British disabled skier does well - Ben Clatworthy, Racing and Sports Correspondent
Tuesday December 22, 2009 - Email this article to a friend

Britain's number 1 Paralympic alpine skier, Sean Rose, has got off to a good start in the Europa Cup.

It's been an impressive start to the season for Rose who has picked up 4 medals in the first 6 races of the 2009/10 Paralympic season.

He won a silver medal in Giant Slalom at the German Nationals earlier this month followed by two 3rd places, again in GS and Super Giant Slalom at the first round of the Europa Cup in Pitztal, Austria.

The GS race was won by Martin Braxenthaler from Germany, who was closely followed by Christoph Kunz from Switzerland in second.

There were three days of races, consisting of Giant Slalom and Super G. Over 100 athletes from 19 different countries competed in three different categories, including visually impaired, sitting and standing.

Ben and Sean at the Ski ShowLast week the Europa Cup tour moved on to Kuhtai, Austria for the second round of competition. Rose came a commendable 4th place in the Slalom and Giant Slalom and claimed his third bronze medal in the second Slalom on Friday.

Sean now has a break over Christmas and New Year before competing in the first World Cup event of the season, which takes place in Roll Rinn, Austria on the 8 and 9 January 2010.

With just 14 races to go before the 2010 Vancover Paralympics these early high results are a great sign of what's to come. Rose claimed 6th place in the Downhill at the 2006 Turino Paralympics.

In 2000 Sean was involved in a freak Skiing accident which saw him thrown over the front of his skis and landed headfirst like a javelin, the weight of his legs crushing a vertebrae in his back, causing spinal cord damage and was Paralysed from the chest down.

Sean instantly thought a lifetime of sport as he knew it had gone. But, with time and rehabilitation he soon realized that 'Life doesn't end when you're in a wheelchair'.

He told me in October at the Metro Ski and Snowboard show how he is, "looking forward to the biggest season of his life and hoping to better his performance in the Paralympics with great hopes of a medal".

Sean is one of the UK's biggest hopes for a Medal in Vancouver. His success comes at the same time as Britain's number 1 Alpine skier, Chemmy Alcott is recording consistently high results on the World Cup circuit.