Road to Milano Cortina 2026: Skiing royalty Forster continues her medal quest

Anna-Lena Forster can remember how it felt to hold a medal for the first time.

After starting skiing as a six-year-old, with her parents passing on their love of the sport and discovering sit skiing, Forster was 11 when her coach asked her if she wanted to try racing. Her first-ever medals came in these initial small races Forster took part in as a child.

“It was a cool feeling to have something in my hand and to know I can achieve something with skiing.”

Achieve something with skiing is an understatement for Forster, who has nine Paralympic alpine skiing medals to her name and is preparing to compete at the  Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games. 

Skiing royalty

Selecting a top career highlight is tricky for Forster.

“I’m not sure which medal is the most important one for myself, because every medal has a big story behind it.”

Forster made her Paralympic debut at Sochi 2014 as an 18-year-old. She was the youngest on her team, and describes feeling excited as she experienced everything for the first time. She won silver medals in the women's slalom sitting and super combined sitting and bronze in giant slalom, sharing the podium each time with fellow German Anna Schaffelhuber, who Forster names as one of her idols.

“She is one of the best in mono-skiing and we were on the same team, we were teammates, and I think she pushed me a lot.

“It’s cool that I’m now the person that someone wants to be, or [who] someone wants to achieve the same things [as]. I hope that I can inspire people and show them what you can do.”

Forster crossed a big goal off the list at PyeongChang 2018, winning not just one, but two Paralympic gold medals in the super combined and slalom.

For Beijing 2022, Forster wanted to prove that she could repeat her gold medal performances. She did just that, defending both of her golds as well as winning her first Paralympic medals in downhill and super-G with two silvers for a career best four-medal performance.

Training for the Games

Over the last few years, Forster has focused in on Milano Cortina 2026. Training has been intense, with Forster and her team fine-tuning details and making precise adjustments ahead of the Games, which will be a different experience from her first three.

The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games will take place from 6-15 March, featuring six sports: Para alpine skiing, Para biathlon, Para cross-country skiing, Para ice hockey, Para snowboard and wheelchair curling.

“Milano Cortina is so close to my home and a lot of people said they will come and cheer. That’s the greatest feeling, to know my friends, my family will be there. I think it will be a very big party.”

As her preparation for Milano Cortina 2026 continues, Forster credits her past — and future — success to her consistency in training and the team around her.

“The secret to being a Paralympic champion, I think it’s the consistency of training [over many years]. I think it’s the people I have around me also — they are so professional and they know what they do, and we’ve work so hard [together] over the years.”

Racing in Italy will have a sense of familiarity for Forster, as competing in the country is not new for her. She won two medals (slalom silver and super-combined bronze) at the 2017 World Championships in Tarvisio, and she has finished on the podium twice at the FIS Para Alpine World Cup in Santa Caterina in December 2025.

She believes that the Italian passion for skiing and their tried and tested experience hosting big skiing competitions will result in a world-class event.

“The Games are always special. There is such a good atmosphere and everyone is excited and wants to show what they’ve trained for. Also the people who come to watch are so excited and it’s so cool. I love the Games.”

Aiming for the podium

For Forster, there’s no doubt that skiing changed her life trajectory.

“I think Para sport changed my life. I think I learned a lot in sports, to be more self-confident. I saw so many countries and I have friends all over the world. That’s so cool.”

As for winning medals, it’s a feeling that Forster, who has her sights set on making the podium yet again in Milano Cortina, says is like nothing else.

“When you hold a medal in your hand, it’s amazing. You know you have achieved this big goal you’ve wanted to achieve and when you have this medal in your hand, you know you have done a lot right.”

Secure your tickets for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games  

Milano Cortina 2026, which takes place from 6-15 March 2026, is set to be the most beautiful Paralympic Winter Games yet. Ticket prices start at EUR 10 for children under 14, with approximately 89 per cent of the tickets available for EUR 35 or less.

For more information, please visit tickets.milanocortina2026.org