Germany, Russia pick up double wins in Matrei

Germany’s Andrea Rothfuss and Thomas Nolte and Russia’s Valerii Redkozubov and Alexey Bugaev collected slalom wins on Saturday (17 January) at the IPC Alpine Skiing Europa Cup in Matrei, Austria.

Paralympic champion Rothfuss (1:30.32) picked up her second win of the competition in the women’s standing, following on from her super-combined victory from Friday (16 January).

Her two fastest runs placed her ahead of the Netherlands’ Anna Jochemsen (1:33.93), who finished on the podium for the third time this season.

Slovakian Petra Smarzova (1:34.57) was third.

Bugaev (1:16.94), also the Paralympic champion, returned from the disappointment of failing to finish Friday’s super-combined, to win the men’s standing.

Friday’s winner Alexander Alyabyev (1:20.11) joined Bugaev on the podium whilst New Zealand’s Adam Hall (1:20.42) picked up his second podium in as many days in third.

Nolte (1:22.99) was the victor in the men’s sitting, ahead of Croatia’s Dino Sokolovic (1:24.45), who came back from a seventh-placed first run to take second. Japan’s Taiki Morii (1:24.85) was third, falling down the order in his second run.

Austria’s Claudia Loesch (1:37.81) was well ahead of the field in the women’s sitting, continuing her winning form from Friday with the two quickest runs. Dutchwoman Linda van Impelen (1:47.17) took second to beat Japan’s Momoka Muraoka (1:51.47) into third.

The men’s visually impaired featured a return to winning ways for Paralympic title holder Valerii Redkozubov (1:18.61) and guide Evgeny Geroev after a third-place finish in Friday’s super-combined.

Slovakian Miroslav Haraus (1:19.82), guided by Maros Hudik, put in the fastest second run to come back from a fourth-placed first run to finish second overall. Poland’s Maciej Krezel (1:27.70) and guide Anna Ogarzynska completed the top three to claim their first podium of 2014-15.

Belgium’s Eleonor Sana (1:49.27) and guide Chloe Sana won the women’s equivalent.

Races conclude in Matrei on Sunday (18 January), before skiers head to Tignes, France, from 26-30 January for the first World Cup downhill competitions ahead of the 2015 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships in Panorama, Canada.

Full results are available here.

Panorama 2015 runs from 28 February - 1 March. Media accreditation is available here.