SNN August 2019 online

Low-Key Kiwi Champion
Adam Hall On Overcoming Challenges To Take On The World
Two-time Paralympic Gold Medallist, Adam Hall, has
taken on the world and won. The 31-year-old, who
was born with spina bifida, says he’s “he is lucky”
because he is mobile and able to walk. The Dunedinborn
ski champion admits to being a snowboarder
at heart, but returned to skiing in order to compete
in the Paralympic Winter Games in 2006. He hasn’t
looked back. Earlier this year, he was recognised
at the Halberg Awards as the Para Athlete of 2018.
Winning awards has become commonplace for Adam,
who has spent a lifetime pushing the boundaries
of what is possible for someone with a disability.
Take us back to the start. You were born
with spina bifida. How hard was it growing
up and how has it affected your life?
Well, I was born with spina bifida so I don’t know
any different. I have lived with it my whole life,
compared to someone who may have lived an
able life and then had to overcome the mental
barrier of a tragic injury or overcome something
that has drastically changed their life.
I was reasonably lucky with my upbringing. I was
treated just like anyone else. You hear about the
cotton wool syndrome where people who have a
spinal cord injury are treated differently. At the end
of the day, we are just trying to do our best. We are
not more prone to getting hurt than our able-bodied
peers - we are just out there and doing it. We want
to push the limits and see what is possible. That is
the great thing about Adaptive Sport. It is what it is
all about. There are no limitations or boundaries.
The way I describe disability and the perception of that, if
I was going to take on someone in a running race, then
I would be the one with the disability but, if we were to
go up the mountain and ski the slopes, then they would
be the one with the so-called disability. I was lucky
to get into sport at a young age. Sport has the ability
to change people’s lives whether you have a disability
or not. To get out there and get active is important.
My time in sport has taught me a lot of life lessons.
Sure, you always have your ups and downs. Whether
that is going through school or going through different
procedures, but you have to just get through it. I
always look to focus on the positives and focus on the
stuff what you can do rather than the stuff you can’t.
“
We want to push the limits and see
what is possible. That is the great thing
about Adaptive Sport. It is what
it is all about. There are no
limitations or boundaries.
Paralympian Adam Hall
Adam Hall won Gold in the Men’s Slalom Standing at the 2018
PyeongChang Paralympic Winter Games. Credit: Getty Images.
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