SEAN STRIKES GOLD AT MORE THAN 70MPH IN THE WORLD CUP AT SESTRIERE

On 20th January, Sean Rose won Britain's first IPCAS World Cup gold medal for both himself and the British Disabled Ski Team in the first downhill race in Sestriere. Finishing almost a second in front of Japan's Akira Kano, Rose pulled in the team's best ever result just days away from the team selection for the Paralympics in March.

"The last few days of training has been amazing and put me in a great frame of mind for racing. The cloud came in causing flat light and made changes in the course difficult to see. The snow must have softened and a few competitors crashed out in the ruts. I sat at the top contemplating it all for more than an hour throughout the delays between skiers. My run was fantastic until six gates from the finish. I ran too straight and just hung on as I came over the final rise. I totally over-jumped it at more than 70mph, landed and just managed to stay inside the last gate to the finish.

"My skis ran fast today which is down to having a ski technician working with us. I hope we can find a sponsor to cover his costs going forward as it is a real advantage. Hearing the National Anthem for the first time at the World Cup prize giving was a fantastic experience," enthused Sean.

"A fantastic result in such a strong field shows the potential the team has, and the world-class results they can achieve when they have the correct level of support", added Dave Chugg, British Disabled Ski Team manager.

The team's head coach, Jane Stevens, was not surprised when Rose won gold. She said: "Sean had some promising training runs leading up to the race. Whilst many athletes had difficulty on the challenging course, he remained calm and stayed focused with the gold medal in sight."

Rose had three podium finishes in the IPCAS European Cup last month, but just missed out on first place. Facing a shortfall for the Paralympics in March, the team cannot afford the level of support that the athletes need at all races. At Sestriere, Rose and the team had a physiotherapist and a ski technician, which helped enormously and made the difference that gave them gold.

There have been great performances all round for the British Disabled Ski Team. Team mate Russell Docker also finished well in his World Cup race.

Results of Men's Downhill Sitting (top five) at the IPCAS World Cup 20 Jan 2010