Veronika Aigner
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Short description|Austrian para alpine skier (born 2003)}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
|name = Veronika Aigner
|image =
|image_size =
|caption =
|birth_name =
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|2003|02|13|df=yes}}
|birth_place = Neunkirchen, Austria
|residence =
|nationality =
|height =
|weight =
|disability = Visually impaired
|disability_class = B2
|relatives =
|sport = Alpine skiing
|event =
|country = {{AUT}}
|coach =
|website =
|medaltemplates =
{{Medal|Sport | Women's para alpine skiing}}
{{Medal|Country|{{AUT}}}}
{{Medal|Comp|Paralympic Games}}
{{MedalGold|2022 Beijing|Giant slalom}}
{{MedalGold|2022 Beijing|Slalom}}
{{MedalCompetition|World Championships}}
{{MedalGold|2023 Lleida|Giant slalom}}
{{MedalGold|2023 Lleida|Slalom}}
{{MedalGold|2025 Maribor|Giant slalom}}
{{MedalGold|2025 Maribor|Slalom}}
}}
Veronika Aigner (born 13 February 2003) is an Austrian visually impaired para alpine skier. She won two gold medals at the 2022 Winter Paralympics.{{Cite web |title=Alpine Skiing Results Book |url=https://results.beijing2022.cn/beijing-2022/paralympic-games/static/pwg2022/pdf/PWG2022/ALP/PWG2022_ALP_B99_ALP-------------------------------.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313113641/https://results.beijing2022.cn/beijing-2022/paralympic-games/static/pwg2022/pdf/PWG2022/ALP/PWG2022_ALP_B99_ALP-------------------------------.pdf |archive-date=13 March 2022 |access-date=13 March 2022 |website=2022 Winter Paralympics}}
Early life
Veronika Aigner was born with a visual impairment in 2003 to parents Petra, who is also visually impaired,{{Cite web |date=2022-03-01 |title=Keeping it in the family – Aigner twins join the dynasty |url=https://www.paralympic.org/feature/keeping-it-family-aigner-twins-join-dynasty |access-date=2025-06-24 |website=International Paralympic Committee |language=en}} and Christian Aigner. She was raised on the family farm in Gloggnitz in the Neunkirchen District of Austria with her four siblings.{{Cite web |date=2020-06-27 |title=Aigner sisters make skiing family proud |url=https://www.paralympic.org/news/aigner-sisters-make-skiing-family-proud |access-date=2025-06-24 |website=International Paralympic Committee |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Waldstein |first=David |date=2022-03-13 |title=The Skiing Aigners Are a Nation Unto Themselves |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/13/sports/olympics/aigner-family-paralympics.html |access-date=2025-06-24 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} She began skiing before the age of two.{{Cite web |title=PARA SPORT Awards: Veronika Aigner wins Breakthrough Award with guide Elisabeth |url=https://www.paralympic.org/para-sport/news/para-sport-awards-veronika-aigner-wins-breakthrough-award-guide-elisabeth |access-date=2025-06-24 |website=International Paralympic Committee |language=en}}
Career
Aigner began competing in para alpine skiing when she was nine. She made her world cup debut in the 2018-19 season, competing with her guide and sister, Elisabeth at the World Cup in Zagreb, Croatia in January 2019. At only 15, Aigner was too young to compete in that year's World Para Alpine Skiing Championships. She won five gold medals in the 2018-19 World Cup season and the season's Crystal Globe in slalom. Aigner won six races at the start of the 2019-20 season, but had an injury that, in combination with the COVID-19 pandemic, ended her season early.
In the first race of the 2020-21 World Cup season in Veysonnaz, Aigner won four of her five races.{{Cite web |last=Rowbottom |first=Mike |date=2021-02-19 |title=Germany and Aigner family the big winners at Leogang Para Alpine Skiing World Cup |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1104504/para-alpine-skiing-leogang-aigner |access-date=2025-06-24 |website=Inside the Games}} She tore a ligament and meniscus in both knees in January 2021 while training, ending her season; she was then in a car accident in November 2021 and was unable to compete in the 2022 World Championships. As such, the giant slalom at the 2022 Winter Paralympics was her first race of the season.{{Cite news |date=2022-03-11 |title=Winter Paralympics: Veronika and Elisabeth Aigner win skiing gold in Beijing |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/winter-sports/60703140 |access-date=2025-06-24 |work=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}} Aigner won gold medals in the giant slalom VI and slalom VI events at the 2022 Paralympics.{{cite web|url=https://www.paralympic.org/veronika-aigner |title=Veronika Aigner |website=paralympic.org |access-date=11 March 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.paralympic.org/feature/golden-family-aigner-siblings-achieve-paralympic-glory |title=Golden family: Aigner siblings achieve Paralympic glory |website=paralympic.org |date=11 March 2022 |access-date=11 March 2022}}
Aigner won gold in slalom and giant slalom at the 2023 World Para Alpine Skiing Championships.{{Cite web |title=Espot 2023 FIS Para Alpine World Ski Championships: Slalom (Women) Official ranking |url=https://medias3.fis-ski.com/pdf/2023/PAL/0079/2023PAL0079RL.pdf |access-date=2025-06-24 |website=FIS}} She and her guide, Elisabeth, were awarded the Breakthrough Award at the 2023 PARA SPORT Awards. Aigner won gold in slalom and giant slalom at the 2025 World Para Alpine Skiing Championships in Maribor.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2025-02-11 |title=Veronika Aigner holt zum WM-Abschluss Gold im Slalom |url=https://www.noen.at/sport/noe-sportmix/veronika-aigner-holt-zum-wm-abschluss-gold-im-slalom-461096290 |access-date=2025-06-24 |website=NÖN.at |language=de}}{{Cite web |date=2025-03-24 |title=Veronika Aigner gewinnt Slalom-Kristallkugel |url=https://www.bmi.gv.at/news.aspx?id=6644782B66574B304130513D |access-date=2025-06-24 |website=www.bmi.gv.at}}
Personal life
Aigner's siblings, twins Barbara, and Johannes, are both visually impaired para skiers.{{cite web|url=https://www.paralympic.org/feature/keeping-it-family-aigner-twins-join-dynasty |title=Keeping it in the family – Aigner twins join the dynasty |website=paralympic.org |date=1 March 2022 |access-date=11 March 2022}} Her older sister, Elisabeth, is Aigner's sighted guide.
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{IPC athlete|id=veronika-aigner}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aigner, Veronika}}
Category:Austrian female alpine skiers
Category:Alpine skiers at the 2022 Winter Paralympics
Category:Medalists at the 2022 Winter Paralympics
Category:Paralympic gold medalists for Austria
Category:Paralympic medalists in alpine skiing
Category:Visually impaired-category Paralympic competitors
Category:Austrian blind people