Media Centre
IPC Alpine Skiing
27th January 1993
Regensburg, Germany
Anna Schaffelhuber
27th January 1993
Regensburg, Germany
- Latest Triumphs
- 2011 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships: Gold: Super Combined, Slalom and Giant Slalom
- 2010 Paralympic Winter Games: Bronze: Super-G
IPC Alpine Skiing
21st March 1983
Farmington, USA
Alana Nichols
21st March 1983
Farmington, USA
- Latest Triumphs
- 2011 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships: Gold: Downhill and Super-G; Bronze: Slalom and Giant Slalom
- 2010 Paralympic Winter Games: Gold: Downhill and Giant Slalom; Silver: Super-G; Bronze: Super Combined
- 2008 Paralympic Games: Gold: Wheelchair Basketball
|
|
|
Anna Schaffelhuber
Alana Nichols
|
My main objectives are to defend my world title in the slalom and giant slalom. A podium in the super-combined is also a very big goal. Basically I just want to show my skills and perform at the right moment. The World Championships in La Molina are a milestone for the Paralympics in Sochi. This competition is also the highlight of this season, and I want to give my everything there.
|
What are your goals for La Molina 2013?
|
My goals to start with are defending the two world championship titles I got in 2011 in the downhill and super-G, and I’m also hoping to win the gold in the giant slalom and do as well as I can in the slalom and potentially medal in the super combined as well. I’ve been playing a little bit of catch up. After London I took some time off and I knew that coming back into the winter season and preparing for ski-racing I was going to be a little behind, but I feel like I’m pretty well caught up now and feeling good about how I’m racing. Every race matters from the standpoint of proving yourself at any given moment. So, you know the World Championships is absolutely important to me personally, but I don’t think it’s necessarily an indicator of how things will go in Sochi.
|
|
In the technical disciplines my biggest rivals are the Austrian Claudia Loesch, my German teammate Anna-Lena Forster and USA’s Alana Nichols. All of them have a good technique and are very strong in their discipline. In the speed events I rate USA’s Alana Nichols and Laurie Stephens as my toughest competitors. Both risk everything and control the skis really well.
|
Who are your biggest sports rivals on the slopes, and why?
|
I would say Claudia Loesch and Anna Schaffelhuber are absolutely two of my biggest competitors. Also Laurie Stephens and Stephanie Victor on the US team. It’s anybody’s race really.
|
|
Alana is very very good in the speed races. She takes a lot of risks and constantly pushes her barriers. But in the more technical disciplines and courses, it is harder for her because she feels a lot more comfortable at speed.
|
What is most difficult to compete against Alana Nichols/ Anna Schaffelhuber?
|
Anna is an extremely good slalom skier so any time we’re up against her in a slalom race, it’s pretty tough. She’s very technical and if a course is set technically, she’s got an advantage over me for sure. I would say she doesn’t particularly like downhill. I think she would rather not ski it – I think she’s actually said that to me before.
|
|
I get along with Alana really well off the slopes. We don’t see each other off the snow very often, but she is a very very fair and exciting rival.
|
How close are you friends with Alana Nichols off the slopes?
|
We’re really good friends. She’s very approachable and very friendly and just easy to get along with. I think she’s very honest – we’re all sort of honest about our ski-racing.
|
|
I often have problems putting my entire training into practice in the races and to consistently pull off my technique to the end. But I try to work on it step by step and from race to race and to give it my all.
|
What is your biggest weakness and how are you working on it?
|
My biggest weakness is getting the rhythm that I need for the technical events. I need to be faster and transition quicker and it takes me a while to warm up to that. I went home and trained a lot of slalom and giant slalom between the last Europa Cup in Tarvisio and now. So I’m hoping that I made some progress.
|
Gerd’s Guess
These are two different types of ski racers. Alana loves the speed in super-G and downhill, and Anna, in contrast to Alana, is hard to beat in the technical events. It will be really exciting in La Molina, especially to see how it goes for Austria’s Claudia Lösch, who is also in contention, and has won a couple of races this season.
