Canada dominate downhill at alpine World Cup

Canadian skiers took two wins in the opening speed races of the 2015-16 season with downhill victories in Tignes, France, on Wednesday (27 January).

World champion Mac Marcoux (1:11.58) won his first World Cup since storming to gold at his home Championships in Panorama in 2015.

Marcoux, 18, had returned fully to the men’s visually impaired with his guide brother BJ after a series of injuries put their partnership in jeopardy in past seasons.

Italy’s Giacomo Bertagnolli (1:13.34) tasted podium success once again with second, his seventh consecutive World Cup podium of the year with guide Fabrizio Casal.

Russia’s Ivan Frantsev (1:16.68), guided by German Agranovskii, was third.

In the women’s visually impaired Belgium’s Eleonor Sana (1:27.57) with guide Chole Sana took the win.

In the men’s sitting Kurt Oatway (1:11.20) claimed Canada’s second win of the day and his first speed World Cup victory.

In a close race the top three finished within 0.40 seconds of each other.

Oatway edged Austria’s World Championships silver medallist Roman Rabl (1:11.48) into second. New Zealand’s world champion Corey Peters (1:11.54) was just pushed into third.

Germany’s Anna-Lena Forster (1:21.38) was the victor in the women’s sitting. The 20-year-old showed her ability in the downhill, finishing ahead of Japan’s Momoka Muraoka (1:21.75).

The USA’s Laurie Stephens (1:22.21) was third.

Austria’s Paralympic champion Markus Salcher also returned to his best in the men’s standing, securing his first World Cup triumph of the season.

Salcher (1:11.70) bagged maximum points ahead of second-place Australian Mitchell Gourley (1:14.25). Braydon Luscombe (1:14.50) stepped onto the podium for Canada in third.

France’s world and Paralympic champion Marie Bochet (1:18.16) was unstoppable once more in the women’s standing.

The 22-year-old won her 50th World Cup race in St. Moritz, Switzerland, last week (22 and 23 January).

To the delight of the home crowd Bochet was lightning quick to finish ahead of Germany’s Andrea Rothfuss (1:20.46) and the Netherlands’ Anna Jochemsen (1:22.92) in second and third respectively.

Full results can be found at www.paralympic.org/alpine-skiing/calendar-and-results.

There will be more downhill action from Tignes on Thursday (28 January) before super-G racing on Friday (29 January).

Updates and pictures are available @IPCAlpine and Facebook.com/IPCAlpine.