Visually impaired skier racer Meg Gustafson chases Paralympic medals with her brother as guide

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — As kids, Para ski racer Meg Gustafson followed the lead of her older brother as they explored the mountains on family vacations.

Now, he’s paving the way for a chance at Paralympic medals. As a visually impaired athlete, the 16-year-old Gustafson relies on her sibling, Spenser, to guide her through the course at the Milan Cortina Games.

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It’s a bond forged by years of skiing together in Minnesota and Colorado, and strengthened by honesty — they’re not afraid to share their true thoughts — and, above all, trust. Because they inspect the course together, go over a game plan together and then Meg follows the orange blur — Spenser wears that color of snow pants and jacket to stand out — down the hill.

“We try to keep the brother-sister rivalry out of the relationship before and during the race. But after the race, sometimes it comes out,” the 18-year-old Spenser said with a laugh. “We’re very close on and off the slopes, and this has only made us closer.”

On Thursday, the duo turned in their best performance yet — taking fifth in the giant slalom in the visually impaired classification. They close out their Paralympics with a slalom on Saturday, which is Meg’s best event and one where she could bring home a medal. She was also sixth in the downhill, seventh in the Alpine combined and eighth in the super-G.

For them, it’s all about communication. She listens to his instructions on the course via their Bluetooth headsets.

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In fact, his words are all she hears.

“Just blocking everything out except for your guide and the snow underneath your feet is definitely a big part,” Meg explained. “I think that being brother and sister helps our relationship because I’m not afraid to criticize our dynamics. But I’m also open to him and all of his suggestions.”

Genetic disorder affects the ligaments in her eyes

Meg was born with a genetic disorder that affected the ligaments in her eyes and gives her tunnel vision. She had a fully detached retina at 12, which required four surgeries, and another two operations on the other eye. She said she…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/visually-impaired-skier-racer-meg-181024566.html

Author : TALES AZZONI and PAT GRAHAM

Publish date : 2026-03-12 18:10:00

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