Sign In
Subscribe Now
Kimberley’s Kalle Ericsson, alongside his guide Sierra Smith, won gold for their first time this season at the FIS Para Alpine World Cup giant slalom in St. Moritz, Sui.
The pair had the fastest first and second runs in the men’s vision-impaired division, leading to a dominant victory. Ericsson and Smith have now had podium finishes in their last six races this World Cup season.
In an interview with Alpine Canada, Ericsson said it was an “awesome experience” winning both races on the final day, considering a couple of costly mistakes made in the prior day’s second race.
“On the first day of racing Sierra and I had an unreal run to start the day off,” Ericsson told The Bulletin. “We were fast! I was going into the second run being in first which means you have to start last. This was my first time being in this position going into second run so I was definitely nervous. Unfortunately due to nerves, a rough course, and not doing my best skiing I lost my position in first and ended up coming second in the first race.
“It really frustrated me but I learned a lot of valuable things during the day.The next day I came back knowing what I needed to do to succeed. Stay focused, ski fast, and not let my nerves get the best of me.”
In the second race, Ericsson said he and Smith did everything they could to give them a chance to win and after the first run they found themselves in first with a second lead, putting them in the same position they were the day before.
“I knew what I needed to do differently and stuck to plan,” he explained. “I ended up crossing the finishing line in first place and it felt amazing.”
Now, the focus is on preparing for the upcoming World Championships, which take place in Maribor, Slovenia during the first week of February.
“The next two seasons are really big for our sport so I’m just trying to stay focused on them at the moment.” Ericsson said. “I’m very excited about world championships. It’s going to be another very competitive race series with a lot on the line.”
Ericsson is currently on his way back to Calgary for a few days and will then head to Panorama for some training leading up to the World Championships.
After that event, the team will head back to Canada from Slovenia for a quick stop, before heading back to Europe to finish off the remainder of the World Cup season, including races in Slovenia, Italy and Switzerland. With all these plans, Ericsson said making a trip home may not be in the cards any time soon.
“I currently don’t have any plans for a Kimberley stop unfortunately,” he said. “The winter season is so busy for my self these days that it’s hard to find time to come up. Although I know I’ll be back as soon as the race season is over!”
Paul Rodgers
Dialogue and debate are integral to a free society and we welcome and encourage you to share your views on the issues of the day. We ask that you be respectful of others and their points of view, refrain from personal attacks and stay on topic. To learn about our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines.
