PyeongChang 2018: Day 9 preview

The Gangneung Hockey Centre will stage the Para ice hockey gold medal match between defending gold medallists USA and world champions Canada on the final day of competition (18 March) at PyeongChang 2018.

The women´s slalom races will close the alpine skiing competition, while cross-country skiing will conclude with the mixed and open relays. The Closing Ceremony will begin at 20:00 KST.

Alpine skiing

The sport will conclude with women’s slalom races.

The women’s sitting is expected to be sa thrilling duel between Germany’s reigning Paralympic and world champion Anna Schaffelhuber and Austria’s Claudia Loesch. Schaffelhuber already has two golds at PyeongChang 2018, while Loesch is still searching for her first Paralympic title. Loesch captured slalom bronze at the 2017 World Para Alpine Skiing Championships in Tarvisio, Italy, but won this season’s World Cup slalom title. Another German that could contend for the podium is Anna-Lena Forster, who claimed her first Paralympic gold in the super combined race earlier this week.

The ever-dominant French skier Marie Bochet has claimed three golds in the women’s standing at PyeongChang 2018 and will go for her fourth in the slalom the only event she could not win at Sochi 2014. At Tarvisio 2017, Bochet was 0.03 seconds off the gold, which was taken by Germany’s Andrea Rothfuss.

Slovakia’s Henrieta Farkasova with guide Natalia Subrtova is the clear favourite in the women’s vision impaired, having won all four events at PyeongCahng 2018 so far. Also watch for Great Britain’s Millie Knight with guide Brett Wild, and Menna Fitzpatrick guided by Jennifer Kehoe.

Cross-country skiing

Competition at the Alpensia Biathlon Centre will wrap up with the 4x2.5km mixed relay and then the 4x2.5km open relay.

Sochi 2014 bronze medallist France, Norway and Canada will try to put together strong open relay teams that helped them win gold, silver and bronze at the 2017 World Championships, respectively.

In the mixed relay, Ukraine could compile a winning formula that helped them win the 2017 Worlds; runner-up Sweden will try to improve on their silver from Sochi 2014.

Para ice hockey

The widely-expected gold medal game between USA and Canada will begin at 12:00 KST, setting up a rematch of the 2017 World Para Ice Hockey Championships A-Pool, which also acted as the Test Event. Canada hope to recreate that World Championship-winning feeling on the Paralympic stage. Meanwhile the USA aim for a Paralympic three-peat.

The final day of competition and the Closing Ceremony can be watched on the International Paralympic Committee’s website. Highlights of each day’s action are also available.