Related Images

Great Britain's Kelly Gallagher won gold in the downhill visually impaired race at the 2012 IPC Alpine Skiing Europa Cup in Tignes, France. © • Nicolas NEREAU Austria's Markus Salcher is one of the top men's standing alpine skiers in the world. © • Nicolas Nereau Austria’s Claudia Loesch © • Liski Michael Bruegger of Switzerland competes in the slalom standing during day eight of the Winter Games NZ at Coronet Peak on August 29, 2009 in Queenstown, New Zealand. © • Getty Takeshi Suzuki is expected to be one of the stars on the slopes for Japan at the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games. © • Luc Percival Taiki Morii © • Marcus Hartmann

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Markus Salcher: From a child to a Paralympic star

The competition which features four disciplines – downhill, super-combined, super-G and giant slalom - will feature a host of World and Paralympic champions and medallists and will take place in the resort that will host the 2015 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships.

With less than 60 days to go until the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, over 70 athletes from 13 countries will be competing in the fourth IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup of the 2013-14 season in Panorama, Canada starting this Wednesday (9 January) until Tuesday (14 January).

The competition which features four disciplines – downhill, super-combined, super-G and giant slalom - will feature a host of World and Paralympic champions and medallists and will take place in the resort that will host the 2015 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships.

Competitors include a number of International Paralympic Committee Ones to Watch athletes including France’s Marie Bochet, Austrians Markus Salcher and Claudia Loesch, Kelly Gallagher of Great Britain, Switzerland’s Michael Bruegger and Japanese team mates Takeshi Suzuki and Taiki Morii.

Teenager Bochet is one of her country’s biggest medal hopes heading into Sochi 2014 after she became the first athlete ever to win five world titles from five events in 2013. The 19-year-old standing skier will be joined in Panorama by her 27-year-old teammate Vincent Gauthier, the slalom and giant slalom World Champion, who faces a tough field in the men’s standing races against Salcher and Bruegger.

Salcher, 22, has enjoyed a great start to his season, picking up wins in the giant slalom and super-G at the IPC Alpine Skiing Europa Cup in Pitztal, Germany, in December.

Team-mate Loesch, 24, picked up a win in the super-G sitting in Pitztal and will be looking to pick up all important race points in Panorama.

Brit Gallagher, 28, together with her guide Charlotte Evans, is enjoying increased recognition at home ahead of Sochi 2014, after becoming the first British athlete to medal at an IPC World Championships in 2013.

Suzuki, 24, and Morii, 33, head into Panorama as the form athletes in the slalom and super-combined sitting events as both sit atop the overall world rankings.

Home athletes looking to impress are teenage brothers Mac and guide BJ Marcoux in the visually impaired events. With a giant slalom silver medal already under their belts from last year’s World Championships, the pair will be looking to make an impact with their first Winter Paralympic Games just around the corner.

Josh Dueck meanwhile, is most famous in Canada for being the first sit-skier in history to land a backflip, but the 33-year-old heads to Panorama searching for a birthday win towards qualification for Sochi 2014.

Following Panorama further World Cup events will be held in Copper Mountain, USA, from 17-20 January, Tignes, France from 27-31 January and St. Moritz, Switzerland between 3-6 February.

The 2013-14 IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup Finals will be held in Tarvisio, Italy, from 24-27 February before athletes gear up to compete at the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games from 7 March.