Gerd’s Guess: Schaffelhuber
Germany’s Gerd Schoenfelder is a 16-time Paralympic gold medallist in alpine skiing.
IPC Alpine Skiing
24th April 1987
Alexandra Frantseva
24th April 1987
- Latest triumphs
- 2011 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships - Silver: Super Combined, Giant Slalom and Super G; Bronze: Slalom and Downhill
- Guide: Pavel Zabotin
IPC Alpine Skiing
4th May 1986
Roznava, Slovakia
Henrieta Farkasova
4th May 1986
Roznava, Slovakia
- Latest triumphs:
- 2012 IPC World Cup
- 2011 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships - Gold: Downhill, Giant Slalom, Slalom and Super Combined; Bronze: Team Event
- 2010 Paralympic Winter Games - Gold: Super G, Super Combined and Giant Slalom; Silver: Downhill
- Guide: Natalia Subrtova
|
The World Championships in La Molina is a very important competition, which demands me to be well trained both physically and psychologically.
|
I feel like we dont train as much as we should, especially leading to Sochi.
|
Alexandra Frantseva
Henrieta Farkasova
|
My goal is to demonstrate my very best results by employing my best skills and abilities. The World Championships in La Molina is a very important competition, which demands me to be well trained both physically and psychologically. It is an important step before the future Paralympic Games
|
What are your goals for the 2013 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships La Molina?
|
Our goal is be at least as good as in the last World Championships in Sestriere in 2011, but more important than that is just to prove to ourselves that we are on the right path towards the Sochi 2014 Paralympics. La Molina is the last biggest event before the Sochi, so it is a huge deal and if we are able to perform well there it will just be a huge confidence boost and it will also kind of show us where we stand within the competition and what we should still work on
|
|
I celebrate my victory by being in the great mood, and in case of losing, I am trying to analyse what went wrong, in order to avoid that at the next start.
|
How do you celebrate if you win and what do you do when you lose?
|
Well, every single victory means a lot to us, especially those ones in slalom, cause that is where we have a hard time and I am not that confident in my slalom abilities, so when we win or perform well, Natalia is always like: "See, you know you can do it!" But besides that, when we win we are super happy.
|
|
Speed distances are the toughest against Henrieta. Her strong side is a lot of experience, I don’t look for weak sides.
|
What is the toughest part about competing against your rival?
|
Alexandra has improved a lot during the past 3-4 seasons. Alexandra is really good in technical disciplines. Slalom is her best and she really knows how to ski well. We know that she has been training a lot and the Russian team really wants to impress at home in Sochi .
|
|
My strengths are stubbornness and determination.
|
What is your biggest strength?
|
Besides my strong skiing technical capabilities, I am also psychologically very strong. I don’t let anything get into my head, not even before a big competition, which is a huge asset, cause skiing is not only about your physical performance, but is also about your psychological preparedness and then there is luck of course.
|
|
My technical skills are my greatest weakness. I am constantly working on improving them.
|
What is your greatest weakness and how are you working on it?
|
I feel like we dont train as much as we should, especially leading to Sochi. This is due to the fact, that, unfortunately, skiing is not a profession to us, it‘s a hobby. So, as we have to go to our normal daily jobs or study at the university, we dont always have as much time as we need. There is still lot of work to be done in slalom, as it is not our strong discipline and Alexandra Frantseva is very strong in it and shows constant improvement.
|
Gerd's Guess
Every race in the Europa Cup or World Cup is a fight between these girls. It is really impressive how both work perfectly together with their guides. In World Cups, Henrieta was mostly in front, so she will be the favourite in Spain.
Gerd’s Guess: Farkasova
Germany’s Gerd Schoenfelder is a 16-time Paralympic gold medallist in alpine skiing.
