Markus Salcher (born 1 June 1991) is an Austrian alpine skier and Paralympic Champion. He competed in the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia, where he won two gold medals.[1]

Markus Salcher
Salcher with his 2014 Winter Olympic medals
Personal information
NationalityAustrian
Born (1991-06-01) 1 June 1991 (age 33)
Klagenfurt, Austria
Height180
Weight85 kg (187 lb)
Sport
Country Austria
SportAlpine skiing
Event(s)Downhill
slalom
Giant slalom
Super combined
Super G
Medal record
Men's para alpine skiing
Representing  Austria
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2014 Sochi Super-G, standing
Gold medal – first place 2014 Sochi Downhill, standing
Silver medal – second place 2022 Beijing Super-G, standing
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Sochi Giant slalom, standing
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2013 La Molina Downhill
Gold medal – first place 2017 Tarvisio Downhill
Gold medal – first place 2017 Tarvisio Super-G
Gold medal – first place 2021 Lillehammer Downhill
Gold medal – first place 2021 Lillehammer Super-G
Gold medal – first place 2023 Lleida Downhill
Gold medal – first place 2023 Lleida Super-G
Silver medal – second place 2015 Panorama Super combined
Silver medal – second place 2015 Panorama Giant slalom
Silver medal – second place 2019 Sella Nevea Downhill
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Tarvisio Super combined
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Sella Nevea Super-G

He won the silver medal in the men's super-G standing event at the 2022 Winter Paralympics held in Beijing, China.[2][3]

Career

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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

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  1. ^ "IPC - Paralympics News, Sports and Results". Archived from the original on 5 July 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  2. ^ Burke, Patrick (6 March 2022). "Simpson earns super-G gold for Britain on day of firsts at Beijing 2022". InsideTheGames.biz. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Alpine Skiing Results Book" (PDF). 2022 Winter Paralympics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
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