Farkasova targets five gold medals in La Molina

"We're hoping for more gold medals. We train really hard so hopefully it will all work out. We want to win the maximum number of gold medals which is five but we know it's a really hard job to do that."

After winning gold in the downhill visually impaired on the first day of competition at the 2013 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships in La Molina, Spain, Slovakia’s Henrieta Farkasova said she is targeting gold in all five events she is competing in.

The likeable 26-year-old retained the downhill world title she first won two years ago in Sestriere, Italy with a dominant display on Wednesday (20 February) morning together with her guide Natalia Subrtova.

Speaking after receiving her first gold of the Championships, Farkasova said she was delighted to win what she hopes is the first of five gold medals.

“I was quite excited about the downhill and wasn’t quite sure whether we were going to win,” said the four-time Paralympic champion from Vancouver. “We had to push hard because the flat part of slope was very difficult for us to make time. But we had really good training and it all worked out well for the race, so we’re happy.”

At the 2011 World Championships the Slovakian won four gold medals - downhill, super combined, slalom and giant slalom events - and now in 2013 plans to not only retain all her world titles but also take gold in the super-G which takes place on Thursday (21 February) morning.

“We’re hoping for more gold medals. We train really hard so hopefully it will all work out. We want to win the maximum number of gold medals which is five but we know it’s really hard job to do that,” said Farkasova who admitted her strongest events are the speed events whilst her weakest is the slalom.

Despite her and guide Subrtova being the pairing to beat in the visually impaired class, neither are getting carried away ahead of the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games which get underway in just over one year’s time.

Farkasova said: “The result for today is great but there is still a lot of hard work to do between now and the Sochi Games.

The competition is getting bigger and bigger but of course we feel pretty confident. If we keep on the right track, hopefully it will all work out.”

Farkasova is one of 118 skiers from 28 countries taking part in the 2013 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships in La Molina.

On the first day of competition featuring six downhill events there was also gold medal success for France’s Marie Bochet in the women’s standing and USA’s Laurie Stephens in the sitting class. In the men’s races Spain’s Jon Santacana delighted the home crowd with gold in the visually impaired class whilst there was also victories for Austria’s Markus Salcher and Germany’s Franz Hanfstingl in the standing and sitting classes respectively.

The competition in La Molina will run through to 27 February.

For more information on the event please visit www.ipcalpineskiingworlds.org and for the latest updates follows www.twitter.com/ipcalpine or facebook.com/IPCAlpineSkiing.