Wednesday, February 20, 2013

This morning Spanish para-alpine skier Jon Santacana won the gold in the men’s visually impaired downhill at the IPC Alpine World Championships, which are taking place from February 20 to 27, 2013 at La Molina, Spain, and became the first winner of the Championships.

Santacana and his guide, Miguel Galindo Garcés, came in first in the downhill event to the joy of the local fans who had come to support the skiers. Italian Alessandro Daldoss won the silver medal, and Canadian Chris Williamson won the bronze.

Santacana won gold in the Super-G, Super Combined, and Giant slalom events in the last World Championships held in Sestriere, Italy, in 2011, in which he also won silver in Downhill and Slalom. At the most recent Winter Paralympics, he earned a gold in the Downhill.

Born in San Sebastián, this para-alpine skier classified as B2 is considered Spain’s best hope for the 2014 Winter Paralympics to be held in Sochi, Russia.