Dynamic Partnership Yields Another Strong Result For Australia

Courtesy paralympics.org.au 

The teamwork between Patrick Jensen and sighted guide Amelia Hodgson continued to flourish on the second day of competition at Beijing 2022, with the pair recording another impressive outcome at Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre.

Jensen clocked 1:16.25 in the Men’s Super-G Vision Impaired to grab sixth place, 7.34 seconds behind winner Neil Simpson of Great Britain.

“I feel like each day Amelia and I've been improving and I'm pretty damn happy with how we just skied,” Jensen said after his run.

“I don't think I'm going to get too much faster. We just achieved our best result ever, so I'm definitely going to take it. I've ticked more boxes here than I actually had. I can't get over it. I'm pretty stoked with how everything's gone.”

Hodgson added: “I'm really happy with our skiing. There were some really good sections in there. I reckon we’re pulling something out every day. I think everyday now our communication gets better, our inspection gets better. We’re doing really well.”

The pleasing Super-G result for Jensen and Hodgson followed their eighth placing in the Downhill the previous day.

Australia’s two other competitors on the day two, Mitchell Gourley and Sam Tait, each recorded a DNF. Gourley, in the Men’s Super-G Standing, was pleased with his approach but said that on the fateful turn his ski disappeared in a few bumps and the binding on his ski broke.

“I'm not sure if that’s the reason the ski came off or if that happened in the aftermath, but yeah, these things happen,” he said.

“I think the intent was good, the attack was there and certainly I put myself in a spot to have a better day than yesterday.”

Tait, in the Men’s Super-G Sitting, had a long wait at the top of the hill for his run. Once he set off, things didn’t pan out his way.

“The surface changed quite dramatically once you come around that pitch. I was ready for it but I just got caught low and then I was playing catch up after the third turn and then just took out that gate and obviously couldn't get around it,” he said.

“It’s the Paralympics and you’ve got to push it the whole way until you get to the finish line. You make those decisions in a split second … sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn’t.”

Alpine skiing competitors face an additional challenge for their next event, with Games organizers announcing before the Super-G that the Super Combined scheduled for March 8 was being rescheduled for 24 hours earlier.

Gourley, Jensen and his guide Hodgson will be the only Australians in Super Combined action, with Tait confirming after the Super G that he was withdrawing from Super Combined despite his initial intention to contest it.

Watch the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games live and free on 7plus from 4-13 March.