Kimberley disabled WC: Victor roars toward record

Stephani Victor placed a stamp on the disabled alpine World Cup points lead for slalom Friday, winning her third slalom in a row for a fourth victory this season. With seven consecutive top-three finishes, Victor also leads the giant slalom and overall standings as the season reached the midway point.
KIMBERLEY, British Columbia — Stephani Victor placed a stamp on the disabled alpine World Cup points lead for slalom Friday, winning her third slalom in a row for a fourth victory this season. With seven consecutive top-three finishes, Victor also leads the giant slalom and overall standings as the season reached the midway point.
    "I am so excited about taking the lead in the overall World Cup. I have been second for the last three years and I am determined this season to take the GS trophy along with the overall title and I am on my way to reaching my goal," said Victor, the 2006 Paralympic slalom gold medalist.
    Victor's podium run began Jan. 18 with her first career GS win at Aspen, Colorado, on the second day of World Cup racing, and she has gone on to place in the top three of every race since, a streak that could set a record, said U.S. head coach Ray Watkins.
    "I think she's one podium shy of [Germany's] Martin Braxenthaler. He's been on the podium in every race since the Paralympics and that ended today," Watkins said. "She deserves every bit of this success. She's been working so hard for these results and it's great to see them happening."
    Setting a blistering two-run time of 2 minutes, 1 second, Victor finished a full 1.55 seconds in front of second-place finisher Kuniko Obinata of Japan. Claudia Loesch of Austria, who trails Victor in the overall by 85 points, posted a time of 2:08.34 to round out the podium. Sitting in the third spot of the overall rankings is American Laurie Stepehens, who won the super G Wednesday and finished fourth in slalom to close the three-race event.
    "Steph carried us all week and we had Laurie up there too," said Watkins. "Carl Burnett was eighth today and Elitsa Storey was right up there again with fifth — she's been banging on the door for a while, but now it's time for her to kick it in. The girls are skiing well, but it's a lot harder for the guys to get one up there. For them, it's not about skiing good, it's about risking everything to get on the podium."
    When the International Paralympic Committee cut the original 12 class divisions to three starting with the Paralympics last February in Torino, Watkins explained the depth in each class multiplied immensely.
    "Every race is a dogfight as soon as the clock starts," he said, "and our guys know what they've got to do. They can't expect to put on a U.S. Ski Team jacket and land on the podium. They've got to work hard for it and we're all embracing the challenge."
    The team now heads back to the United States, where several members will take part in the inaugural mono-ski X at the 11th Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado, on Saturday. The next World Cup is slated for March 5-9 in Abtenau, Austria.

DISABLED ALPINE WORLD CUP
Kimberley, British Columbia — Jan. 26, 2007
Slalom
Women's sit-ski
1. Stephani Victor, Park City, Utah, 2:02.00
2. Kuniko Obinata, Japan, 2:02.55
3. Claudia Loesch, Austria, 2:08.34
4. Laurie Stephens, Wenham, Mass., 2:16.29

Women's standing
1. Lauren Woolstencroft, Canada, 1:52.17
2. Andrea Rothfuss, Germany, 1:56.97
3. Solene Jambaque, France, 2:00.51
4. Danja Haslacher, Austria, 2:05.50
5. Elitsa Storey, Ketchum, Idaho, 2:43.95
–
7. Hannah Pennington, Denver, 2:48.53

Men's sit-ski
1. Takeshi Suzuki, Japan, 1:40.07
2. Juergen Egle, Austria, 1:43.78
3. Andreas Kapflinger, Austria, 1:44.87
4. Martin Braxenthaler, Germany, 1:46.05
5. Klaus Salzmann, Austria, 1:48.12
–
8. Carl Burnett, Winter Park CO, 1:49.20
12. Gerald Hayden, Merced, CA, 2:09.31

Men's standing
1. Masahiko Tokai, Japan, 1:43.67
2. Camero Rahls-Rahubula, Australia, 1:44.15
3. Hiraku Misawa, Japan, 1:45.86
4. Marty Mayberry, Austalia, 1:45.97
5. Michael Bruegger, Switzerland, 1:46.66
–
11. Brad Washburn, Littleton, Colo., 1:51.08