Steinach launches 2025/26 Para Alpine World Cup with thrilling firsts

The 2025/26 FIS Para Alpine Skiing World Cup kicked off in Steinach am Brenner, Austria, featuring one Alpine Combined and two Super-G races.

A festival of firsts

The season opener delivered a flurry of maiden World Cup podiums and victories. The Chinese team started strong with Xingdong Wang, guided by Zhicheng Chen, claiming his first World Cup podium in the Men’s Vision Impaired (VI) category. Wenjing Zhu also reached the podium in the Women’s Standing category in the Alpine Combined, finishing behind teammate Mengqiu Zhang and Aurélie Richard (FRA). The next day, Zhu confirmed her form by winning the first Super-G of the season, celebrating her maiden World Cup victory.

France and the United States also celebrated first-time wins: Jules Segers (FRA – Men’s Standing) topped the Alpine Combined podium, while Kelsey O’Driscoll (USA) proved fastest in the Women’s Standing category in the second Super-G.

Epic battles resume

Jesper Pedersen (NOR) and Jeroen Kampschreur (NED) picked up where they left off, continuing their fierce rivalry in the Men’s Sitting category. Pedersen dominated the opening week, winning all three races. He secured the Alpine Combined thanks to an excellent Super-G run, despite Lou Braz-Dagand (FRA, 3rd) and Kampschreur (2nd) being quicker in Slalom. Pedersen then confirmed his speed credentials by taking both Super-G races, each time finishing more than a second ahead of Kampschreur and Taiki Morii (JPN), who alternated between second and third place.

A francophone battle raged in the Men’s Standing category. After Segers’ opening win, Alexis Guimond (CAN) proved fastest in both Super-G races, ahead of Segers and Robin Cuche (SUI), who finished second once and third twice in Steinach.

Audrey Pascual Seco (ESP), brimming with confidence after winning last season’s Super-G Crystal Globe, made a clean sweep in the Women’s Sitting category, claiming all three races. She finished ahead of Anna-Lena Forster (GER), second in the Alpine Combined and third in the second Super-G; Liu Sitong (CHN), who earned one second and two third places; and Barbara Van Bergen (NED), who returned to the podium with second place in the first Super-G.

An Austrian showdown unfolded in the Women’s VI category. Elina Stary, guided by Stefan Winter, won the Alpine Combined by posting the fastest times in both Super-G and Slalom, ahead of compatriot Veronika Aigner, guided by her sister Elisabeth, who then dominated the two Super-G races. The podium was rounded out by Sara Choi and guide Eunmi Eo (KOR) in the Alpine Combined, and Eva Nikou with guide Dimitris Profentzas (GRE) in Super-G.

Men’s VI drama

Michal Golas (POL), guided by Kacper Walas, staged an incredible comeback to win the Men’s VI Alpine Combined. Sitting seventh after the Super-G run, he delivered a masterful Slalom to overturn his deficit and triumph by more than two seconds over Hyacinthe Deleplace (FRA) and China’s Wang, who celebrated his first World Cup podium. Johannes Aigner (AUT), guided by Nico Haberl, skipped the Alpine Combined second run but bounced back to win both Super-G races.

The next stage of the FIS Para Alpine Skiing World Cup will take place in Santa Caterina, Italy, on 16 and 17 December, featuring two Downhill races.