By Gary Anderson

August 20 - Paralympic alpine skiing champion Adam HallReigning Paralympic champion Adam Hall of New Zealand is gearing up to defend his slalom standing gold medal at Sochi 2014 by using the start of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Alpine Skiing season on home snow to fine tune his performance and assess his opponents.

The IPC Alpine Skiing season is due to get under way at Coronet Peak in New Zealand tomorrow with less than 200 days to go to the start of the Winter Paralympics, which run from March 7 to 23 next year.

Hall, 25, is looking to get the season off to a good start in Otago, in the event that forms part of the Winter Games New Zealand programme, and will see athletes move on to Mount Hutt for another IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup event on August 26.

"It has attracted a lot of world class athletes and, with only 200 days to Sochi, it's the perfect opportunity for me to measure where I'm at compared to the rest of the field," he said.

"As a Paralympic medallist you naturally want to defend your title.

"The goal this time around is to be a bit greedier and to come home with more than one medal."

Adam Hall celebrates his gold medal in the slalom standing competition at Vancouver 2010Adam Hall (centre) celebrates his gold medal in the slalom standing competition at Vancouver 2010


























Hall is hoping to compete in both slalom and super-combined events in Sochi, following his efforts in Vancouver where he was the only New Zealander to win gold.

Chief executive of Paralympics New Zealand, Fiona Allan said the IPC events will provide home athletes with the ideal preparation for the challenges that lie ahead in Sochi.

"New Zealand athletes are working hard to prepare," she said.

"To attract high calibre events such as the IPC Alpine Skiing World Cups to New Zealand during Winter Games NZ is invaluable.

"These events will provide the opportunity for New Zealand disabled athletes, including our Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Games gold medallist Adam Hall to compete on home territory against the best in the world."

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