Skiers prepare for speed World Cup Finals

With the winners of the technical IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup globes decided, the world’s top skiers have remained in Aspen, USA, to compete for the overall downhill and super-G titles from Tuesday (1 March).

All classifications feature a stacked field, including the men’s super-G visually impaired which has a tie for the top three places.

Canada’s World Championships silver medallist Mac Marcoux, guided by his brother BJ, is neck-and-neck at the top of the table with Italian Giacomo Bertagnolli, guided by Fabrizio Casal.

Bertagnolli will be looking to make amends for just missing out on the giant slalom globe last week, after hitting a gate.

Russia’s world champion Ivan Frantsev, guided by German Agranovskii, and Slovakia’s Worlds bronze medallist Miroslav Haraus with guide Maros Hudik are also tied in third, just 70 points behind Marcoux and Bertagnolli.

In the downhill, world title holder Marcoux leads Bertagnolli by 60 points.

On the women’s side the British trio of Paralympic champion Kelly Gallagher, guided by Gary Smith; Millie Knight, with guide Brett Wild, and Menna Fitzpatrick, guided by Jen Kehoe will all be hoping to get their names on the leader board after blocking out the giant slalom podium twice last week.

Danelle Umstead and guide husband Rob will also be looking to repeat their success after winning the overall slalom globe.

Austria’s super-G and downhill Paralympic champion Markus Salcher sits at the top of the table in both events in the men’s standing, with a 70 point lead over Australia’s Mitchell Gourley.

New Zealand’s Adam Hall is also a contender in the super-G as the third-place man. Russia’s world champion Aleksei Bugaev sits behind Salcher and Gourley in the downhill.

All eyes will be on France’s multiple world and Paralympic gold medallist Marie Bochet in the women’s standing, as she goes for a clean sweep of globes across all disciplines.

Bochet is still unbeaten this season and with second-placed German Andrea Rothfuss announcing an injury on Facebook, Canada’s Alana Ramsay will attempt to overhaul the Frenchwoman in the super-G standings. The Netherlands’ Anna Jochemsen is also hoping to impress as the third-placed athlete in the downhill.

In the men’s super-G sitting Austria’s Roman Rabl is the top skier, but he has a slender 20 point lead on the USA’s Andrew Earl Kurka. New Zealand’s Corey Peters is third.

Canada’s Kurt Oatway leads the way in the downhill ahead of France’s Frederic Francois.

Germany’s Anna-Lena Forster is the one to beat in both the women’s super-G and downhill sitting.

The 20-year-old will go up against Japan’s second-placed Momoka Muraoka in both disciplines. Laurie Stephens, the double Sochi 2014 Paralympic bronze medallist, will be hoping to impress on home snow and improve on her current third place.

Forster’s lead is 40 points in the downhill and 80 in the super-G. Paralympic champion teammate Anna Schaffelhuber also returns to the slopes after missing the technical finals.

Over 50 athletes from 15 countries are in Aspen for the speed World Cup Finals, which get underway with two downhill races on Tuesday and Wednesday (1-2 March).

Fans will then be treated to two days of super-G on 3-4 March to conclude the 2015-16 IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup.

Results will be available at www.paralympic.org/alpine-skiing/calendar-and-results.

Current World Cup standings can be viewed at the IPC Alpine Skiing website.