Skier Mollie Jepsen speeds to Canada's 1st gold medal of Beijing Paralympics
22-year-old B.C. native earns 5th career podium appearance at Games
Alpine skier Mollie Jepsen sped to Canada's first gold medal of the Beijing Paralympics on Saturday in China.
The 22-year-old from West Vancouver, B.C., won the women's standing downhill with a time of one minute 21.75 seconds, upgrading from the bronze she won in the event four years ago in Pyeongchang.
China's Zhang Mengqiu fell just one-tenth of a second behind Jepsen to take silver, while Sweden's Ebba Aarsjoe earned bronze at 1:23.20.
"Usually, we ski courses a million times before racing it, but this is my fourth time on this particular track," said Jepsen. "I'm completely overwhelmed, I knew exactly what I wanted to do today, and I am happy to have put everything out there."
WATCH | Jepsen wins gold in Beijing:
The door opened for Jepsen when the first skier out of the gates, France's Marie Bochet, lost one of her skis within seconds and was not able to finish the race. Bochet owns eight career Paralympic titles.
The Canadian took full advantage of her opportunity, producing a smooth run down the course at the Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre.
Jepsen, skiing third, seemed well on her way to the top time of the day through about three-quarters of the race before wobbling on a turn and nearly falling
But she was able to right herself just in time, crossing the finish line in first place and never relinquishing her hold.
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Fellow Canadians Michaela Gosselin and Alana Ramsay missed the podium, placing fifth and seventh, respectively.
Jepsen, who was born missing fingers on her left hand, now owns five career Paralympic medals, including two gold. She won gold in super combined, a silver in slalom and a bronze in both downhill and giant slalom in 2018.
Due to COVID-19, the entire Canadian team didn't race once during the 2020-21 season.
Competition finally resumed in the lead-up to Beijing, and Jepsen won three medals at January's world championships, showing she may be back to her winning form.
Her latest Paralympic title only proves she is once again a force to be reckoned with.
With files from the Canadian Press