IPC Alpine Skiing
6th April 1986
France
Vincent Gauthier
6th April 1986
France
- Latest Triumphs
- 2011 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships: Gold: Giant Slalom, Slalom, Super Combined and Team Event; Silver: Downhill and Super-G
- 2010 Paralympic Winter Games: Silver: Super-G and Super Combined; Bronze: Giant Slalom
IPC Alpine Skiing
2nd June 1991
Geelong, Victoria, Australia
![]()
Mitchel Gourley
2nd June 1991
Geelong, Victoria, Australia
- Latest Triumphs
- 2011-12 IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup: Third overall
|
"The level is getting higher and higher, thus now everything is getting closer, especially with the younger generation which has plenty of energy and does not know what to do with it."
|
"I have high hopes, particularly for the giant slalom. That’s probably my best event and I won my first World Cup ever in that event and on that hill in La Molina last year."
|
Vincent Gauthier
Mitchel Gourley
|
I think I am getting more and more experienced now, so I can better manage the pressure during races. However, physical preparations have not run as smoothly as I wanted because of small injuries, illnesses and especially because, in the meantime, I am working. I did not have the opportunity to do what I wanted to do, but I will be more prepared next year I think for the Games.
|
How is your season going?
|
I’ve had sort of a breakout season. My best World Cup finish before last year was seventh and then I had a great year and won a couple of races and ended up third on the podium overall. It was nice to be able to back that up now and show that wasn’t a fluke.
|
|
I would like to do better than my last World Championships, where I won three titles. However, the level is getting higher and higher, thus now everything is getting closer, especially with the younger generation which has plenty of energy and does not know what to do with it.
|
What are your expectations for the 2013 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships?
|
I have high hopes, particularly for the giant slalom. That’s probably my best event and I won my first World Cup ever in that event and on that hill in La Molina last year. It holds some good memories for me, so it’d be nice to go back there and back that up with another win.
|
|
He has exactly the same impairment as me. We imitate each other, but he is younger than me so he was inspired by me in the beginning and now he is passing me. He has had the advantage to have me as a model two years ago, and he has still continued to grow. The student seems to have surpassed his teacher.
|
What do you make of your rival?
|
He’s skiing well this year. He kind of had a bit of a slow start but he’s really getting it together now. He chose to train at home, which is an interesting decision with all of the traveling involved.
|
|
Definitely his technical ability. He has a very fast technique.
|
What is your rival's biggest strength?
|
He’s a good competitior even though he started a little bit slow. One thing that he’s really good at is that when he does get beaten he tends to bounce back really well, so he’s pretty resilient in that way. He’s always a threat. He’s a really good skier.
|
|
I will consider them as a rehearsal for the Games. This is an event a little bit separated as it is every two years, as we do not attend it like a World Cup. The Games and the World Cup are really two separate events. This is a 'one-shot' during a week and you have to succeed then.
|
Why are the World Championships so important in the lead-up to the Sochi 2014 Games?
|
It’s the first major event since the 2011 World Championships in Sestriere, just after Vancouver, and there’s probably been a shift of the guards since then, so it will good to see how everyone is this new group of competitive guys stands up before the next Paralympics.
|
Gerd's Guess
My old rivals, Vincent and Mitch. Mitch has been skiing better and better this season and could win some races in giant slalom. Vincent has had little problems in the first races, and he is in good shape. Both have good chances to win gold in giant slalom and super-G. Vincent is a much smoother racer, but Mitch is quick as a flash. It will be exciting to see who can do it.
Gerd’s Guess: Even
Germany’s Gerd Schoenfelder is a 16-time Paralympic gold medallist in alpine skiing.
IPC Alpine Skiing
1st November 1980
San Sebastian, Spain
Jon Santacana
1st November 1980
San Sebastian, Spain
- Latest Triumphs
- 2011: IPC Athlete of the Month for January
- 2011 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships: Gold: Super-G, Giant Slalom and Super Combined; Silver: Slalom and Downhill
- 2010 Paralympic Winter Games: Gold: Downhill; Silver: Giant Slalom and Slalom
- 2009 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships: Gold: Super Combined; Silver: Downhill and Super-G
IPC Alpine Skiing
7th July 1990
Zilina, Slovakia
Jakub Krako
7th July 1990
Zilina, Slovakia
- Latest Triumphs
- 2011 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships: Gold: Slalom; Silver: Giant Slalom and Super Combined; Bronze: Team Event
- 2010 Paralympic Winter Games: Gold: Giant Slalom, Super Combined and Slalom; Silver: Super Giant Slalom
- 2009 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships: Gold: Slalom; Silver: Giant Slalom and Super Combined
|
"We need good competitors, and I think Jakub is a very, very good competitor."
