2002 NZ Winter Paralympic Team
8 - 17 March 2002, Salt Lake, USA
Rachael Battersby
Gold - DownhillGold - GS
Gold - Slalom
(LW6/8) (Born 1978), a Cantabrian, has been a national team member since 1997. Rachael fell from a car at the age of 4 which resulted in her left arm becoming paralysed. In 1997 she decided for personal reasons to have her arm amputated which had a huge impact in improving her skiing.
Rachael has studied Travel Tourism and Business at the Sir George Seymour College and is currently in the process of a Graduate Diploma in Business and Marketing at Massey University.
Career Results and Awards
2002 Paralympics Salt Lake USA - 3 Golds
Gold Womens SL
Gold Womens GS
Gold Womens Downhill
2001/02 1st Womens World Cup Slalom
2nd World Cup Overall 2000/01
FIS Disabled World Cup Results
Overall Ranking 9th DH 10th, SG 7th, GS 10th, SL 7th
2000 NZ Disabled Skier of the Year
2000 Canterbury Disabled Sports Person of the Year
2000 Disabled World Championships, Anzere Switzerland
Silver Giant Slalom Bronze Super G
Steve Bayley
Gold - GSBronze - Downhill
Bronze - Super G
(LW4) (born 1971), also a Cantabrian. Steve lost his leg in 1994 after a freak car accident which left his right leg amputated below the knee. After skiing all his life he was determined to get back on the snow and did 4 months after his accident. Steve was named to the team in 1997 after skiing at the New Zealand Disabled Nationals as an unknown skier. Since then Steve has been training and racing in 12 consecutive back to back winters in New Zealand, Europe, Canada and the US.
Steve has successfully competed in 1 Paralympics (Nagano Japan
1998) and 1 World Champs (Anzere, Switzerland 2000). Steve has also
competed in the Disabled World Cup and US Nationals with various
success. In his off season Steve enjoys scuba diving, rock climbing
and recently competed in the Speights Coast to Coast.
Career Results and Awards
2002 Paralympics Salt Lake USA - 1 Gold 2 Bronze
Gold Mens GS
Bronze Mens Super G
Bronze Mens Downhill
2000/01 FIS Disabled World Cup Results
Overall Ranking 26th
DH 13th, GS 13th, SL 19th
2001 US Nationals 2nd Overall
DH 2nd SG 2nd GS 3rd SL 8th
2000 Disabled World Championships, Anzere Switzerland
Silver Downhill
1999/2000 FIS Disabled World Cup Overall 6th
DH 1st GS 5th
1999 World Cup Finals
Gold Downhill
1998 Winter Paralympics, Nagano Japan
Bronze Giant Slalom
1999 New Zealand Skier of the Year
1999 New Zealand Disabled Skier of the Year
Patrick Cooper
Coach 2002 Winter Paralympics Salt Lake
Team member from 1988 - 1996 LW 4 below knee amputee.
Lives and works in Taupo New Zealand as a builder.
NZ Stage II Ski Instructor
Coach for 2000 Disabled World Championships in Anzere Switzerland
1998 Winter Paralympics Nagano Japan.
Alan Bender
Coach 2002 Winter Paralympics Salt Lake
Lives in Winter Park Colorado USA, Coaches in the winter and a builder in the summer Alan is employed as a coach for the National Sports Center for the Disabled Winter Park for the past 4 years, and is working closely with Rachael and Steve in their build up to Salt Lake.
Janine Elliott
Team Manager/Chef de Mission
Lives and works in Christchurch, Team Manager since may 1990.
1998 Voted onto the International Paralympic Committee.
New Zealand's representative on the FIS Disabled Alpine Committee
2000 World Disabled Championships, Anzere Switzerland
1998 Winter Paralympics, Nagano Japan
1996 World Disabled Championships, Lech, Austria
1994 Winter Paralympics Lillehammer Norway
1992 Winter Paralympics Tignes, France