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2010 Paralympic Winter Games - continued Whistler Creekside, BC March 16 In heavy rain and bitter cold, Alana Nichols (Farmington, NM; sit-ski) and Stephani Victor (Park City, UT; sit-ski) won gold and silver in the sitting division of Tuesday’s giant slalom race. With the gold medal, Nichols becomes the first female U.S. Paralympian to claim gold in both summer and winter Games. It was Victor’s second silver of the 2010 Games. Nichols won with a combined time of 2:57.57. Victor came in at 3.01.78 (+4.21) and Japan’s Kuniko Obinata won the bronze with 3:08.71 (+11.14). Nichols had the fastest time in the first run of day, giving her a comfortable cushion for the second run. Even with a mistake in the bottom part of the course, she maintained her lead. “There was so much pressure up at the top,” Nichols said, “I just put it out in faith and knew I had to ski what I had to ski…it’s all so intense, I can’t even put it together right now, but coming down to the bottom was just amazing. I lost it.” Nichols previously won gold with the U.S. Wheelchair Basketball team in Beijing. Jim Martinson is the only male athlete to have won gold in summer and winter games, winning for alpine skiing (downhill in 1992) and track and field (1980 in men’s 100 meter and 4x100 meter relay). Nichols has made remarkable progress, only starting to ski five years ago. She has been competing in skiing since 2008. Skiing in memory of her brother, who passed away last summer, Nichols was overcome with emotion. As she wiped away tears with her red, white and blue painted fingernails, she was beaming, “I’m just so proud,” she said. “I’m proud to be an American and I’m just so thankful for all the coaching I’ve gotten. I’ve had so many people supporting me to get here, my family and friends, this isn’t my win, it’s everybody’s win. I’m just lucky to be the person that gets to claim it.” Victor, who won silver in Sunday’s slalom race, said Tuesday’s results were a testament to excellent skiing and the coaching support from the U.S Team’s staff. A veteran of the team, Victor said she has respect for Nichols’ athletic abilities and the energy she brings to the Team. “I’m so excited for my teammate,” Victor said. “She skied an amazing first run and an even better second run. I’m proud to be up there with her and celebrate with her tonight.” Ray Watkins, the Team’s head coach, said this was the toughest racing day he’s ever seen, citing the terrible weather conditions. “Both of these girls have tremendous spirit and fight. This is Alana’s first win in the GS and she picked a good time to do it. We get to hear our song tonight and that’s what it’s all about,” he said. “We’re thrilled for both of them.” The remaining U.S. women put in another strong performance. Laurie Stephens (Wenham, MA; sit-ski) and Ricci Kilgore (Reno, NV; sit-ski) placed fifth and sixth respectively and Luba Lowery (Denver, CO; sit-ski) placed ninth. In the women’s visually impaired division, Caitlin Sarubbi (Brooklyn, NY, visually impaired) and Danelle Umstead (Taos, NM; visually impaired) finished in the top 15 respectively posting an 8th and 11th place finish. Slovakia’s Henrieta Farkasova, Austria’s Sabine Gasteiger and Canada’s Viviane Forest took home the gold, silver and bronze. “I had some trouble on the first run,” said Sarubbi following her second run. “It wasn't a super clean run, but I made up some time in the second run. It was a lot better and I'm just happy with it. I'm happy to end on a better note." The GS didn’t favor the U.S. men as they were plagued by the poor visibility and variable course conditions. No U.S. male finished in the top ten Tuesday. Martin Braxenthaler of Germany won the gold with a time of 2:37.40 while Switzerland's Christoph Kunz claimed the silver (2:40.35, +2.95) and Takeshi Suzuki of Japan took the bronze (2:45.61, +8.21) “That was what the Paralympics are all about,” said Carl Burnett (Bend, OR; sit-ski) after his second run. “Everything that could be thrown at you – rain, snow, wind, variable snow conditions, all of it –every element was there. It was a great challenge.” In the men’s visually impaired giant slalom, Mark Bathum (Seattle, WA, visually impaired) and his guide Slater Storey (Sun Valley, ID) finished