Para sport update: Three more podiums for Canada at Para alpine World Cup

Photo: Mollie Jepsen in action Tuesday (FIS)

SANTA CATERINA, Italy – Alexis Guimond of Gatineau, Que., and Mollie Jepsen of West Vancouver each won silver in their respective downhill races and Kalle Eriksson and his guide Sierra Smith added a bronze to open the second stop on the Para alpine skiing World Cup circuit.

In the men’s standing race, Robin Cuche of Switzerland won the gold medal completing the 1,856 metre course in one minute and 87.09 seconds. Guimond, who swept gold in the two super G races last week, was second 0.82 seconds behind and Markus Salcher of Austria third in 1:09.24.

“I felt really good from the very beginning of the day,’’ said Guimond. ‘’After training, I had identified several areas where it was possible to improve tactically and technically. I focused on those, and I managed to carry out my plan exactly the way I wanted to.”

Arthur Bauchet of France, the triple gold medallist at the 2022 Beijing Paralympics and the dominant racer since then, was fourth.

On the same course, Aurélie Richard of France took the women’s standing downhill in 1:12.44. Jepsen, a six-time Paralympic Games medallist, was second in 1:14.39 and Kelsey O’Driscoll of the U.S. third in 1:14.94.

Mikaela Gosselin of Collingwood, Ont., posted her best result this season placing fifth.

Johannes Aigner of Austria took the men’s visually impaired downhill, Giacomo Bertagnolli was second and the Canadians Eriksson of Kimberley, B.C., and Smith of Ottawa followed for the bronze in their season debut.

2022 Paralympian Brian Rowland of Merrickville, Ont., was 10^th in the men’s sitting downhill.

Mary Jibb breaks four Para swimming world records

Mary Jibb of Muskoka, Ont., broke four World Para Swimming records to highlight the four-day Ontario Junior International meet at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre.

The short-course meet brought together Olympic program swimmers under age 18 and was open to all Paralympic program swimmers.

On the second day of competition, Jibb broke three world records in the S9 50-m backstroke (31.18), S9 400-m IM (5:24.46) and 200-m freestyle (2:13.53). She came back on the final night to break her fourth world record in the S9 100-m freestyle (1:01.71).

The Paris 2024 Paralympian did what she came to do and executed her goal of the competition.

“That felt really good, this was our plan going into this meet to break a couple world records,” she said. “I knew tonight was going to be the hardest one, but I’m just really happy with that performance.”

Jibb also lowered her Canadian record in the S9 50 butterfly (31.29) and is excited for what is to come in 2026.

Other notable Para performances included Alyssa Smyth of Orangeville, Ont.,  setting an S13 world record in the 200 butterfly (2:29.02), and Aly Van Wyck-Smart of Toronto setting Canadian records in both the S3 50-m backstroke (1:09.58) and 100-m freestyle (2:23.70).

With files from Sportcom and Swimming Canada