Sixth Games huge honour: Hall
The Otago Paralympian has been selected for his sixth Paralympic Winter Games and will compete in the men's slalom standing and men's giant slalom standing in Milano Cortina in March.
Defending men's downhill sitting champion Corey Peters has also been named in the New Zealand team for his fourth Games. He will race in the downhill sitting, super-G sitting and giant slalom.
Hall joins Graham Condon and Michael Johnson as a record-equalling six-time Paralympian, a feat he never could have imagined at the start of his career.
"When you look back, you would never think that you would be in a position now that you're still here, and a couple of decades later still in the game and still competitive," Hall told the Otago Daily Times .
"To be named again in the team, it's not just a huge honour, and a privilege, it's a rare opportunity that you get to go to a Paralympic Games and represent your country."
Hall said it was not just a testament to his hard work, but his support network who had backed him behind the scenes.
The 37-year-old, who was born with spina bifida, won gold in the men's slalom standing at the Paralympics in 2010 and 2018.
He also won bronze in the men's super combined standing in 2018 and 2022 and bronze in the men's slalom standing in 2022.
That drive to be the best still burned bright two decades on.
"At the end of the day it's winning medals — whether that's gold medals [or] podiums.
"Competition gets so competitive now that almost being on the podium no matter what colour it feels like a gold medal.
"There's so many other athletes from around the world where we're all ... pushing to do the same.
"I've been fortunate enough to have some relatively good successes along the way.
"When you're able to just train hard towards a goal ... and when you see that working being rewarded with results, it's pretty satisfying."
But there was a deeper meaning behind his drive to leave the sport in a better place and add to its history.
"Winter Paralympics in New Zealand's got quite a special legacy to it.
"We have been to all the winter Paralympics and been successful at every games from early on.
"It's just trying to also continue that legacy.
"Not just show up and be competitive, but to show up and be more than that if we can and continue that legacy for those that have been before us."
Hall, who was born in Dunedin but now lives in Wānaka to be close to the slopes, will make the most of the New Zealand snow in the coming months before heading overseas later in the year to continue his buildup to Italy.
And while Wānaka might like to think of Hall as their own these days, he never forgets where he came from.
"You can't take the Taieri out of me. That's where home is — it always will be."
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