Aussie Skier Josh Hanlon Wins First Downhill Medal in 8 Years

Josh Hanlon carved his way into Australian para skiing history this week, winning bronze in downhill sitting at the Para World Cup in Saalbach, Austria.

The New South Wales native finished just 2.26 seconds behind Norway's Jesper Pedersen on the challenging course. His podium finish marks Australia's first medal in para downhill skiing since Melissa Perrine won bronze at the 2017 World Cup finals in PyeongChang.

The timing couldn't be sweeter. Hanlon's breakthrough comes exactly 50 days before the 2026 Milano-Cortina Paralympics, where he'll compete for his second Games appearance.

"The snow was super hard and fast, the race hill is really cool with lots of challenging terrain," Hanlon said after the race. "I'm absolutely stoked with the podium result. I honestly didn't expect it at all."

The achievement is even more remarkable given Hanlon's journey to the sport. The former GWS football academy player only started sit-skiing less than three years before his 2022 Paralympics debut, following amputations of both legs below the knee and his dominant right hand below the wrist due to a severe bacterial infection.

Hanlon kicked off his Austria campaign by finishing seventh, his then-best-ever result. Two days later, he stood on the podium in third place alongside silver medalist Andrew Kurka of the United States, the 2018 Paralympics downhill sitting champion.

Why This Inspires

Hanlon's story shows what determination looks like in action. From hospital bed to Paralympic podium in under three years, he's rewriting what's possible in adaptive sports. His 2022 Paralympics Australia rookie of the year award came after finishing sixth in slalom sitting and 11th in giant slalom sitting at the Beijing Games.

Now he's conquering downhill, one of the most technically demanding and fastest disciplines in para alpine skiing. The 28-year-old admitted he didn't execute the harder parts of the course exactly as planned, but his run was "just enough" to claim the medal.

His humility and hunger to improve suggest this bronze medal is just the beginning of his downhill success story.