Imagen ⒸBenedikt LexBy Lena Smirnova | For World Para Snow Sports
Rene de Silvestro clinched his career’s first speed victory at the World Para Alpine Skiing World Cup in Saalbach, Austria to follow on his first golden result in a technical race last season.
The Italian sit-skier was just 0.37 seconds behind the downhill and super-G Crystal Globe holder Jesper Pedersen in the first super-G race held at the Austrian ski resort. In the second race, de Silvestro outraced the Norwegian athlete by 1.13 seconds, also breaking Pedersen’s winning streak at five races.
“I m happy because the gap from the first place is really small, even if I admit that I could do something more,” de Silvestro said. “The track conditions are really excellent and it s a fairly technical track, which suits my characteristics. I trained well in this period despite COVID and I think I can still improve, but in any case I am skiing at high levels.”
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MAKING A MARK: Markus Salcher en route to victory in the downhill race at the World Cup in Saalbach, Austria. ⒸBenedikt LexBy Lena Smirnova | For the IPC
A mere 0.13 seconds kept Markus Salcher off the podium in his signature downhill race at a home World Cup in Saalbach, Austria.
Far from discouraged, the Paralympic bronze medallist in the discipline returned a few hours later to deliver his best downhill performance in three years.
“For me it’s a tremendous success today because it’s my first downhill win in three years. It’s cool that I’m on top of the podium again,” the Austrian standing skier said of bouncing from fourth to first place in the season’s first two downhill races.
Salcher back to winning ways with downhill gold at World Alpine Skiing World Cup Wednesday, 3 February 2021
Austrian standing skier Markus Salcher celebrated his first downhill victory in three years as he returned to the top of the podium at his home World Para Alpine Skiing World Cup in Saalbach.
The double Paralympic champion finished in 1min 11.17sec to beat Frenchman Arthur Bauchet by just 0.15 while Russian Aleksei Bugaev was 1.12 further back in third. For me it’s a tremendous success today because it’s my first downhill win in three years, said Salcher. It’s cool that I’m on top of the podium again.
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Super-G gave France s Manoel Bourdenx his first ever World Para Alpine Skiing World Cup medal at Sakhalin 2020 in Russia ⒸYuri Kim/Sakhalin 2020 LOCBy Lena Smirnova | For World Para Snow Sports
Last February French standing skier Manoel Bourdenx climbed onto the super-G podium after winning his first ever medal - a bronze - at the World Para Alpine Skiing World Cup.
The emotion and pride were clearly etched on the skier’s face as the French tricolour billowed on the screen behind him and his teammates shouted their encouragement from the stands.
Now, for the first time since that winter day, Bourdenx will have the chance to do a speed race at the World Cup level as Saalbach, Austria hosts two downhill and two super-G races from 1 to 7 February.
Thursday, 21 January 2021
Ebba Aarsjoe of Sweden triumphed for a second time in the women s standing contest at the World Para Alpine Skiing World Cup in Veysonnaz.
Aarsjoe, who also competes in able-bodied races and is a relative newcomer to Para Alpine skiing, secured her second successive win in the giant slalom at the Swiss resort.
The 20-year-old beat France’s 20-time world champion and six-time Paralympic champion Marie Bochet and Russia’s Varvara Voronchikhina to top the podium again. I am proud and a bit relieved, Aarsjoe said. These girls are amazing skiers and most of them have been competing for many years before I even started with FIS.