PARALYMPICS: U.S. alpiners celebrate 8-medal performance

By Published On: March 20th, 2006Comments Off on PARALYMPICS: U.S. alpiners celebrate 8-medal performance

PARALYMPICS: U.S. alpiners celebrate 8-medal performance{mosimage}The U.S. Paralympic alpine team leaves the IX Paralympic Winter Games with five gold medals, two silver medals and a bronze medal.

With the introduction of the new, three-category system – sitting, standing and visually impaired – athletes who had previously competed in separate classifications faced each other head-to-head in a highly competitive field.

Paralympic newcomer Laurie Stephens left her mark with a first-place finish in the women’s sitting downhill on her first day of competition. She followed it up with a second gold in sitting super G and the silver in giant slalom, building on her recent World Cup overall title.

‘Laurie’s an incredible talent’ said U.S. teammate Lacey Heward. ‘The way she finesses the ski is phenomenal. You need the drive, the elite athleticism to win next to Laurie. I’m extremely proud of her and her driving forward to win.’

Kevin Bramble and Chris Devlin-Young put the U.S. on top of the podium in the men’s sitting downhill. Bramble took gold, defending his 2002 Salt Lake City Paralympic Winter Games title, while Devlin-Young won the silver, affirming the strength of U.S. mono-skiers in the downhill event.

In the last two days of competition, the U.S. women added three medals to the team’s count in the slalom events.

Defending her 2005-06 World Cup title, Stephani Victor earned herself the gold medal in the last event of the week, the sitting slalom.

After great results throughout the week that placed her just shy of the medals, Allison Jones made her way to the top of the podium, winning the gold in the women’s standing slalom. Teammate and fellow three-tracker Sandy Dukat also finished strong, claiming the bronze.

‘I wanted this more than any of the other races’ said Jones. ‘I cannot ask for anything better. I’m ready to go home and I’m glad I ended it on a gold.’

‘I think it is harder to [win] with the three-class system’ said Dukat. ‘It gives more credibility to my ability as a ski racer. It is a great achievement.’

Head coach Kevin Jardine agreed. The combination of more athletes and fewer medal events has enhanced the value of the medals won.

‘Any medal here is well-earned. It’s not easy’ said Jardine

In an increasingly competitive Paralympic environment, the focus will continue to be on development, funding and increased awareness – not just in the United States but also internationally.

‘There needs to be more funding for all top athletes in the world to participate’ Jardine said. ‘We need to recruit new athletes for the sport, athletes who we haven’t seen yet, and get them involved.’

Paralympians will reap the benefits of more awareness in the U.S. and abroad – from the launch of www.paralympicsport.tv to increased media coverage to growing development programs.

‘We need to create more awareness around the U.S. and overall in the world’ said Stephens. ‘Every country – not just the U.S. – should have more awareness of the Paralympics.’

The stands at Sestriere Borgata were packed daily with spectators, which was a positive sign. The athletes look forward to increased interest from the general public and more full stands in Vancouver in 2010.

‘The people that came [to Italy] and the people that watched from home witnessed sport of its purest form. These athletes are true competitors’ Devlin-Young said. ‘We pay to do this. We aren’t paid to do this.’

‘I’m proud of my competitors’ said Heward. ‘This is what the Paralympics is about – elite athleticism.’

The U.S. team is rife with new and nascent talent.

Keep an eye on mono-skier Tyler Walker, who finished third overall in the 2005-06 World Cup standings and first in giant slalom.

Though they didn’t medal, standing skiers Brad Washburn and Elitsa Storey also had a memorable debut at their first Paralympic Winter Games, which will likely be a springboard to future podium appearances.

For new competitors trying to succeed among tough international competition, Devlin-Young said the key is confidence. ‘You need to say ‘Here I am on the world stage and I belong.’ Saying ‘I belong’ is a big hurdle.’

Team USA 5th in gold-medal tallyTeam USA finished fifth in the gold-medal count and seventh in the overall medal count. The U.S. Paralympic alpine ski team finished third in the gold-medal count, and tied Italy for fourth in the overall medal count.

Russia led the final medals table with 13 golds and 33 medals overall. All of Russia’s medals came in biathlon and cross-country skiing.

Boosted by Gerd Schoenfelder’s four medals – including his record 17th in alpine skiing – Germany finished second in the medal count with eight golds and 18 medals overall. Host Italy won eight medals, all in alpine skiing.

Canada, which will host the next Paralympics in Vancouver in 2010, won team competitions in ice sledge hockey and wheelchair curling.

– USOC/The Associated Press

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About the Author: Pete Rugh