Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy) (AFP) – American skier Patrick Halgren lit up the Milan-Cortina Paralympics as he swept to a shock silver medal in the men’s super-G. But, to the self-proclaimed “rock star”, it was just another Monday. For those unfamiliar with the 33-year-old, they need only have watched him on the podium as he received his medal to get an inkling of the man behind the shaggy head of red, white and blue hair. Halgren, an amputee, celebrated the crowning moment of his career, so far, by holding his crutch aloft to perform an air guitar solo.
“It’s just another Monday,” he told reporters on the side of Cortina’s Olympia delle Tofane piste. “You know, you celebrate the victories the same as the defeats.” True to that mantra, Halgren had earlier crossed the finish line cheering at the crowd, just as he had done two days earlier in the downhill event… even though he had fallen during his run and was therefore out of the race. “I’ve been blessed to have to develop my character over the last 11 years, losing my leg and could either roll over and die or I could become the greatest Patrick Halgren on earth and that’s what you’re seeing,” he explained.
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Born in Connecticut, Halgren got into a motorbike accident in 2013, which led to the amputation of his left leg. His twin brother, Sven, encouraged him to take up para alpine skiing. However, three years later, Sven was involved in a motorbike accident and died. “It’s pretty special having my mom and dad here. That’s pretty cool, but also it sucks not having Sven here,” Halgren said. “He’s the reason I’m here… He inspired me to live life, but life is fragile. I recognise that. I’ve died myself. I was in a coma for a month.”
Never one to shy away from a joke, he quipped that he is “single and rich” and that yes, “I am a rock star.” “I always wanted to be this guy, Jim Brown (former NFL star and actor who died in 2023). He was my idol,” Halgren said. “He was a professional football player, played lacrosse. I did both of those sports.”
Never having won a Paralympic medal before Monday, the “showman”, as his competitor Jules Segers labelled him, was a little less cool as he waited anxiously for the super-G to finish alongside the Frenchman and eventual winner Robin Cuche of Switzerland. “He was stressed too,” bronze medallist Segers said. “He wasn’t chatting away too much!”
“It was my first time (in the leader’s box),” Halgren admitted. “I didn’t know what to do with my hands. It was a little awkward, almost embarrassing, but I’ve learned to be unirritable, unembarrassable.” Because that’s what it’s about. It’s about being vulnerable in this life. “It’s about trying things and failing. It’s okay to be embarrassed. It’s okay to look weird. To be number one, you’ve got to be a little odd.”
Next on the cards for Halgren is Tuesday’s combined event, where he will once again have the chance to treat the Cortina crowd to his own particular brand of showmanship. Monday was the “best day of my life,” Halgren said. “…Until tomorrow!” “I’ll repeat that until the day I die.”
© 2024 AFP
