Bath-based teenager Hester Poole will ski for Great Britain at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Games in Italy.
Bath-based skier Hester Poole will race for Great Britain at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Games in Italy | Photo © Luc Percival Photography / Paralympics GB
Poole has been named in the ParalympicsGB squad for the Games, which will take place from Friday 6th to Sunday 15th March.
She will race in the visually impaired class Para Alpine events, partnered by guide Ali Hall with whom she has skied since 2023.
Poole – who has between 5% and 10% vision, having been born with the rare eye disease Leber congenital amaurosis – trains at the Team Bath Sports Training Village.
She progressed from Team Bath Tribe activities onto the Team Bath Futures Athlete Development Programme, where she received bespoke strength and conditioning training as her skiing career flourished.
Her career began at the age of six on the dry slope at Mendip Activity Centre in Churchill and progressed quickly.
She competed internationally for the first time when she was only 12 years old, guided by her brother.
Poole was part of the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme before joining the Lottery-funded GB Snowsport Team Performance Programme, continuing to do her off-slope training at the University of Bath.
She has enjoyed lots of success at International Ski & Snowboard Federation and National Championships level over the past three seasons.
She is a passionate disability rights activist and fundraiser and youth ambassador for the Ethiopiaid and Guide Dogs charities.
Jess Clements, sports development manager at the University of Bath, said: “We’d like to send huge congratulations to Hester from all of us at Team Bath.
“It’s always been her dream to compete at a Paralympic Games and we can’t wait to see Hester fulfil that ambition at Milano-Cortina.
“We’ve continued to follow Hester’s career since she progressed from Team Bath Futures and are so proud of what she’s achieved.
“She’s an inspiration to all at the sports training village and a fantastic example to those aspiring athletes currently on the Futures programme of what can be achieved through dedication and commitment.”