their first run in eight place, but found out later that they were disqualified for leaving the starting gate too late. The classification’s podium was Slovakia’s Jakub Krako, Spain’s Jon Santacana Maiztegui and Italy’s Gianmaria Dal Maistro winning gold, silver and bronze. The speed events begin with downhill on Thursday and the Team is looking forward to what’s to come. OFFICIAL RESULTS Men’s Sitting Gold: Martin Braxenthaler, Germany, 2:37.40 Men's Visually Impaired Gold: Jakub Krako, Slovakia, 2:41.99 Women’s Sitting Gold: Alana Nichols, Farmington, NM, 2:57.57 Women's Visually Impaired Gold: Henrieta Farkasova, Slovakia, 2:56.65 Whistler Creekside, BC March 15 Allison Jones (Colorado Springs, CO; standing), Monte Meier (Park City, UT; standing) and Brad Washburn (Winter Park, CO; standing) finished among the top ten in Monday’s standing slalom event. Jones, the defending Paralympic slalom gold medalist, was the USA’s top finisher, coming in fifth place among women after closing her first run in seventh position. Five-time Paralympian Meier, who has said he will retire from ski racing after this year, moved up from 11th to finish in eighth place and two-time Paralympian Washburn, who was eighth after the first run, got bumped by Meier and finished in ninth place. “Today was a tough day with real unique conditions with a lot of moisture,” said U.S. Adaptive Alpine Head Coach Ray Watkins. “The courses were deteriorated. Allison Jones was in the worst possible spot that you could be in a Paralympic Games. The first run she really wasn’t herself. She needed to be firing on all cylinders in both runs. It didn’t happen. She had a great second run. Good for her on that and I’m sure she’s going to use this day as motivation to come back and kick (butt) the rest of the time.” “The first run I didn’t like,” said Jones, who also competes in cycling in the Paralympic Summer Games. “The second run I definitely came back knowing that I had nothing to lose and I felt like I put down a pretty good run. Two little mistakes and that’s about it. Otherwise I felt really good. I wish I would have gone up further, but it is what it is. I felt like I came back and had a strong run. I felt like I showed everybody what I can do.” Meier lost some time on the bottom part of the hill on his first run, but was determined to lay it down for the final slalom run of his stellar Paralympic career. “I had to lay it all down on the line,” stated Meier, who punctuated his second run with fists pumping high in the air. “This was my last slalom run of my life, that’s how I’m looking at it. I just had to let it all hang out. I did that. There were a couple bobbles, but you’re going to get that when you’re racing. I was definitely satisfied with my run, definitely. I didn’t have the big mistake I had in my first run. It’s all what could have happened, but you can’t look at it that way. You just have to keep going forward. I tried to make it up in the second run, I did my best.” “Monte Meier had a good finish to his Paralympic slalom career and skied solid,” added Watkins. “Again, the first run he needed to be a little bit closer. I’m really excited for Brad Washburn. He had a good, solid day.” Jones, who posted a combined time of 2:01.19, which was 9.22 seconds behind gold medalist Lauren Woolstencroft of Canada, who covered her two runs in 1:51.97. The silver medal went to Germany’s Andrea Rothfuss, whose two-run time was 1:58.35 (+6.38) and Canada also collected bronze after Karolina Wisniewska posted a time of 1:58.84 (+6.87). In an exciting finish to the men’s race, Adam Hall of New Zealand threw down a blistering pace in the first run and needed all of his 2.13 second lead time after falling in his second run to retain the lead and claim the gold medal. Hall, who trains in Winter Park, Colo., had a combined time of 1:45.40 to edge Germany’s Gerd Schonfelder, who entered Vancouver with 17 Paralympic alpine medals, including 14 golds, by 0.57 (1:45.97). The bronze medal went to Australia’s Cameron Rahles-Rahbula, who covered his two runs in 1:47.69 (+2.29). Paralympic veteran George Sansonetis (Fraser, CO; standing), skiing in his fourth Paralympics, had a rough start out of the gate in his first run today and was disqualified for missing a gate. Three-time