Para cross-country skiing : Heading for Milan/Cortina
As the 2025/2026 season approaches, the Brazilian para-cross-country skiing team is already looking ahead to its big goal: the Paralympic Winter Games in Milan/Cortina next March. Their sights are set on a historic ambition: to win the first winter Paralympic medals in Brazil’s history.
To prepare for the new campaign in the best possible way, Aline dos Santos Rocha and Cristian Ribera Westemaier – both sit-ski specialists – spent a month with the Brazilian team in Ushuaia (Argentina) to train and rediscover the sensations of the snow.
This contact with the snow is essential,” Aline dos Santos Rocha told the FIS. We spent 30 days in Ushuaia, interspersed with a Continental Cup competition in Tierra Mayor. It was a very rewarding experience. It was a friendly atmosphere,” says the Brazilian, who won all four of her races.
Cristian Westemaier Ribera, world sprint champion in Trondheim (Norway), won all the men’s events. The course was really great,” he enthuses. We don’t usually have time to ski before the season, so the more time we spend on the snow, the better, especially in Paralympic year. The facilities were excellent: good slopes, good food and very welcoming people.”
For Aline dos Santos Rocha, who is also competing in wheelchair athletics, the priority is clear: “Our entire training and competition programme is focused on one thing: being in top form at the Paralympic Games.
His team-mate shares the same vision. I approach every race with the desire to win,” says the 22-year-old. Even in training, there’s a great competitive spirit between us. I want to keep up the good work, enjoy the snow, and above all achieve my goal: a Paralympic medal.
Read also
- Para biathlon | Para cross-country skiing: the programme for the Milan/Cortina 2026 Paralympic Games
- Nordic skiing: the medals table for the 2025 world championships in Trondheim
