Perrine DQed for using illegal gear

Melissa Perrine with the illegal visor taped to her helmot over her goggles to help deal with the glare. Source: Ian Walton / Getty Images

AUSTRALIAN skier Melissa Perrine has been sensationally disqualified from a medal-winning position in the women's super combined event at the Sochi Paralympics after using illegal equipment in her race on Tuesday.

The visually impaired skier had a visor taped to her helmet and over the top of her goggles to help her see amid the glare of bright lights in heavy fog which delayed the start of their slalom run by two hours at Rosa Khutor.

Perrine was second overall at the halfway mark of the event which concludes with a Super-G run on Friday when she was expected to push for Australia's first medal of the Games.

But soon after her run, judges advised the Australian team that the device on her helmet was illegal and she was disqualified.

"It was a piece of a visor across her goggles to stop the light shining in her eyes, she did it a month ago in one of the world cups because the sun was really bright and nothing was said then," Australian coach Steve Graham said.

"But the rule is you can't attach anything to (the) helmet.

"(Guide) Andy (Bor) and Mel made the decision, I didn't know until they got to the finish line that they were using it and yeah, that's the rule.

"I was fairly sure of the rule and when they discussed it about a month ago I said 'make sure you know what the rule is' so it's a shared responsibility for sure.

"I don't think they looked into it, obviously they didn't because if they would have (they would have known) and I should have probably looked into it a bit more thoroughly."

Perrine and guide Andrew Bor compete in the women's visually impaired super combined. Source: Getty Images

Perrine, from the NSW Southern Highlands, has been legally blind since birth and anything more than one metre in front of her face becomes a blur.

Standing at the start of a run at the top of a mountain, Perrine cannot see the first gate 15m ahead of her.

Graham said he and chef de mission Chris Nunn tried to appeal the ban but it was a "futile attempt" and the decision stood.

"I'm pretty sure it was unofficially pointed out to the jury that she was wearing it, and brought to (their) attention," Graham said.

"Then the jury probably saw it. They had someone monitoring equipment when they finish, they saw it and said that it wasn't legal obviously."

Speaking after the race but before she knew she had been disqualified, Perrine said conditions were so bad it was "pot luck" whether she could navigate her way to the bottom safely.

"Skiing slalom in the rain is just not fun, you get to a point on the course where you just can't see anything because there's rain all over your goggles," she said.

"Due to the nature of my visual impairment I can't actually control where my eyes focus. So sometimes they were focusing on Andrew, sometimes on the droplets on my goggles and sometimes they were focusing in some unknown direction.

"So it's really just pot luck whether I can see and that's when Andy becomes really important to whether I can make it down a course or not.

Perrine is legally blind and anything more than one metre in front of her face becomes a blur. Source: Getty Images

"Andy's calls (today) were really great ... and I'm really happy with putting a solid run down.

"We went out there and achieved what we wanted to and the result is what that reflects so we're happy."

It has been a tough week for Perrine who missed a gate and was eliminated from the Super-G and was fourth in the downhill the day before.

In the men's standing class yesterday, Toby Kane (fifth) and Mitch Gourley (sixth) are also in the medal hunt at the halfway mark of their super combined event.

But Kane is not easily pleased and said he regretted leaving a second or two out on the course.

"This is probably the first run here (in Sochi) where I'm not happy with, and that may sound interesting considering I didn't finish the Super-G, but it was not my best run by any means," he said.

"The thing I'm disappointed with is I really wanted to approach the run as a one-run race, and I wanted to put down as good a run as I possibly can and deal with the next run as a one-run race.

"I said from the outset that I'd prefer to ski well and go out, than I would to ski conservatively and poorly.

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"That's the mindset I came here with and some people might not understand that because seeing fifth up on the board probably looks pretty good, but I'm here to ski to my potential and that probably wasn't it."

Gourley said it was difficult dealing with the weather conditions and unpredictability prior to the race starting.

"It's a tough one and your head is in and out of the game on a day like today, one minute it's on, one minute it's off then we're running slalom, so it's just about adapting," Gourley said.

"And the conditions all week but particularly today is about who adapts the best because everyone has to deal with it.

"No one is going to feel good today, even the guy who was miles in front probably thought it was awful and hated every minute of it.

"But Toby and I are right in there and can certainly throw one in there if we have a good Super-G run."

Wednesday was supposed to be a rest day for the alpine skiers in Sochi but weather conditions have forced organisers to bring forward the slalom from Friday. Jess Gallagher is among Australia's leading medal hopes today.

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