- Staci Mannella wins first career world championship medal with bronze in super combined.
- Team USA increases its medal count to four — one gold and three bronze — at the World Para Alpine Skiing World Championships.
- Tech events begin on Monday with giant slalom in Tarvisio.
TARVISIO, Italy – Staci Mannella (Randolph, New Jersey) captured her first career world championship medal at the 2017 World Para Alpine Skiing Championships, storming to bronze in the women’s visually impaired super combined race with guide Sadie DeBaun (Park City Utah).
After trailing in last on the opening super-G run, the twenty-year-old showed composure and capitalized with a solid slalom performance in her second run to finish with a time of 2:07.92 at her first world championships. Millie Knight of Great Britain (2:03.62) took second while Henrieta Farkasova of Slovakia (1:58.89) grabbed first with a convincing win.
Mannella, a 2014 Paralympian, took the season off after Sochi to focus on her studies at Dartmouth University. Saturday’s podium marked her first-ever medal-winning performance at a world championship.
OTHER TOP TEAM USA RESULTS
5th – Laurie Stephens (Wenham, Massachusetts) in the women’s sitting class; Kevin Burton (Boulder, Colorado) and guide Chris Tatsuno (Sun Valley, Idaho) in the men’s visually impaired class
7th – Mark Bathum (Mercer Island, Washington) and guide Cade Yamamoto (Quincy, Washington) in the men’s visually impaired class
8th – Melanie Schwartz (Aspen, Colorado) in the women’s standing class
9th – Jasmin Bambur (Granby, Colorado) in the men’s sitting class
10th – Josh Elliott (Yakima, Washington) in the men’s sitting class
QUOTES
Staci Mannella
“Sadie and I had a really good day today. We were pretty far back after the first run but I was really stoked with our skiing on the second run. I’m really grateful to have someone like her to follow and to have such great staff and coaches to help me because I couldn’t have done it without them.”
LIVESTREAM & RESULTS
Follow results and action live at this week’s 2017 World Para Alpine Skiing Championships in Tarvisio, Italy. Tech competition will begin on Monday with giant slalom events.
