one second-place finish! Elina Stary won silver after two bronze medals with guide Stefan Winter.

Despite two cartilage injuries in her right knee, Veronika Aigner left her opponents in the dust in Cortina: “I really feel it in the slalom, but at the Paralympics, you just block out the pain. But in the future, I won’t be dancing through the gates anymore because of this. That was my last competitive slalom.”

As her guide, Eric Digruber led Veronika Aigner to victory in the slalom.(Bild: GEPA)

Another remarkable point was that “Vroni” and guide Eric Digruber were able to train together only sparingly following her sister Elisabeth Aigner’s cruciate ligament tear. But that hadn’t been a problem even in the speed events, when “Vroni” won two gold medals with Lilly Sammer.

Her boyfriend Roland saw his sweetheart “Vroni” compete live for the first time.(Bild: GEPA)

“Incredibly proud”
In her initial reaction, the 23-year-old from Gloggnitz said: “We just let the skis do their thing. I’m incredibly proud that we handled the Games so well. I never expected such a result. This was my last slalom, an absolutely crowning finale in this discipline. It was a competition for the soul that I will always look back on with great fondness. It feels good to hang up my slalom skis now. For health reasons, I’ll be specializing in the speed disciplines going forward.”

Guide Eric Digruber said: “The plan came together at short notice after her sister Lisi’s injury. We pulled out all the stops. In the end, it worked out.” Veronika said: “I’ve known Eric for 13 years and have great confidence in him. He was also the head coach of the Paraski team. We’ve always stayed in touch. In the summer, we always go to his place at Erlaufsee for barbecues.”

Elina Stary, Stefan Winter, Veronika Aigner, and Eric Digruber with their medals.(Bild: GEPA)

The self-employed physical therapist, who is the brother of former World Cup racer Marc, nodded: “We’ve known each other for so long. Even as kids, they always gave it their all in training. They’ve got a great sense of humor; we always have a blast together.”

Elina Stary won silver in the slalom—her third medal.(Bild: GEPA)

“This is a great foundation to build on”
Elina Stary leaves Cortina with three medals: “This is the perfect foundation for the future. At 19, I’m just at the beginning of my career.” Guide Stefan Winter thanked the entire team: “All the coaches, support staff, service crew, and physical therapists played a huge part in this. Overall, these were fantastic Games. The sport got the stage it deserves.”

Elina is now heading back to school. With her high school graduation in May, the next big test is coming up: “I already have an English test on March 20. There’s a lot to do over the next two months. The pressure there is almost greater than it was here.”