How do they do it? Inside the dual-sport training of Paralympic athletes

The outstanding performances of Para Cross-Country World Cup athletes at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games certainly command admiration, but they also raise an interesting question: how do they do it? How can you be ready to excel in different disciplines, each focused on one part of the year? 

From the challenges of planning and combining their training, to the potential synergies, but also the difficulties of adapting, several athletes shared some insights with us. 

“For me, the biggest challenge is the big change my body goes through from the Nordic season to the summer season in cycling. In Nordic Skiing, my back and my lats are very developed as it is all pulling motion, but cycling, it is complete opposite and it’s more my shoulders, my chest and my arms that get more developed as hand cycling is more pushing. The hardest part is probably more mental than physical where I know when I put time into training, the changes will come, but it’s the process from starting over from Nordic Skiing to cycling and trusting the training you’re putting it, and adaptations will come in time for the summer racing season. In addition, most of the races in Nordic Skiing will take around 45 minutes at max, and cycling races can go to three hours and with a condensed amount of time from winter to summer to put in that volume of training is very challenging and requires very strategic plan to execute well.” 

Oksana Masters (USA), Para Cycling

“The hardest thing I would say is not having an offseason to have the time to make changes and test new things with equipment. Seating position, gloves, wheels, tires are just a few things that can make a big difference at the highest level and when I am finishing skiing in March, and the Boston marathon being the first race that’s in April, I only have a month to prepare so for the last 10 years I haven’t had a lot of time to make changes or modifications in regards to equipment. It can also be a little exhausting from time to time always having a race on the horizon.” 

Aaron Pike (USA), Para Athletics 

“The preparation between rowing and Cross-Country Skiing/Biathlon went very well. My training was coordinated with the coaches from both disciplines to ensure an optimal preparation for the Paris 2024 Games. Now, I will take some rest before preparing for the World Championships in Cross-Country Skiing/Biathlon in February 2025.” 

Benjamin Daviet (FRA), Para Rowing 

“The strength and endurance from Nordic Skiing translates really well to Triathlon. I also think the tactics needed for Sprint Cross-Country races has helped me in Triathlon.” 

Kendall Gretsch (USA), Para Triathlon 

“The skills or aptitudes acquired in Cross-Country Skiing help me improve the aerobic aspect of my body and above all have fun in another very complex discipline.” 

Giuseppe Romele (ITA), Para Triathlon 

“This last year I had some difficulties with the competition calendar due to the need for functional reclassification in Cross-Country skiing and important Para athletics events in February. Other than that, both my coach and I understand that the two modalities complement each other and letting my coach choose how to distribute the two modalities in my preparation makes it a lot easier. So, it's a relationship of trust in the coach and the challenge of trying to maintain a good ranking in both modalities.” 

Aline dos Santos Rocha (BRA), Para Athletics