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Robin Cuche’s performance at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games was definitely not what he had in mind. The Swiss alpine skier left without a medal, with an eighth place in the men´s downhill standing as his best result.
His expectations were high, especially after he sealed his first medal at a World Championships in Tarvisio, Italy, in 2017, a silver in the men’s super-combined standing. He also ended second overall in the downhill at the World Cup.
In 2011, he was named ‘Newcomer of the Year’ in Zurich, Switzerland. Three years later, Cuche competed at his first Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, finishing 12th in the giant slalom and 18th in the slalom.
Cuche, who was born with hemiplegia, which affects his right leg, seeks to follow in the footsteps of his uncle Didier Cuche, an Olympic alpine skiing silver medallist.
Biography
Impairment information
Type of Impairment
Impaired range of motion
Origin of Impairment
Congenital
Classification
LW9-2
Further personal information
Residence
Neuchâtel, SUI
Occupation
Athlete
Languages
English, French, German
Sport specific information
When and where did you begin this sport?
He began skiing at age three at the Bugnenets Ski Resort in Saint-Imier, Switzerland.
Why this sport?
He loved the speed and adrenaline rush the sport gave him.
Club / Team
SC Chasseral Dombresson: Switzerland
Name of coach
Gregory Chambaz [national]
International debut
Year
2012
Competing for
Switzerland
General interest
Hobbies
Supporting English football club Manchester United, watching videos on social media. (paralympic.org, 08 Mar 2017)
Most influential person in career
His parents, and his coaches. (Athlete, 08 Mar 2014)
Hero / Idol
Croatian alpine skier Ivica Kostelic, US alpine skier Ted Ligety, Austrian alpine skier Anna Veith, Swiss alpine skier Didier Cuche [his uncle]. (Athlete, 08 Mar 2014)
Injuries
He had a shoulder injury early in the 2016/17 season. (paralympic.org, 07 Mar 2017)
He tore the cruciate ligament in his knee at the 2015 World Championships in Panorama, BC, Canada. The injury ruled him out of action for the rest of the year. (paralympic.org, 07 Oct 2015)
He tore the cruciate ligament in his knee at the 2015 World Championships in Panorama, BC, Canada. The injury ruled him out of action for the rest of the year. (paralympic.org, 07 Oct 2015)
Awards and honours
He was presented with the 2017 Sports Merit Award as Athlete of the Year in Neuchatel, Switzerland. (rtn.ch, 14 Dec 2017)
He was named the 2011 Newcomer of the Year in Zurich, Switzerland. (plusport.ch, 09 Jul 2012)
He was named the 2011 Newcomer of the Year in Zurich, Switzerland. (plusport.ch, 09 Jul 2012)
Famous relatives
His uncle Didier won a silver medal in alpine skiing [super G] at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano. His brother Remi has competed in able-bodied alpine skiing at national level in Switzerland. (SportsDeskOnline, 03 Jan 2019; canalalpha.ch, 06 Apr 2018; paralympic.org, 07 Oct 2015)
Ambitions
To win the overall World Cup title, and to finish on the podium at the Paralympic Winter Games. (Allianz YouTube profile, 08 Feb 2018)
Impairment
He was born with hemiplegia, which affects his right leg. (Athlete, 08 Mar 2014; bielertagblatt.ch, 26 Mar 2012)
Results
| Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's Slalom Standing | Final Round | 2014-03-13 | 18 | |
| Men's Giant Slalom Standing | Final Round | 2014-03-15 | 12 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's Giant Slalom Standing | Race 1 | 2015-03-08 | 9999 | |
| Men's Slalom Standing | Race 1 | 2015-03-10 | 9999 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's Downhill Standing | Race 1 | 2017-01-25 | 6 | |
| Men's Super-G Standing | Race 1 | 2017-01-26 | 6 | |
| Men's Super-Combined Standing | Race 1 | 2017-01-28 | 2 | |
| Men's Giant Slalom Standing | Race 1 | 2017-01-30 | 9 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's Downhill Standing | Final | 2018-03-10 | 8 | |
| Men's Super-G Standing | Final | 2018-03-11 | 9999 | |
| Men's Super Combined Standing | Final | 2018-03-13 | 9999 | |
| Men's Giant Slalom Standing | Final | 2018-03-14 | 9999 | |
| Men's Slalom Standing | Final | 2018-03-17 | 9999 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's Giant Slalom Standing | Race 1 | 2019-01-21 | 9999 | |
| Men's Slalom Standing | Race 1 | 2019-01-23 | 7 | |
| Men's Downhill Standing | Race 1 | 2019-01-30 | 9 | |
| Men's Super-Combined Standing | Race 1 | 2019-01-31 | 4 | |
| Men's Super-G Standing | Race 1 (from SC) | 2019-01-31 | 6 |