Winter Paralympics ski star Dominic Allen will never forget his debut
The Fife teen who was Great Britain’s youngest Winter Paralympics athlete has hailed last week’s experience as “something I will never forget”.
St Leonards School pupil Dominic Allen was speaking after completing both his events at Milano Cortina 2026, finishing 19th in the Para alpine skiing men’s slalom standing in 1:45.99 after a successful two runs in the men’s giant slalom standing, meaning he was the only British man to complete the technical races at the Games.
“I’ve loved it. I’ve loved every minute of it. The only bit I haven’t loved is being away from home for three weeks now, so excited to get home,” said Allen.
“This is something I will never forget and hopefully I can experience this again.
“There’s no point not embracing it and not enjoying yourself. You need to enjoy yourself to be able to ski your best.”
The Fife youngster faced difficult conditions on his opening Winter Paralympics tilt, as heavy snowfall followed a week of sunny weather, with fog descending for his second run to make visibility poor.
But just as he had embraced the fun of the Games, Allen made the most of the changing weather conditions at Tofane Ski Centre.
“The fog at the start gate helped me because I couldn’t see the crowd so it was quite nice. The nerves went down because they couldn’t see me,” he said.
“Especially with the snow this morning we were like is it going to happen, is it not? So, it was a bit touch and go to see where it was but I’m happy it did.
“It was definitely very variable to other conditions I’ve skied in. I think everyone will have found it difficult because it changes halfway down, goes from a bit slushier to a bit harder and back to slush.
“You’ve just got to go with it. You can’t fight the course you just have to go with the flow.”
It is a maturity that stands him in good stead to make a challenge at the next Games in four years times in the French Alps when he will still only be 20 years old.
Having grown up in Switzerland, the setting in 2030 will also feel relatively close to home in European climes and with his first Paralympics out of the way, there is plenty to take with him, even if school exams come first.
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