|
"It is a pleasure for me to compete with him and I am looking forward La Molina. It’s his home field and I am curious what will happen."
|
Jon Santacana
Jakub Krako
|
I think I can do very good in giant slalom. The giant slalom is the best discipline for me, but maybe I can do good, too, in the speed events in the downhill and super-G. Maybe slalom won’t be so good because the last two seasons we didn’t race well in slalom, but in giant slalom we can be good.
|
What are your expectations for the 2013 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships?
|
My dream is to make a hat trick of three gold medals in slalom, because I won the last two World Championships, so it’s my dream.
|
|
I think it’s important for us, all the athletes, as it can be a good test for Sochi and we can see who could have the potential to win gold, silver and bronze in Sochi.
|
Why are these World Championships in La Molina important?
|
I think that every sportsman wants the title of champion. If you can say “I am world champion” everyone knows about you and no one on earth is better than you. It’s also naturally important for nominations to the Paralympic Games. Slovakia will get chance to send to Sochi a maximum of five racers in my category, but now we are seven. So I need to be one of the best to be nominated for all disciplines.
|
|
The giant slalom because I do better with it in training and I spend more time training in that. The super-G and downhill are difficult for me because they’re speed events and I’ve lost my guide Miguel a lot of times.
|
What’s your biggest strength on the slopes?
|
My biggest strength is that I am able to race in every weather condition. The best is rain. Everyone hates it because they do not see anything, but that doesn’t matter for me.
|
|
I don’t know if Jakub’s the biggest rival, I think there’s more than just him. I think Chris Williamson of Canada and Miroslav Haraus of Slovakia and Nicolas Berejny of France are competitors, too. In skiing, anything is possible. Jakub of course is a good racer. In slalom, he’s a very good racer.
|
What can you tell us about your rival?
|
Jon is great skier. He has beautiful, clean turns without sliding. And he can win every race. It is a pleasure for me to compete with him and I am looking forward La Molina. It’s his home field and I am curious what will happen.
|
|
We are friends. For me, all my competitors are friends because I think they are good racers and good people. When we finish a race we always go to congratulate all the racers because if we don’t have good competitors, then the sport doesn’t have value. We need good competitors, and I think Jakub is a very, very good competitor.
|
How close are you with your rival off the slopes?
|
I think we are good friends. We joke and talk about everything. I invited him to come to Slovakia to visit us, so I’d say our relationship is good.
|
Gerd's Guess
Since the Paralympics in Vancouver, Santacana and Krako have had a great rivalry. In past World Cup races, Santacana showed that he is in top form and is the man to beat in giant slalom, super-G and downhill. Only in the slalom has he had problems. In the slalom, Krako and his teammate Miroslav Haraus are the favourites. Furthermore, it will be exciting to see if Canada’s Chris Williamson could win a medal, too.
Gerd’s Guess: Santacana
Germany’s Gerd Schoenfelder is a 16-time Paralympic gold medallist in alpine skiing.
IPC Alpine Skiing
9th July 1980
Japan
Taiki Morii
9th July 1980
Japan
- Latest Triumphs
- 2011 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships: Gold: Giant Slalom; Silver: Super G
- 2010 Paralympic Winter Games: Silver: Downhill; Bronze: Super G
- 2009 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships: Silver: Super Combined; Bronze: Super-G
IPC Alpine Skiing
1st May 1988
Hanno, Japan
Takeshi Suzuki
1st May 1988
Hanno, Japan
- Latest Triumphs
- 2011 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships: Gold: Super Combined and Slalom; Silver: Giant Slalom and Downhill
- 2010 Paralympic Winter Games: Bronze: Giant Slalom
- 2009 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships: Gold: Giant Slalom
|
"I don’t know if I have weakness or not. I only try to finish fast."
|
"I would like to be well prepared for the World Championships by adjusting my ski chair or other racing equipment in Japan."
