Andrew Kurka
Palmer’s Andrew Kurka was all or nothing at the Para Alpine Skiing World Cup in Russia.
He raced six times, winning three times and crashing three times.
The sensational sit-skier crashed and did not finish the downhill race in each of the first two days of competition.
He came back on Day 3 to win gold in the final downhill race.
Not staying on the course in the first two days made him question his feast-or-famine mindset.
“When there’s such a small field, sometimes it’s best just to get down,” Kurka said. “For me, full gas, a lot of the times, isn’t always the best situation and I’m relearning that.”
The downhill is Kurka’s specialty and is the event he earned a Paralympic gold medal in two years ago in South Korea.
Kurka won the Super-G on Day 4, crashed on Day 5 and then won the giant slalom on Day 6.
This is at least the third time he’s won multiple medals at a world competition.
In 2017, he won a gold, silver and bronze at the 2017 World Para Alpine Championships.
In 2018, he won a gold and silver at the 2018 Paralympics.