Imagen
13311-Thomas Pfyl photo

Thomas Pfyl

Alpine Skiing
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Biography

Impairment information

Origin of Impairment
Congenital
Classification
LW9-2

Further personal information

Family
Wife Evelyne
Residence
Schwyz, SUI
Occupation
Athlete
Languages
English, German

Sport specific information

When and where did you begin this sport?
He began skiing at age four in Schwyz, Switzerland.
Why this sport?
His family lived five minutes away from a skiing area. His parents were both skiers, so he naturally got into the sport while growing up.
Name of coach
Gregory Chambaz [national]

International debut

Year
2001
Competing for
Switzerland
Tournament
European Cup
Location
Austria

General interest

Hero / Idol
Swiss tennis player Roger Federer, Swiss alpine skier Michael von Grunigen. (Athlete, 08 Mar 2014)
Injuries
In January 2017 he injured his right Achilles tendon while competing at the World Cup event in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. The injury resulted in him missing the rest of the 2016/17 season, including the world championships in Tarvisio, Italy. (IPC, 10 Feb 2018; paralympic.org, 14 Aug 2017)

In May 2013 he fractured his wrist. In June 2013 his training was again disrupted, this time by back problems. (thomaspfyl.ch, 22 Oct 2013)
Sporting philosophy / motto
"Sometimes you don't see until the end why you had to go that way." (scobersaxen.ch, 2016)
Awards and honours
In 2007 and 2015 he was named Athlete of the Year in Schwyz, Switzerland. (IPC, 10 Feb 2018; plusport.ch, 01 Dec 2015)

He was presented with the Best Debut award at the 2007 International Paralympic Committee [IPC] Paralympic Awards. The honour was in recognition of winning silver and bronze at the 2006 Paralympic Winter Games in Turin. (paralympic.org, 2013)
Famous relatives
His wife Evelyne has competed on the Para alpine skiing circuit as a guide for skiers with a visual impairment. (paralympic.org, 26 Feb 2019)
Ambitions
To win gold at the world championship and the Paralympic Winter Games. (paralympic.org, 26 Feb 2019)
Impairment
He was diagnosed with hemiplegia [paralysis] in his right arm at six months old. (thomaspfyl.ch, 30 Mar 2016)
Other information
RETIREMENT PLANS
He intends to compete in Para alpine skiing until the world championships in 2023, and then retire from the sport to spend more time with his family. "Then it will [have been] 20 years in this sport. This is a lot. Enough for my wife and enough for me." (paralympic.org, 26 Feb 2019)

Results

Unit Date Rank
Torino 2006 Paralympic Winter Games (Torino, Italy)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Men's Downhill Standing Final Round 8
Men's Slalom Standing Final Round 2
Men's Giant Slalom Standing Final Round 3
Men's Super-G Standing Final Round 4
Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games (Vancouver, Canada)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Men's Downhill Standing Final Round 8
Men's Super-G Standing Final Round 9999
Men's Super Combined Standing Final Round 10
Men's Giant Slalom Standing Final Round 7
Men's Slalom Standing Final Round 7
IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships (Kangwonland, South Korea)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Men's Slalom Standing Final 2009-02-20 8
Men's Giant Slalom Standing Final 2009-02-21 5
Men's Super-G Standing Final 2009-02-23 11
Men's Super-G Standing Run 2 2009-02-24 10
Men's Downhill Standing Final 2009-02-28 13
2011 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships (Sestriere, Italy)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Men's Downhill Standing Final 2011-01-16 3
Men's Super-G Standing Final 2011-01-18 3
Men's Super-Combined Standing Final 2011-01-19 3
Men's Slalom Standing Final 2011-01-20 8
Men's Giant Slalom Standing Final 2011-01-21 2
IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships (La Molina, Spain)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Men's Downhill Standing Race 1 2013-02-20 13
Men's Super-G Standing Race 1 2013-02-21 9999
Men's Slalom Standing Race 1 2013-02-24 2
Men's Super-Combined Standing Race 1 2013-02-25 9999
Men's Giant Slalom Standing Race 1 2013-02-26 9999
Paralympic Winter Games 2014 (Sochi, Russia)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Men's Downhill Standing Final Round 2014-03-08 10
Men's Super-G Standing Final Round 2014-03-09 15
Men's Slalom Standing Final Round 2014-03-13 8
Men's Super Combined Standing Final Round 2014-03-14 9999
Men's Giant Slalom Standing Final Round 2014-03-15 5
2015 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships Panorama (Panorama, Canada)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Men's Downhill Standing Race 1 2015-03-04 9999
Men's Super-G Standing Race 1 2015-03-05 3
Men's Super-Combined Standing Race 1 2015-03-07 9999
Men's Giant Slalom Standing Race 1 2015-03-08 9999
Men's Slalom Standing Race 1 2015-03-10 9999
2017 IPC Alpine skiing World Championships Tarvisio, ITA (Tarvisio, Italy)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Men's Downhill Standing Race 1 2017-01-25 9999
Pyeongchang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games (Pyeongchang, South Korea)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Men's Downhill Standing Final 2018-03-10 9
Men's Super-G Standing Final 2018-03-11 9
Men's Super Combined Standing Final 2018-03-13 7
Men's Giant Slalom Standing Final 2018-03-14 9
Men's Slalom Standing Final 2018-03-17 9
Kranjska Gora/Sella Nevea 2019 World Para Alpine Skiing Championships (Kranjska Gora/Sella Nevea, Slovenia)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Men's Giant Slalom Standing Race 1 2019-01-21 5
Men's Slalom Standing Race 1 2019-01-23 2
Men's Downhill Standing Race 1 2019-01-30 11
Men's Super-Combined Standing Race 1 2019-01-31 2
Men's Super-G Standing Race 1 (from SC) 2019-01-31 4