Switzerland – Canada’s Para alpine skiing head coach Will Marshall says team unity and a commitment to excellence have been the keys to keep Canada among the powerhouses in the sport despite retirement and injuries since the last Paralympic Winter Games in 2022.
With the 2024-25 international season concluding today Marshall and his staff have fine tuned some reliable veterans, developed young skiers to become international medal threats and seen some long injuries mend just in time to launch final preparations for the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games in Milano Cortina next March.
‘’I feel like this is the most united team we’ve ever had,’’ said Marshall, who doesn’t hesitate to mention the athletes, his coaching staff and the squad’s support group in the team concept. Marshall was named head coach after the Beijing Games and has been with Alpine Canada for 10 years.
‘’We’ve been very clear in what we want to achieve, and everything is being put in place to make sure we have everything we need going into Milano Cortina next year. We need to be ready to compete at the highest level.’’
After Beijing there were some key retirements. That included Paralympic champion Mac Marcoux in the men’s visually impaired and multi medallist Alana Ramsay in the women’s standing.
Last season, a new visually impaired skier appeared on the scene: Kalle Eriksson of Kimberley, B.C., with his guide Sierra Smith of Ottawa. They have kept Canada near the top in the event.
This season, they placed third overall in the World Cup men’s giant slalom standings which included two wins and were double medallists at the world championships last month.
‘’They’ve been a powerhouse this year,’’ said Marshall of Eriksson and Smith. ‘’We made some good decisions to pull them out of some races early and keep improving and working towards those long vision goals. They are skiing at a level unprecedented for them.’’
Injuries are a fact of life in Para alpine, as it is in able-bodied, and the Canadian team has been hit hard on that front.
Since Beijing, double Paralympic champion Mollie Jepsen of West Vancouver has undergone three knee surgeries and one elbow surgery. She competed for the first time since those Games this past Thursday at the World Cup Final. She won a bronze medal in the GS on Friday.
Along with Ramsay’s retirement that appeared to leave a dearth for Canada in the women’s standings, but Michaela Gosselin of Collingwood, Ont., has emerged as a serious medal threat for the Games next winter.
The 24-year-old, who made her Games debut in 2022, posted two downhill victories and eight podiums overall this season on the World Cup. She took bronze in Tuesday’s slalom.
‘’Last season we shifted in some good speed training for her which really helped with her development,’’ said Marshall. ‘’Training and preparation were beneficial and once she arrived for the race season, she felt very confident.’’
Courtesy: https://paralympic.ca/