|
Taiki Morii
Takeshi Suzuki
|
I am in the middle of preparing to be in better condition for the IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships.
|
How is the IPC Alpine Skiing season for you going thus far?
|
I had tough races in the first half since I didn't have enough training at the beginning of this season. I would like to be well prepared for the World Championships by adjusting my ski chair or other racing equipment in Japan.
|
|
It is our wish to monopolise the podium with Japanese skiers.
|
What are your expectations for the 2013 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships in La Molina?
|
I would like to be in the highest place in all events that I will enter.
|
|
Power of force.
|
What is your biggest strength on the slopes?
|
Having no legs. I have an ability of keeping my balance.
|
|
I don’t know if I have weakness or not. I only try to finish fast.
|
What is your biggest weakness on the slopes?
|
Having no legs. I am having to adjust my seat position to deal with my weakness.
|
|
I have no tough points about racing with Takeshi.
|
What is the toughest part about going up against your rival?
|
I surly believe that Takei is a phenom of skiing. He had great results by operating his ski chair beautifully, and also his ability of balance is very high even though he is in the LW11 class. It would be very hard for me to keep my skiing stable and fast like him in that situation.
|
Gerd's Guess
In the highly competitive sitting class, both Japanese guys have a chance to win a title in the upcoming World Championships. Suzuki is an excellent slalom skier and will be my favourite in the event. Morii has, in contrast, an excellent chance to win a medal in giant slalom. Don’t also forget Japan’s Akira Kano who has good medal chances in downhill and super-G.
Gerd’s Guess: Taiki Morii
Germany’s Gerd Schoenfelder is a 16-time Paralympic gold medallist in alpine skiing.
IPC Alpine Skiing
20th October 1989
Innsbruck
Andrea Rothfuss
20th October 1989
Innsbruck
- Latest Triumphs
- 2011 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships: Gold: Slalom and Downhill; Silver: Super Combined and Team Event; Bronze: Super-G and Giant Slalom
- 2010 Paralympic Winter Games: Silver: Giant Slalom and Slalom; Bronze: Super-G and Downhill
- 2009 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships: Bronze: Slalom, Super Combined, Giant Slalom and Downhill
IPC Alpine Skiing
9th February 1994
Chambery, France
Marie Bochet
9th February 1994
Chambery, France
- Latest Triumphs
- 2011/2012 IPC World Cup: Overall title
- 2011 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships: Gold: Giant Slalom and Team Event; Silver: Super G and Downhill
|
My main goal this season is to defend my downhill world championship title.
|
I'm not going to Spain for tourism!
|
Andrea Rothfuss
Marie Bochet
|
My main rivals are definitely the Frenchwoman Marie Bochet and Melania Corradini, but she injured herself in training in December, so we have to see how she comes back and how she is. And then the other Frenchwoman Solene Jambaque is also a rival.
|
Who is your biggest rival and why?
|
I think with Andrea Rothfuss and I have a very similar technical level and we are progressing at the same pace. We have the same impairment, so we can compare ourselves to each another. In the races, we have almost the same time and that is why we are rivals on the one hand, on the other hand, it is the one who arrives first at the bottom. That is what gives me more "fear".
|
|
My main goal this season is to defend my downhill world championship title.
|
What are your goals for the La Molina 2013 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships?
|
I'm going to La Molina firstly to defend my title in the giant slalom and the one we have as a team. But I'm also hoping to win the title in slalom and why not those speed tests too? Anyway, I'm not going to Spain for tourism!
|
|
My favourite disciplines are giant slalom and downhill. Downhill because it’s a challenge to dare to go so fast – well, maybe ‘to dare’ is the wrong word, but to go that fast.
|
What is your biggest strength?
|
I think it's my technique especially in slalom.
|
|
My weakest discipline is the slalom because a lot of technique is involved and it’s really short turns – in principle you have almost no time to think too much about it or to concentrate too much on the technique and what you have to do next. It all has to flow out of you without thinking about it too much.
|
What is you greatest weakness and how are you working on it?
