Countdown to the Sochi Winter Paralympics

All is in readiness for the 2014 Sochi Winter Paralymic Games. The NSWIS will have five athletes in action across the nine days of competiion – Joany Badenhorst, Trent Milton, Victoria Pendergast, Melissa Perrine and Ben Tudhope.

Perrine will headline the NSWIS contingent on day one, competing in the women’s vision-impaired downhill on Saturday afternoon. 

Perrine, with sighted guide Andrew Bor, was second fastest qualifier in the women’s vision-impaired prectice run on Thursday, behind Henrieta Farkasova (Slovakia). Perrine was fastest on Wednesday and said she was primed to put it all on the line for the gold medal.

"We’re working on a few different things,’’ Perrine said. "Some of the bits we worked on ran better so we’re happy with that.

"There’s a couple of different sections of the course that I can attack a lot harder. That’s the goal – piece together the good parts from both runs and put it into one solid run.’’

The 26-year-old, who collected a gold in the World Cup downhill race in Panorama, Canada, in January, is at her second Paralympics after competing in Vancouver in 2010.

"So far so good with my preparation,’’ she said. "I remember Vancouver quite clearly,’’ she added recalling a bad fall she sustained in a World Cup race in the lead-up to the Games.

"I’m quite happy with where I am right now. I feel good on my skis, I’m healthy, I feel fit. So I’m in the best possible place I can be heading into these Games.’’

The Opening Ceremony for the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games is at 3am on Saturday morning AEDT. LIVE coverage is on ABC 1.