CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy — Canadian para skier Kalle Ericsson picked up his first World Cup gold medal with a victory Thursday in the men's visually impaired slalom.
Ericsson, from Kimberley, B.C., teamed with guide Sierra Smith of Ottawa to win the race by over seven seconds in a time of one minute 10.92 seconds.
Mingyu Hwang of South Korea was second in 1:17.99 and Hyacinthe Deleplace of France was third in 1:18.53.
Ericsson and Smith are in their first season together. Thursday's race was their seventh as a team.
They have now combined for four medals, including a silver last week in Veysonnaz, Switzerland.
Ericsson said his first World Cup win "feels a little surreal."
"Didn’t know what to expect joining the World Cup circuit and it’s been an awesome experience so far," he said.
"(I'm) excited to see what we can do in the future."
Smith said the pair went into Thursday's race without expectations.
"Our plan was to go out there and ski our best," she said. "Just send it, ski our hardest, and get to the bottom. Things played out pretty well."
In the men's sitting slalom, Calgary's Kurt Oatway finished ninth. He was coming off back-to-back podiums in Cortina, with a bronze in Wednesday's super-G and a silver in Tuesday's downhill.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 1, 2024.
The Canadian Press