Paralympian Hannah Pennington (Winter Park, CO; standing) is still looking for her first medal. Her best finish came in Salt Lake City in the Giant Slalom when she finished fifth. She finished today in 16th place with a time of 2:24.24 (+32.27). Elitsa Storey (Sun Valley, ID; standing), who finished sixth in the 2006 Torino Paralympic Winter Games slalom, was in 15th place following her first run, but did not start the second run. Skiing continues for the standing athletes with the GS scheduled for March 17. The downhill is slated to run March 18, super G on March 20, and the super combined will be held on March 21. OFFICIAL RESULTS Gold: Adam Hall, New Zealand, 1:45.40 Women's Standing Slalom Gold: Lauren Woolstencroft, Canada, 1:51.97 March 14 - U.S. Adaptive Alpine Team member, Stephani Victor (Park City, UT; sit-ski) has won a silver medal in the women's sit-ski slalom. This is Victor's third career Paralympic medal and the first U.S. alpine skiing medal of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Victor finished her two runs in 2:12.63, trailing Austria’s Claudia Loesch by just 0.58. The bronze medal when to Japan’s Kuniko Obinata, who finished with a time of 2:18.60. Tyler Walker (Franconia, NH) was 10th. The gold medal went to Germany’s Martin Braxenthaler with a time of 1:41.63 with silver to Josh Dueck of Canada and the bronze to Phillipp Bonadimann of Austria. Universal Sports TV will carry daily highlights beginning at 6 p.m. EST. Men Women Whistler Olympic Park BC March 14 – After a momentous day for the U.S. Team in Saturday’s biathlon competition, five American athletes took to the tracks Sunday in the men’s sitting 15 km and women’s sitting 10 km events. In the men’s race, USA took eighth, ninth and tenth, while Russia claimed the top two podium spots. Chris Klebl (Heber City, UT) was the top U.S. finisher, crossing the line with a time of 43:13.7 (+2:21.1), followed by Sean Halsted (Spokane, WA) in ninth with a 43:25.6 (+2:27.5). “We were a little nervous about the weather, but it turned out to be awesome,” said Halstead. “The tracks were super slick and firm, so they held up for the full four laps. I felt energized and very good about my performance. I put it all out there, which was just what I wanted to do.” Less than 24 hours after winning a bronze medal in the biathlon 2.4 km pursuit yesterday, Andy Soule (Pearland, TX) returned for a top-ten finish in today’s cross country long distance event. Soule posted a time of 43:32.8 (+2:31.7) for tenth place overall. Greg Mallory (Portland, OR) crossed the line 26th in a 46:30.6 (+5:50.5). On the women’s side, Monica Bascio (Evergreen, CO) finished ninth in a field of twelve competitors. After a near collision in the first lap, when Korea’s Vo-Ra-Mi Seo crossed into Bascio’s tracks, the American recovered to cross the line with a time of 34:33.9 (+3:55.1). Cross country events continue Monday at Whistler Paralympic Park, where USA’s Kelly Underkofler (St. Paul, MN) will compete for a medal in the women’s standing 15 km _____________________________________________________ Canada Welcomed the World's Top Winter Paralympic Athletes "While thousands will cheer you on in the stadiums, you can be assured that over 33 million Canadians are living this experience with you," Vancouver Organizing Committee CEO John Furlong told the athletes. "You will feel their energy and their support every minute you are here." Nearly every seat in the house was filled with energetic fans dressed in blue, white and green ponchos and waving pompoms. "It's kind of crazy," alpine skier John Whitney (Towson, MD) said. "We came in with a police escort and kind of got a glimpse of the stage. To come back here to see hundreds of athletes, it's kind of cool." The Paralympic Winter Games feature 64 events in five sports: alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, wheelchair curling and sled hockey. "To be here you have overcome so much, given so much, sacrificed so much," Furlong said. "Your accomplishments are the result of driving yourselves to achieve what many would say is not achievable. To you impossible is just a word, a distraction." The ceremony featured an address from Rick Hansen, a Canadian athlete and activist for people with spinal cord injuries, and a moving tribute