New Zealand skier Corey Peters has won gold in the sitting downhill event at the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing.
The 38-year-old was sensational in his opening race at the 2022 Games, flying down the icy slope at great speed and keeping his turns tight to the gates.
Peters was rocky early in his run, bouncing across the hard-packed snow in the upper portion of the course.
However, he maintained control and built speed through the middle section that was unmatched by any of the other riders.
That speed was crucial as he posted a sizzling time of 1:16.73. No other athlete was able to get within a second of Peters.
It was a remarkable achievement for Peters, given he hasn't competed in a downhill event for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He also missed the World Championships two months ago after catching the virus, and failed to finish either of his two training runs in Beijing.
Peters had failed to finish in either of his two training runs, but was sensational when it mattered most. (Source: 1News)
"It's absolutely amazing...top of the podium, that's what I was striving for," Peters told 1News.
"I've been nervous for a few days now. The first couple of downhill training runs I hadn't finished, I crashed into the net, so that didn't go to plan...on the day when it really mattered I managed to put it down there and ski the best run of my life."
It is Peters' third Paralympic medal, following a silver in giant slalom at Sochi 2014 and bronze in downhill at PyeongChang 2018.
Fellow Kiwi skier Aaron Ewen finished 11th on his Olympic debut.
Earlier in the afternoon, Adam Hall opened up his fifth Winter Paralympics campaign with a 19th-place finish in the men's standing downhill.
The 34-year-old performed admirably in his less favoured discipline, finishing 6.26 seconds off the pace of gold medallist Arthur Bauchet, of France, with a time of 1:21.18. Bauchet was the silver medallist in the event at PyeongChang 2018. Austria's Markus Salcher took silver while Switzerland's Theo Gmuer won bronze.
The five-time Winter Paralympian was happy with his efforts in his opening event at Beijing 2022. (Source: 1News)
Hall said he was "really pleased" with his efforts in the downhill event.
"For me it is a marathon so New Zealand will probably have to keep waiting a little bit. I'm looking forward to getting the experience, checking out the snow conditions in the speed events and moving that into the tech events, which is the business end for me."
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