Canada take double victory at alpine skiing World Cup

Alexis Guimond and Alana Ramsay delivered a pair of wins for Canada in giant slalom at the Para alpine skiing World Cup on Wednesday (18 January), as the countdown to the 2017 World Championships continued in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia.

The duo, whose country hosted the last Worlds in Panorama in 2015, dominated the standing classes, while a series of new faces also emerged onto other podiums.

Guimond’s first run helped him secure his first World Cup victory at the age of 17 in the men’s giant slalom standing.

Austria’s Christoph Bernhard Schneider also reached his highest-ever finish at this level with second. Australia’s Mitchell Gourley, a double Paralympian, took his third podium finish of the season.

Ramsay, 22, won her first World Cup giant slalom race with two leading runs in the women’s standing.

The Canadian has already secured a trio of podium finishes in technical events in 2016-17, showing her potential in the build-up to the World Championships.

Ramsay’s compatriot Erin Latimer was second, rounding off a strong showing for Canada. A new face emerged for Germany in the form of 16-year-old Anna-Maria Rieder, who sealed third place in only her second World Cup outing.

In the men’s visually impaired, Italy’s Giacomo Bertagnolli continued his great form with guide Fabrizio Casal.

The 18-year-old claimed his second giant slalom win of the season with just a few days until his home World Para Alpine Skiing Championships get underway in Tarvisio on Sunday (22 January).

Slovakia’s Marek Kubacka, guided by Maria Zatovicova, and Paralympic silver medallist teammate Jakub Krako and guide Branislav Brozman, were second and third respectively.

Slovakia’s Paralympic champion Henrieta Farkasova was triumphant in the women’s visually impaired, thanks to two leading runs guided by Natalia Subrtova. The USA’s Staci Mannella was second with her guide Sadie de Baun and South Korea’s Jae Rim Yang with guide Un So Ri Ko was third.

The rivalry between German Paralympic and world champion Anna Schaffelhuber and Austria’s points leader Claudia Loesch continued in the women’s sitting.

This time it was Schaffelhuber who was the victor with the two fastest runs, carving her way to her third win of the season.

Loesch was second, separating two Germans as Paralympic bronze medallist Anna-Lena Forster was third.

The USA’s Tyler Walker was the quickest in the men’s sitting, pushing Japan’s Worlds bronze medallist Taiki Morii into second. Austria’s World Cup leader Roman Rabl was third.

Racing continues in Kranjska Gora on Thursday (19 January) with the slalom. All the action is being streamed live at www.worldparaalpineskiing.org alongside live results.

It is the final chance for skiers to test themselves ahead of the 2017 World Para Alpine Skiing Championships which gets underway in Tarvisio, Italy, on Sunday (22 January).