[MEDAL ALERT] Mollie Jepsen wins Canada’s first medal, downhill gold, at Beijing 2022

BEIJING – Mollie Jepsen of West Vancouver is Canada’s first medallist at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games as the 22-year-old Para alpine skier won the gold medal in the women’s standing downhill on day one of competition.

Jepsen, who has a hand disability and skis with one pole, clocked the 2.2 kilometre course in one minute and 21.75 seconds. Mengqiu Zhang of China, the last skier down the course, took the silver in 1:21.85 while Ebba Aarsjoe of Sweden took the bronze in 1:23.20.

Michaela Gosselin of Collingwood, Ont. was fifth and Alana Ramsay of Calgary seventh.

The race for the gold became open early when the first skier Marie Bochet of France, the two-time defending downhill champion, lost a ski early in her run and did not finish.

It was a fifth career Paralympic medal for Jepsen who reached the podium four times at the 2018 PyeongChang Games including a victory in the super combined. Since then, she has battled injuries and Crohn’s disease but returned strong in 2021-22, now reaching the podium in her 10 international races including three trips at the world championships in January.