Markus Salcher (born 1 June 1991) is an

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

alpine skier Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for ...

and

Paralympic 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 ...

Champion. He competed in 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 a ...

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 i ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

, where he won two gold medals. He won the silver medal in the men's super-G standing event at the

2022 Winter Paralympics The 2022 Winter Paralympics (), commonly known as Beijing 2022 (), was an international winter multi-sport parasports event held in Beijing, China from 4 to 13 March 2022. This was the 13th Winter Paralympic Games, as administered by the Inter ...

held in Beijing, China.

Career

Due to the sportive background of his family Markus’ first attempts on skis were undertaken early in life. At the age of only three years the first turns on skis were carved into the snow. The local ski club (SV Tröpolach in the Nassfeld skiing area) and his family helped to develop a solid skiing technique as well as a passion for the sport early on. The first racing experiences were gained at the age of five when Markus began to compete in local skiing cups against non-disabled age-peers. Even though these first races were not overly successful, the motivation to pursue a professional career as a skier did not wane. First contacts to the field of professional disabled sports were made during the winter of 2000. Since the 2003 / 2004 winter season Markus has been an active athlete member of various teams of the Austrian Skiing Federation (ÖSV). In addition to Markus’ personal ambition and self-motivation, the Sports-High School (SSLK Klagenfurt) needs to be credited with a big share in the development of the young athlete’s personal and athletic skills, from first semi-professional training programs to the acceptance into Austria’s National Skiing Team.

References

External links

* 1991 births Living people Austrian male alpine skiers Alpine skiers at the 2014 Winter Paralympics Alpine skiers at the 2022 Winter Paralympics Medalists at the 2014 Winter Paralympics Medalists at the 2022 Winter Paralympics Paralympic gold medalists for Austria Paralympic silver medalists for Austria Paralympic bronze medalists for Austria Paralympic alpine skiers for Austria Paralympic medalists in alpine skiing 21st-century Austrian people {{Austria-Paralympic-medalist-stub