|
My greatest weakness is in my mind: sometimes I ask myself too many questions. This is a problem especially in the speed events such as downhill.
|
|
Marie Bochet’s strength is her technique. She has a very clean ski technique. She has a similar impairment to me (missing her left forearm) and also skis with one pole. She’s strongest in the slalom because she’s best in the technical disciplines.
|
What are your rival’s strength/weaknesses?
|
It is hard to say, I would say that her strengths are her experience compared to mine (she started ski racing a few years earlier than me) and her aggressiveness: She never gives up. As for her weakness I’m keeping that to myself because I use it to race
|
Gerd’s Guess
In past events of 2013, Marie has been in really good shape and won a lot of races. Andrea has been in second position, so Marie will be the favourite in La Molina. As I know that Andrea is getting better this season, I hope she can win an event, though.
Gerd’s Guess: Marie Bochet
Germany’s Gerd Schoenfelder is a 16-time Paralympic gold medallist in alpine skiing.
IPC Alpine Skiing
1st June 1987
Thomas Pfyl
1st June 1987
- Latests Triumphs
- 2011 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships: Silver: Giant Slalom; Bronze: Downhill, Super-G and Super Combined
- 2006 Paralympic Winter Games: Silver: Slalom; Bronze: Giant Slalom
IPC Alpine Skiing
20th August 1989
Alexander Alyabyev
20th August 1989
- Latest Triumphs
- 2011-12 IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup: slalom winner
|
It’s one year before Sochi, so I want to show my rivals that I’m fit for the Paralympics.
|
The positive mood is my greatest reward.
|
Thomas Pfyl
Alexander Alyabyev
|
My main rivals are the other Swissman Michael Bruegger, the Frenchman Vincent Gauthier-Manuel, the Russian Alexander Alyabyev and also Alexey Bugaev, who is also a Russian. There’s always someone I’m competing against who could be the best. The standing men is one of the most difficult categories to stay ahead in.
|
Who is your biggest rival and why?
|
Thomas Pfyl is my sporting rivalry in the long distance runs. He has a very smooth run. In the slalom he can’t use his legs, since he has an impairment with his feet and arm.
|
|
My goal is to match the results that I got last time. The World Championships only come around every two years, so La Molina is very important. At big events like that you’re much more in the public eye. It’s one year before Sochi, so I want to show my rivals that I’m fit for the Paralympics.
|
What are your goals for the La Molina 2013 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships?
|
My goal is to win a medal at the World Championships. The competition there will be very tough. I will have to do my best to get good results. Since it is not the World Cup, and does not have stages, it is much easier for my mental attitude.
|
|
I’m a quiet, reliable, honest sportsman. My weakness is I’m impatient. My friends are helping me to improve this.
|
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
|
I’m very competitive, so that’s my strength. My weakness is stubbornness. If I set a goal and for some reason can’t achieve it, I begin to analyse what went wrong, and what I can do to achieve it.
|
|
I like it when it’s medium-steep, and when it’s snow with good grip that’s not aggressive or icy.
|
What would be your perfect run?
|
It would be to do my best, without making mistakes in the process. I prefer bright sunny weather. But I do my best to perform well in all the conditions I get.
|
|
I don’t celebrate in any special way and if I do it’s spontaneous. When I lose I try to work on myself more to avoid the mistakes and forget the day as quickly as possible.
|
How do you celebrate if you win and what do you do when you lose?
|
Victory is always great! How I celebrate it? If you set a goal for yourself and achieve it, it is a great feeling already. The positive mood is my greatest reward.
|
Gerd’s Guess
This will be a nice duel. They both have good chances to win a medal in the slalom event.
I believe Alexander is the favourite in the slalom, but Thomas has a lot of experience in major events and he is always a good pick for unexpected success. Furthermore, it is great to see how Austria’s Matthias Lanzinger or the young Russian Alex Bugaev are establishing themselves.
Gerd’s Guess: Alexander Alyabyev
Germany’s Gerd Schoenfelder is a 16-time Paralympic gold medallist in alpine skiing.
- Worldwide Paralympic Partners
- International Partner
