{"id":248123,"date":"2026-01-20T13:46:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T13:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/248123\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T13:46:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T13:46:10","slug":"a-day-of-training-with-brazils-paralympic-pioneer-aline-rocha","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/248123\/","title":{"rendered":"A day of training with Brazil’s Paralympic pioneer Aline Rocha"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Aline Rocha<\/a> first saw snow, she was already a Paralympian \u2013 just not in a winter sport.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Brazilian<\/a> wheelchair racer had made her Games debut at Rio 2016<\/a>, finishing ninth in the women\u2019s 1500m T54 and 10th in the women\u2019s marathon T54. Before the year was over, she found herself far from the tropical heat, gliding over white, frozen landscapes for the first time.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the Games, I got in touch with the Brazilian Ski and Snowboard Confederation and showed my interest in skiing, and they quickly arranged for me to go and experience snow,\u201d\u00a0said Rocha, who is also now a Para biathlon<\/a> and a Para cross-country<\/a> athlete.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI trained on a roller ski for 15 days, to get to know the equipment and the sport a little, and in December 2016 I went to Sweden to feel snow for the first time. I spent 15 days at a training camp there, and it was an incredible experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Discovering snow<\/p>\n

Racing on a completely new surface was far from easy for the Paralympian from the state of Parana in southern Brazil.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the first training sessions it was hard just to keep the balance on the skis \u2013 I fell the whole time \u2013 but it was very cool to experience snow for the first time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

A month later, in January 2017, she was already racing in her first skiing competition, at an IPC Nordic Skiing World Cup event in Western Center, Ukraine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had very little time to prepare,\u201d said Rocha, whose best result was a 10th place in the women\u2019s interval start sitting free, where she finished almost 14 minutes after the winner.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd since the (PyeongChang 2018) Paralympic Games was just one year away, I had very little time to compete and earn a women\u2019s spot for Brazil in the women\u2019s competition so that I could take part.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Rocha competed in four events at PyeongChang 2018, her first Paralympic Winter Games appearance. @Thomas Lovelock\/OIS<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

She made history at PyeongChang 2018<\/a>, becoming the first female athlete from Brazil to compete a Paralympic Winter Games. And she has continued to make progress ever since.<\/p>\n

Back in Sweden for the 2023 World Para Nordic Skiing Championships in Oestersund, Rocha claimed the gold medal in the women\u2019s sprint sitting free race, becoming Brazil\u2019s first Nordic skiing world champion.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Skiing to\u00a0history<\/p>\n

The 34-year-old athlete is preparing to compete in Para cross-country and Para biathlon events at Milano Cortina 2026<\/a>, hoping to break new historic ground.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMy biggest dream and goal is to win my first Paralympic medal,\u201d she said. \u00a0\u201cI\u2019ve been dedicated exclusively to sports for 15 years and to skiing for nine years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI love training and love the sport. Winning a medal would be the realisation of a dream and proof that everything is possible when you do something with love and dedication. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m on the right path in training and I still have a lot of work ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Four<\/p>\n

Rocha was Brazil’s flagbearer at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. @Steph Chambers\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

A day in a life of a Paralympian<\/p>\n

The challenges of being a winter athlete from Brazil demands a lot of creativity. While most competitors from the northern hemisphere train on snow all year around, Rocha spends much of the year in the heat, perfecting her technique on a \u201ccaverboard\u201d \u2013 a type of skateboard she uses to mimic the motions of skiing.<\/p>\n

In the last year before the Paralympic Winter Games, her full focus is on skiing, with her days usually starting at 7:00.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter breakfast, I go for my first training session, which is usually on the caverboard on a dirt road,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rocha returns home for lunch and rest until 15:00, when it is time for the second training session of the day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can be roller skiing on asphalt, biathlon training on asphalt, or gym training,\u201d she said. \u201dThen I go home for dinner and sleep.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

In intense training periods, recovery is crucial.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI am a very homely person, so when I\u2019m not training or competing I prefer to be at home resting, to be as well prepared as possible for the training,\u201d Rocha said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I sleep for an hour to half an hour after lunch, between the first and second training, and at night I tend to go to sleep quite early too. When the training is very exhaustive, I go to bed between 21:00 and 21:30.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

