Bochet, Schaffelhuber and Salcher all winners at IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup

The IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup in Panorama continues on Saturday (11 January) with the Super Combined. Around 70 skiers from 13 countries are competing in Canada in one of the last major events before the Sochi 2014 Games.

France’s Marie Bochet, a winner of five world titles in 2013, underlined her credentials as the skier to beat at March’s Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games with victory on the first day of the IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup in Panorama, Canada.

In light snow and minus four temperatures, 19-year-old Bochet (1:38.33) stormed to victory in the women’s standing downhill event on the slopes that will host next year’s IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships.

"Today was better than yesterday and the day before," said Bochet. "I take all races like training for Sochi, and I’m so happy with my race today."

As with last year’s World Championships, Germany’s Andrea Rothfuss (1:38.96) was second behind Bochet, whilst USA’s Allison Jones (1:42.78) was third.

In total there were six downhill events on the first day of competition and the first race was the women’s visually impaired. It was won by Australia’s Melissa Perrine and guide Andrew Bor (1:44.57) who topped the podium ahead of world bronze medallists Kelly Gallagher and guide Charlotte Evans (1:45.77) in second. The USA’s Danelle Umstead, and guide Robert Umstead (1:48.8) were third.

The USA’s Mark Bathum and guide Cade Yamamoto (1:32.33) were winners in the men’s visually impaired race. In the closest race of the day they finished just 0.07 seconds ahead of Slovakia’s Miroslav Haraus and guide Maros Hudik (1:32.40) in second place whilst Russia’s Ivan Frantsev and guide German Agranovski (1:34.74) were third.

Germany’s Anna Schaffelhuber (1:38.82) was victorious in the women’s sitting event.

"The first race of the year is exciting," she said afterwards. "You don’t know where you stand or what the others did in training but I think it was very good and I’m looking forward to Sochi."

Schaffelhuber finished ahead of the USA’s Alana Nichols (1:43.26), competing in her first event back following injury. “I consider this a win,” the 30 year-old Paralympic champion Nichols later tweeted. Fellow American and current downhill world champion Laurie Stephens (1:46.04) finished third in a race that saw a number of non-finishers, including Austria’s Claudia Loesch.

Austria’s downhill world champion Markus Salcher (1:30.51) looks a strong tip to win his first Paralympic medal in Sochi after he won the men’s standing race. The 22 year old, who also claimed his first super-G world title in 2013, led home a strong field which included Russia’s Alexey Bugaev (1:31.72) and Switzerland’s Michael Bruegger (1:31.74) who finished second and third respectively.

A successful day for American skiers was rounded off by Andrew Earl Kurka (1:30.27) in the men’s sitting event. The 21 year old secured his first World Cup win ahead of Japan’s 2010 Paralympic silver medallist Taiki Morii (1:30.91) and his teammate Christopher Devlin-Young (1:31.04).

“It feels really great to win in what is really only my third international competition,” Kurka told US Paralympics. “I’m just hoping to carry this through to Sochi. There are still more races here this week, so I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I’m feeling really good.”

In total skiers from the USA won seven medals on the first day in Panorama, including two golds, one silver and four bronzes.

The IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup in Panorama continues on Saturday (11 January) with the Super Combined. Around 70 skiers from 13 countries are competing in Canada in one of the last major events before the Sochi 2014 Games.

For all the results from Panorama, please click here.