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Ralf Etienne Becomes Haiti’s First Winter Paralympian at Milan-Cortina

He uses the stage to present a resilient image of Haiti for young people watching at home.

Overview

  • Etienne started the men’s standing giant slalom, completed his first run, and was disqualified on his second run on Friday in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
  • He lost his left leg after being trapped for eight hours in the 2010 Haiti earthquake, a life-altering event that redirected his focus to service and later to sport.
  • With roughly 80 days on snow, he developed his skills at the National Ability Centre in Utah and earned qualification points in European races since August.
  • The 36-year-old investment banker relocated from New York to London with employer support from Bank of America to train closer to European mountains.
  • Backed by an International Paralympic Committee Sport-for-Mobility grant, he says his goal is to inspire Haitian youth and to keep training toward the 2030 Games.