Greatest moments in Otago sport - Number 10

Adam Hall. Photo by Matthew Haggart.

No 10: Adam Hall wins Paralympic gold (2010)

Adam Hall had a split second to contemplate failure but spent the time getting back in the gold medal race.

The courageous Dunedin-born disabled skier won the men's standing slalom at the Winter Paralympics in Vancouver in March 2010, but not before a dramatic tumble threatened to ruin his dream.

Hall, who has spina bifida, had a handy 2sec buffer over the rest of the field after a magnificent opening run. But, two-thirds of the way down his final run, he lost control and crashed.

Those watching the television coverage in Dunedin gasped. His race appeared over.

But that thought never crossed his mind. Steely determination and years of training paid off in one instinctive moment. He rebounded from the snow in a graceful recovery and skied to victory.

"When you're at that level of competition, you don't really have that much time to think about anything," he said.

"All I really thought about was getting up and carrying on and finishing the best I possibly could. I do this every day and get into positions like this sometimes. It is what training is all about.

"I still thought I could finish on the podium and when I crossed the finish line and looked up on the big screen and saw my name up there it was a pretty incredible moment."

Hall's combined time of 1min 45.40sec was 0.57sec better than German Gerd Schonfelder's, with Australian Cameron Rahles Rahbula forced to settle for third.

Hall collapsed in an emotional heap at the end of the race but it was a big moment for his family too, especially his mother, Gayle Hall.

Gayle had been at her son's side cheering him on and had yelled herself hoarse during the race.

"I knew he could do it and he knew he could do it," Gayle said.

"He had such a big lead and it is just as well he did, because he had that wee fall at the end. But it was absolutely amazing." "He wanted this really badly and has been dreaming about this day. It is a culmination of all Adam's hard work and I'm so proud of him."

Joy turned to overwhelming despair for the Hall family when Gayle was killed in a car crash a week after Adam had received a hero's welcome upon his return to Dunedin.

Hall, who plans to compete at the next Winter Paralympics in Russia in 2014, was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to sport in June this year.

He was also named the 2010 Otago Sportsperson of the Year - the only person with a disability to win the award.