Austria announce 13 athletes for Sochi 2014 Paralympics
20.02.2014The Austrians will be led by standing skiers Matthias Lanzinger and Markus Salcher, along with sit skier Claudia Loesch.
Markus Salcher is expected to be on the athletes to beat in the men's alpine skiing standing events at the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games.
© • Marcus Hartmann
Austria finished seventh in the medal standings at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympics, winning three golds and hauling in a total of 11 medals. All of their medals came in alpine skiing.
Austria’s 13-member Sochi 2014 Paralympic team was announced on Thursday (20 February) at the Sky Lounge of Austria Economic Chamber in Vienna by the National Paralympic Committee’s President Maria Rauch-Kallat and Chef de Mission and General Secretary Petra Huber.
Two of the country’s biggest para-athletes – alpine skiers Matthias Lanzinger and Claudia Loesch – were present for the announcement in front of TV crews.
Lanzinger and compatriot Markus Salcher are expected to be top of the top competitors in the men’s alpine skiing standing events, with their rivalry to come into play in the super-G race on 9 March.
Lanzinger is a former competitive able-bodied skier, while Salcher is a two-time Paralympian and double world champion.
In the women’s alpine skiing sitting events, Loesch will go up against Germany’s Anna Schaffelhuber and the USA’s Alana Nichols in pursuit of adding more hardware to the four Paralympic medals she won at Vancouver 2010.
Austria finished seventh in the medal standings at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympics, winning three golds and hauling in a total of 11 medals. All of their medals came in alpine skiing.
Austria’s full Sochi 2014 Paralympic team includes:
Philipp Bonadimann
Dietmar Dorn
Martin Falch
Thomas Grochar
Andreas Kapfinger
Matthias Lanzinger
Claudia Loesch
Roman Rabl
Markus Salcher
Reinhod Sampl
Martin Wurz
Georg Schwab
Michael Kurz