As a Brazilian in winter sports, the lack of snow is a big hurdle that the 2023 world champion has learned to master and her training locations vary a lot. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Rocha is aiming to claim Brazil’s first Paralympic Winter Games medal at Milano Cortina 2026. @Thomas Lovelock\/OIS<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Journey to Milano Cortina 2026<\/p>\n

In August, Rocha spent a month training in Ushuaia, Argentina, and in October, she went on a 10-day biathlon camp in a snow tunnel in Oberhof, Germany.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Having trained most of the years on the road, in Paralympic seasons, she spends more time on snow. In December, she returned to Oberhof for her final pre-Paralympic preparations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can prepare very well with roller skiing and caverboard training. The biggest challenge is training the more specific parts on snow \u2013 especially learning how to make turns,\u201d Rocha said. \u201dFrom the end of December, I will be permanently based on snow until after the Games. It\u2019s essential to have a snow training period before competitions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

A team effort<\/p>\n

Although occasionally joining national team camps organised by the Brazilian Ski and Snowboard Confederation, Rocha is mainly training by herself. She already has her training staff in-house, as her husband Fernando Orso is also her coach. That dynamic took time to balance but is now forming a strong partnership, on and off the snowy courses.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe both learned to ski at the same time, in 2016,\u201d Rocha said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the first years, it was difficult to separate the coach\/athlete and husband\/wife roles, but over time, and with help from our sports psychologist, it got easier. Now we are a great team.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

At PyeongChang 2018, her best result was a 12th place in the women\u2019s Para cross-country 5km sitting event. Four years later, in Beijing, China, she made it into the top-10 in all events, making it to seventh place in the women\u2019s long distance sitting event. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn PyeongChang, I didn\u2019t have much experience in skiing, and I was just happy to take part. In Beijing, I was more experienced and aimed for a top-10 finish, but I still struggled with the snow conditions during the competition,\u201d Rocha said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNow I feel much more prepared, with experience of all types of snow and temperatures. Our team has a lot of equipment and an excellent support staff to help us achieve the best results.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mastering the snow<\/p>\n

During nine years in skiing, she has gone from never seeing snow to an expert on the cold white surface.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Finland and Sweden, it is for example very cold and you can have -20 degrees, which makes the snow more frozen and harder. In Argentina, it is getting warm already in August and there we ski on snow that is quite melted, which is a bit like I expect it to be at the Games in Italy,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe competitions there will take place in a time of the year when it will be less natural and more artificial snow, and the snow will be a bit more slushy. I participated in the test event in Italy and already got a feel for that snow condition.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

From the sun to the slopes<\/p>\n

At Paris 2024<\/a>, Rocha reached top-10 finishes in the women\u2019s 1500m T54 and the women\u2019s marathon T54, a strong testament to her training regime. She sees plenty of benefits from combining summer and winter sports.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe the two sports complement each other,\u201d Rocha said. \u201cThe strength I gain from skiing helps in wheelchair racing, and the endurance I build in marathons helps in skiing. I missed Tokyo 2020, so participating in Paris 2024 was very special.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Rocha competed in wheelchair racing at Rio 2016 and Paris 2024. @Bob Martin\/OIS<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Her nutrition is carefully tailored to match the type of training and proximity to competitions. Each meal is calculated for performance, recovery and energy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201dWhen I train with a lot of heavy muscle work, I increase the share of protein. And if it is closer to competition, when I increase my endurance training, I need to gather more energy for the races and increase the carbohydrates,\u201d Rocha said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSo this varies a lot, depending on my training.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

That also means avoiding some dishes until after Milano Cortina 2026, when she will be able to enjoy her favourite food with family and friends again, hopefully with a maiden Paralympic medal to celebrate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And she already knows how she wants to celebrate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am avoiding eating fat or fried food, and something that I really like to eat is Brazilian barbecue meat. But since I live and train in Sao Paulo, I can\u2019t really have the kind of southern-Brazilian barbecues that I like,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSo after the Games, the aim is to spend some time in the state of Santa Catarina, near my family, and have a barbecue that is very typical for the south of Brazil.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Secure your tickets for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Milano Cortina 2026<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n

For more information, please visit\u00a0tickets.milanocortina2026.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Aline Rocha first saw snow, she was already a Paralympian \u2013 just not in a winter sport.\u00a0…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":248124,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[85,46,105],"class_list":{"0":"post-248123","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-il","9":"tag-israel","10":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=248123"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248123\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/248124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=248123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=248123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=248123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}