Slovakia’s Visually Impaired Team Sweeps Medals at IPC Alpine Skiing Europa Cup

Henrieta Farkasova of Slovakia competes in the Women's Visually Impaired Slalom at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games © • Getty Images Maciej Krezel of Poland competes in the Men's Visually Impaired Slalom at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Games © • Getty Images Slovakia's Miroslav Haraus and guide Maria Zatovicova at the IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup in La Molina, where he won two bronze medals in men's Slalom Standing. © • IPC

Related News

Alpine Skiing Europa Cup Debuts in Czech Republic

The IPC Alpine Skiing Europa Cup in Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic, may have had some weather woes, leading to cancellations in the Super Combined and Giant Slalom races. However, Slovakia’s Visually Impaired team still managed to shine, picking up three gold, three silver and two bronze medals.

Slovakia’s Henrieta Farkasova with guide Maros Hudik won gold in the women’s Super G and Slalom Visually Impaired races. Her teammate Petra Kozickova with guide Branislav Mazgut came second in the Super G.

The Slovakians also dominated the men’s Visually Impaired races. The team took all three podium spots in the Super G, with Jakub Krako, Michal Beladic and Miroslav Haraus taking gold, silver and bronze respectively.

In the men’s Slalom Visually Impaired, Poland’s Maciej Krezel broke the Slovakian domination, to take gold. Silver and bronze went to Slovakia again, this time to Krako and Daniel Cintula respectively after Beladic did not finish and Haraus was disqualified for missing a gate.

In the women’s Standing events, Germany’s Andrea Rothfuss and Austria’s Danja Haslacher battled it out together with Haslacher taking gold in the Super G and Rothfuss topping the podium in the Slalom.

Halsacher’s teammate, Markus Salcher, also shone in the men’s Super G Standing, with a gold-medal performance. France’s Cedric Amafroi-Broisat took silver and Martin France bronze.

Salcher did not finish his first run in the Slalom, allowing Amafroi-Broisat to move up to first place and Martin France to come second. Salcher’s teammate Maximilian Wilfling took bronze.

The Czech Republic’s Miroslav Sperk won his team’s only home gold in the men’s Super G Sitting. Austria’s Roman Rabl and Dietmar Dorn took silver and bronze respectively.

Rabl moved up to first place in the Men’s Slalom Sitting. Dorn had a disappointing first run and came fourth overall, and Sperk lagged in sixth place, giving the German team the opportunity to shine. Franz Hanfstingl and Thomas Nolte took silver and bronze respectively.

Their teammate, Germany’s Anna Schaffelhuber, topped the podium for both the women’s Super G and Slalom Sitting events.