Paralympic Alpine Skiing Australian Paralympic skiers claim world titles
27 Feb 2009
Australian Paralympic skiers Shannon Dallas and Cameron Rahles-Rahbula performed magnificently at the 2009 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championship, each winning a gold medal.
Sit ski veteran Shannon Dallas dominated the field in the men’s super giant slalom to claim the world title on 24 February, following in the success of Rahles-Rahbula, who won the men’s slalom event four days previously, after two outstanding runs.
Head coach of Australia’s Winter Paralympic team Steve Graham was thrilled by the wins, particularly with Dallas’s strong performance.
‘A result like that for Shannon was just excellent. To win by more than one second showed that he was the man today,’ said Graham.
Dallas is on a great run after winning gold in the super combination shootout, last month at the IPC Alpine World Cup in Sestriere, Italy.
Australia has now claimed a total of three medals—two gold and one bronze—at the IPC Alpine Skiing World Championship, which runs from 19 February to 1 March at the High One Ski Resort in Gangwon-Do, Korea.
Following the world championships, both Dallas and Rahles-Rahbula will have their sights set on qualifying for the Australian team at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.
The Australian Sports Commission, through the Australian Paralympic Committee, is committed to funding the training and development of Australian Paralympians in preparation for the 2010 Games.