to Canada's most famous athlete with a physical disablity Terry Fox, a humanitarian who raised awareness for cancer with his Marathon of Hope, before losing his battle at age 22. Fox's parents Rolly and Betty brought the Paralympic flame into BC Place then passed it to Paralympic alpine skier Daniel Wesley. He handed it to wheelchair basketball gold medalist Marni Abbott-Peter. It was lit by Zach Beaumont, a 15-year-old snowboarder who was dubbed Canada's next Paralympian. The ceremony also featured six extreme athletes with physical disabilities, including American Aaron "Wheelz" Fotheringham, performing tricks on bikes and in wheelchairs. "I really have to say the half pipe with the bikes and the wheelchair, I think that made it for me for sure," said Monica Bascio (Evergreen, CO). Musicians including 15-year-old Nikki Yanofsky, who sang the Canadian national anthem in the Opening Ceremony of last month's Olympic Winter Games, and Fefe Dobson performed. "Just like any other Opening Ceremonies it marks the beginning of the Games, and I'm ready for the Games to begin," said Alana Nichols (Farmington, NM), who will race for a gold medal Saturday morning in the downhill. "I'm going to try to live in the moment as much as I can right now but I've definitely got that race on my mind." _____________________________________________________ U.S. Team Named Health Calhoun as Flag Bearer March 12 "I am incredibly honored that my team even nominated me for this," said Calhoun. "Just being part of Team USA is a huge honor so being selected from this talented group of athletes is something that I'm proud of. It's surprising but I'm very grateful." Calhoun lost both his legs above the knees in Mosul while serving as a Squad Leader for the famed 101st Airborne Division. "I was at the rear corner of the Humvee when the grenade hit the tail light right beside my right leg and exploded," Calhoun said. The attack killed another soldier, who Calhoun honors by wearing a bracelet etched with the soldiers name and date of the attack on his right wrist. After enduring nine months of rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C., Calhoun became involved with Paralympic sports, and then in 2008, dedicated himself to competing at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. He relocated from Virginia to train with Challenge Aspen, one of the nation's most prominent ski racing programs in Aspen, CO, and was soon on his way to the top. "I'm just thrilled to be representing my country in Vancouver," Calhoun said. "It's a little different than the role I was used to [serving in the military] but I take it just as seriously. I'm so honored to be here." At the 2009 U.S. Adaptive Alpine Championships Calhoun took second in the men's sit-ski slalom and won gold in the men's sit-ski super G. In the same year, he finished in the top 10 in giant slalom at an International Paralympic Committee Alpine Skiing World Cup race in Vancouver. "I am full of emotions. Excited. Nervous. I'm excited to see so many athletes because we don't normally get a lot of fans, so to see many people is great." Calhoun will compete in alpine skiing, beginning with the downhill on Saturday. In 2009, Ski Racing Magazine named Calhoun the "Role Model of the Year," a sentiment that members of the U.S. Paralympic Team agreed with. He is also the Amputee Coalition of America's "Role Model of the Year" for 2008 and the recipient of the 2007 George C. Lang Courage Award Recipient from the Wounded Warrior Project. _____________________________________________________
2010 U.S. Paralympic Alpine Skiing Team (24 athletes, 3 guides) ... Back < |
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P&G continues the ‘Thank You Mom’ program with the moms of the 2010 U.S. Paralympic Team. Additionally, P&G will raise money for Team USA in an effort to have every mom in the U.S. thanked by Mother’s Day. P&G will help defray the cost of travel and accommodations for the mom of every Team USA athlete so that they can see their children compete. P&G will also donate one U.S. dollar to Team USA for moms thanked at thankyoumom.com through March 21, the end of the Paralympic Winter Games. _____________________________________________________
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