LA MOLINA, Spain (Alpine Canada) – The Canadian Para-Alpine Ski Team fell just shy of earning two more World Cup medals in La Molina, Spain, on Tuesday, as Alana Ramsay (Calgary/CADS Alberta) and Alexis Guimond (Gatineau, Que./Club de ski Mont-Tremblant) finished fourth in their respective race categories.
Competing in the second giant slalom race of this series, Ramsay posted a total time of one minute, 55.61 seconds – a mere .34 seconds off the podium in the ladies’ standing category – in her second World Cup race of the season.
“After falling in the downhill training run at World Championships, I’m here to regain my confidence on the snow,” said Ramsay, who has logged only five days of gate training since her crash last month. “Despite falling at the finish line (today), I feel like with the little goals I’m setting and reaching day to day, I’ll be back to ripping it up in no time.”
Competing in the men’s standing category, Guimond was third after the first run and slipped one spot to finish fourth with a total time of 1:39.10.
“I felt good in the first run – I was dynamic and aggressive even though the snow was chattery and icy, (and) I just sent it on the pitch,” said Guimond following the race. “I was a bit nervous in the start (gate) for the second run because it was one of the first times I was in such a good position after the first run. I just wanted to ski well.”
In addition to solid first runs from Ramsay and Guimond, Canada’s Kurt Oatway (Calgary/Regina Alpine Race Team-Saskatchewan Alpine) also finished strong, sitting in third in the men’s sitting category after the first run – putting three Canadians within the podium’s reach. Oatway had an early slip in the second run and went off course, costing him his shot at a medal.
Mel Pemble (Victoria, B.C./B.C. Adaptive Snowsports) secured another sixth-place finish, while Monday’s silver-medallist in the ladies’ standing category, Frédérique (Fred) Turgeon (Candiac, Que./Club de ski Bromont), slipped onto her side near the finish in her first run, tumbling into the safety nets, and posted a DNF.
Rounding out the Canadian results were Alex Cairns (Squamish, B.C./B.C. Adaptive Snowsports) who finished ninth in the men’s sitting category, and Braydon Luscombe (Duncan, B.C./B.C. Para-Alpine) who was 10th in the men’s standing competition.
Action resumes on Thursday in La Molina with a third and final giant slalom race for both men and ladies before they move to slalom racing on Friday and Saturday. The first run is set to start at 3:45 a.m. ET, with the second run slated to begin at 6:30 a.m. ET. All races can be live streamed at the Canadian Paralympic Team’s Facebook page.
