Danja Haslacher is an Austrian alpine skier who won five gold medals and one bronze medal at the

Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...

between

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

and

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

. She also won the 2004

IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships The World Para Alpine Skiing Championships, known before the 2017 edition as the IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships, along with the Winter Paralympic Games, are the most prestigious level of international competition in Paralympic alpine skiing. ...

super-G LW2 event.

Personal life

Haslacher has worked as a

shop assistant A retail clerk, also known as a salesclerk, shop clerk, retail associate or (in the United Kingdom) shop assistant or customer service assistant, is a service role in a retail business. A retail clerk obtains or receives merchandise, totals bil ...

and as a draughtswoman. She had her leg amputated in 1988 at the age of 17 after an accident.

Career

Haslacher started skiing in 1994. At the

1998 Winter Paralympics The , the seventh Paralympic Winter Games, were held alongside the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan from 5 to 14 March 1998. They were the first Paralympic Winter Games to be held outside Europe. 571 athletes competed in Nagano; as 2022 it remain ...

, Haslacher won the super-G and giant slalom LW2 events. At the

2002 Winter Paralympics The 2002 Winter Paralympics, the eighth Paralympic Winter Games, were held in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, from March 7 to 16, 2002. A total of 416 athletes from 36 nations participated. They were the first Winter Paralympics in the Ameri ...

, she won the Downhill, slalom and giant slalom LW2 events. In 2004, Haslacher won the

super-G LW2 event. At the

2006 Winter Paralympics The 2006 Winter Paralympic Games ( it, Giochi paralimpici invernali del 2006), the ninth Paralympic Winter Games, took place in Turin, Italy from 10 to 19 March 2006. These were the first Winter Paralympic Games to be held in Italy. They were ...

, Haslacher was the Austrian flag bearer at the Opening Ceremony. At the Games, she came third in the Super-G standing event and fifth in the downhill standing event. Haslacher competed at the

2009 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships The 2009 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships The World Para Alpine Skiing Championships, known before the 2017 edition as the IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships, along with the Winter Paralympic Games, are the most prestigious level of interna ...

Pyeongchang Pyeongchang (; in full, ''Pyeongchang-gun'' ; ) is a county in the province of Gangwon-do, South Korea, located in the Taebaek Mountains region. It is home to several Buddhist temples, including Woljeongsa. It is about east southeast of Seou ...

, South Korea. In the same year, Haslacher fractured her leg in four places and required a long period of rehabilitation. She came second in the standing event at the 2011–12

FIS Alpine Ski Europa Cup The FIS Alpine Ski Europa Cup is a second level international alpine skiing circuit organized annually by the International Ski Federation (FIS) beginning with the 1971-1972 season. Although held in Europe, these races are also open to non-Eu ...

. Haslacher was unable to compete at the

2014 Winter Paralympics The 2014 Winter Paralympics (russian: Зимние Паралимпийские игры 2014, Zimniye Paralimpiyskiye igry 2014), the 11th Paralympic Winter Games, and also more generally known as the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, were an ...

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents in ...

, Russia, due to a

tibia The tibia (; ), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outside of the tibia); it connects ...

injury. In March 2014, she retired from skiing.

Honours

In 2002, Haslacher was named Austrian Disabled Sportsperson of the Year.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Haslacher, Danja Living people Austrian female alpine skiers Paralympic alpine skiers for Austria Paralympic gold medalists for Austria Paralympic bronze medalists for Austria Alpine skiers at the 1998 Winter Paralympics Alpine skiers at the 2002 Winter Paralympics Alpine skiers at the 2006 Winter Paralympics Medalists at the 1998 Winter Paralympics Medalists at the 2002 Winter Paralympics Medalists at the 2006 Winter Paralympics Sportspeople from Salzburg Skiers from Salzburg (state) Paralympic medalists in alpine skiing Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Austrian women