Schaffelhuber cannot wait for Panorama 2015

Germany’s five-time Paralympic champion is eager for the 2015 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships to get started, where she will aim to repeat her performance from Sochi 2014. 22 Feb 2015

Athlete practicing alpine skiing in a sit-ski.

Anna Schaffelhuber Sochi

ⒸGetty Images

By IPC

Germany’s five-time Paralympic champion Anna Schaffelhuber is raring to go ahead of the 2015 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships, in Panorama, Canada, where she is aiming to sweep the board again in all five women’s sitting events.

After a season which has seen her finish on top of the World Cup podium six times, the 22 year-old feels that she is in the form of her life.

“I definitely feel ready,” she said. “At the moment I'm at the final training before travelling to Panorama and I cannot wait until it finally starts.”

However Austria’s Claudia Loesch finished the World Cup season with exactly the same number of points in slalom and giant slalom to make the pair equal winners of the coveted globe. It was only in the super-combined and downhill rankings that Schaffelhuber came out on top.

Loesch is also the defending champion in giant slalom, super-G and super-combined. Schaffelhuber’s teammate Anna-Lena Forster should also not be forgotten, having finished on the World and Europa Cup podium 11 times in 2014-15.

“I think it was very good for me to have these challenges during the season,” Schaffelhuber said. “You see it's a fight for the medals and I had to develop myself and become better and better. So the races are gonna be exciting...”

Schaffelhuber heads to Panorama having been nominated for the prestigious 2015 Laureus Award for Sportsperson of the year with a Disability after her stunning performance in Sochi.

But her focus is firmly fixed on the slopes in Canada, and in particular gold medals.

“At the moment I'm happy with my season and feel well prepared. I have to achieve my best performance, then everything is possible,” she said.

“Of course my aim has to be to win the gold medal. I will try it each time and we will see how it works out.”

Panorama 2015 runs from 28 February-10 March and is expected to attract around 130 of the world’s best skiers from 130 countries.

Live results and a livestream will be available at Panorama2015.com, and updates and behind the scenes coverage will be available at IPC Alpine Skiing’s Facebook and Twitter as well as @Paralympics Instagram.