MELISSA Perrine chases an orange blur.
Only it isn’t a blur at all.
But a man.
Christian Geiger.
Haven’t heard of him?
No, of course not.
For with all respect to this fella who guides Australia’s blind female skier downhill, and at 100km/hr, the role of Paralympic sight guide carries all the sporting oomph, all the acclaim, of an NRL corner post.
“But my life is forever in his hands,” says Perrine.
So how about now we lift this anonymous Aussie pairing from the shadows?
Especially given Perrine wakes up with not one Winter Paralympic medal, but two.
On Thursday night in PyeongChang, she received the giant slalom bronze which now partners her super combined gong of the same colour.
Better, her family is here to see it.
And, again thanks to that orange blur.
For despite hardly being flush with funds – given sighted guide salaries aren’t exactly up there with, say, Australian cricket captain or Kangaroo No.7 – Geiger still dug into his own pocket to fly Perrine’s mum Denise, dad Ronald and younger brother Nick to South Korea.
A priceless gift for the trio who, despite working five jobs collectively, have never seen Perrine ski live.
“But,, I thought they should,” Geiger shrugs.
And so continues a sporting partnership to rival Lille & Thommo, Bert & Sterlo, even Dorguson.
Apart from coaching Perrine, who was born almost completely blind, Geiger is also responsible for skiing out front in an orange jacket because, well, it’s the only colour she picks up in snow.
Elsewhere, the 29-year-old also plays the role of, err, Geiger Counter – calling the number of each bend, plus terrain detail, into wireless headsets they wear.
And this blur, you should know, was once the future of Australian alpine skiing himself.
But then, at 21, a car he was travelling in struck a tree.
Hard.
Geiger injured so badly, his left arm alone suffered a compound fracture of the humerus, broken and dislocated elbow, busted radial, smashed ulna, nerve damage, even a degloving which “peeled my arm like a banana”.
Throw in too, liver and spleen damage. A coma lasting seven days.
The skier eventually waking with a brain injury that, while “not serious”, still killed his career
.
“Because when I returned to skiing, my decision making was a split second off,” he continues.
“Which was everything.
“I returned in Italy but got completely smoked. I crossed the finish line so far behind … I laughed, then walked away.”
Thankfully, though, not far.
Which means apart from guiding Jesse Gallagher to bronze in Sochi 2014, and now Perrine to her first Paralympic podiums, Geiger is also the man that gave a family its most treasured moments.
“But after my car accident, so many people supported me,’’ he shrugs.
“This was just my chance to help someone else.”
To which Perrine says what?
“Oh, he’ll get a big head hearing this,” she laughs.
“But he’s frickin’ awesome”.