by Jaime Rodriguez, RDPFS Intern
The 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing begin today and we are continuing to highlight some of the athletes with vision loss who are competing. Millie Knight, a 23-year-old athlete from Team Great Britain, is one of the most decorated Paralympic skiers of the past decade. She is blind, having contracted an illness at the age of one year, causing her to lose more than 90 percent of her vision by age six. In 2013, Knight started training with Great Britain’s Paralympic development squad and competed at the Europa Cup. She went on to win multiple medals through her competitions in the Paralympic and world championships games, competing in all five Alpine skiing disciplines, using a sighted guide. Knight says that she skis with her ears, listening to the sound of her guide’s skis, and to the verbal commands from her guide using Bluetooth headsets in both of their helmets. She also uses her remaining vision to catch flashes of orange from her guide’s vest. Knight is hoping to earn more medals in Beijing, in what will be her third Paralympic Winter Games. She is scheduled to compete today in the Para Alpine Skiing competition. Learn more about Millie Knight in The New York Times article, “What It’s Like to Ski Nearly Blind”.
