Brazilian Para Cross-Country stars prepare for new season in South America

The focus of the upcoming 2025-26 season is the Milano-Cortina Paralympic Winter Games in March. For Brazilians Aline dos Santos Rocha and Cristian Westemaier Ribera, there is extra incentive to perform in Italy.

The Sitting ski pair, who have won multiple medals at Para Cross-Country World Championships, have a great opportunity to win their nation’s first Winter Paralympic medals. Both athletes competed at PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022 with Ribera’s sixth in the PyeongChang 15km event their best finish.

In preparation for the new campaign, Rocha and Ribera spent a month training and competing in Argentina.

“This contact with snow in the Southern winter is essential,” said Rocha. “We spent 30 days in Ushuaia with a Continental Cup competition period in Tierra Mayor in between. Another athlete new to snow sports was with us, so it was a great learning experience.

“Due to the lower number of athletes, the competition in Argentina had a different dynamic. The Continental Cup has a friendlier atmosphere and this is very good, especially for beginner athletes. This dynamic has left me very motivated for the Northern season competitions which, in my case, will begin in Canada in November.”

Rocha won all four of her races in Tierra Mayor with Ribera doing the same in the men’s equivalents. And Ribera, who became the first South American to claim a World Cup title last season, was delighted at the experience.

“The camp was really, really good,” he beamed. “We usually don’t get time in the snow until the season is just about to start, so the more we can ski in the snow the better, especially in order to prepare for the Paralympics."

Milano-Cortina in mind

For Rocha, who also competes in wheelchair athletics, there is only one goal for the season. “Our entire training and competition schedule is geared towards our best performance at the Paralympic Games,” she confesses.

Meanwhile, her compatriot Ribera is determined to win every time he competes. “Even in my house, we have this good competitive spirit between us, so I’m always ready and waiting to complete,” he says. “I take every competition the same way, always looking to do my best.

“I want to keep up the good training, and have a good time in the snow before the Paralympics. And there, of course, I want the best results of my life, and to achieve my life goal of a Paralympic medal.”

The 2025-26 Para Cross-Country World Cup gets underway in Canmore (CAN) on December 4.