Guiding visually impaired skiers to glory

For visually impaired Alpine skiers, guides are their eyes.

Paula Elia Brenzel is among the guides working at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. On Tuesday, she aided Noemi Ewa Ristau down the Yanqing slopes during a training session ahead of the Games. Ristau placed a solid sixth in the standings.

"Skiing is my life, and when I met Noemi, I was inspired when I saw her ski down the slope smoothly," the 22-year-old Brenzel, who became Ristau's guide after the 2018 Paralympics, said.

Brenzel's early impressions of the National Alpine Skiing Centre in Yanqing were very positive.

"I think this is a really cool course. They have flat parts and difficult parts, you have liked a little bit of everything. It was a lot of fun. I really like the slope," she said.

"You can really go at the edge of the ski and have good turns. I think we had a good run today and we are looking forward to the next training day."

Brenzel is identifiable as the guide by wearing a yellow shirt during races, when she communicates with Ristau via headsets.

"I don't tell her that much, she can see 2 percent, so sometimes she can see a little bit of me when we go," the guide explained.

"I just say 'left', 'hold' or 'right', and when she goes on the flat or the difficult part. My job is to keep her really close to me, so we have just a small distance between us. That's how it works."

The pair spend about 120 days together each year, and Brenzel says they have now formed a close bond.

"It's so much fun cooperating with Noemi, and now I'm just very excited. The Germany team is very cool, I have nice experiences in the team," she said.

"I think for the visually impaired athlete, it's really important to have one guide they're focusing on. It is teamwork, so it's better if the disabled athlete doesn't change the guide all the time."

Brenzel has already settled into life at the Yanqing Paralympic Village, where she is enjoying the local cuisine.

"The food is good, I'm really enjoying it. I never could have believed I would be at the Paralympic Games, I am super excited," Brenzel said.

Ristau's eyesight began to deteriorate when she was 12 as a result of the effects of Stargardt disease, a rare genetic condition.

"By the time I was 18, I was virtually blind. Without the disease, skiing would probably still be my hobby. After my eyesight got worse, it was like my body could feel something again by skiing," Ristau said.

Now, both skier and guide hope their partnership can produce a gold medal at the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games.

Xinhua