SEAN STRIKES GOLD AT MORE THAN 70MPH IN THE
WORLD CUP AT
SESTRIERE
On 20th January,
Sean Rose won Britain’s first IPCAS World Cup gold medal for both
himself and the British Disabled Ski Team in the first downhill race
in Sestriere. Finishing almost a second in front of Japan’s Akira
Kano, Rose pulled in the team’s best ever result just days away from
the team selection for the Paralympics in March. 
“The last few
days of training has been amazing and put me in a great frame of
mind for racing. The cloud came in causing flat light and made
changes in the course difficult to see. The snow must have softened
and a few competitors crashed out in the ruts. I sat at the top
contemplating it all for more than an hour throughout the delays
between skiers. My run was fantastic until six gates from the
finish. I ran too straight and just hung on as I came over the final
rise. I totally over-jumped it at more than 70mph, landed and just
managed to stay inside the last gate to the finish.
“My skis ran
fast today which is down to having a ski technician working with us.
I hope we can find a sponsor to cover his costs going forward as it
is a real advantage. Hearing the National Anthem for the first time
at the World Cup prize giving was a fantastic experience,” enthused
Sean.
“A fantastic
result in such a strong field shows the potential the team has, and
the world-class results they can achieve when they have the correct
level of support”, added Dave Chugg, British Disabled Ski Team
manager.
The team’s head
coach, Jane Stevens, was not surprised when Rose won gold. She said:
“Sean had some promising training runs leading up to the race.
Whilst many athletes had difficulty on the challenging course, he
remained calm and stayed focused with the gold medal in sight.”
Rose had three
podium finishes in the IPCAS European Cup last month, but just
missed out on first place. Facing a shortfall for the Paralympics in
March, the team cannot afford the level of support that the athletes
need at all races. At Sestriere, Rose and the team had a
physiotherapist and a ski technician, which helped enormously and
made the difference that gave them gold.
There have been
great performances all round for the British Disabled Ski Team. Team
mate Russell Docker also finished well in his World Cup race.
Results of Men’s Downhill Sitting (top five)
at the IPCAS World Cup 20 Jan 2010
|
Position |
Name |
Country |
Result |
|
1 |
Sean Rose |
GBR |
1:13.51 |
|
2 |
Akira Kano |
JPN |
1:14.49 |
|
3 |
Reinhold Sampl |
AUT |
1:14.76 |
|
4 |
Nicolas Loussalez |
FRA |
1:14.95 |
|
5 |
Martin Braxenthaler |
GER |
1:15.70 |