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Much was expected from Claudia Loesch at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games after she dominated the World Cup season from start to end to claim the overall, slalom and giant slalom women´s sitting titles.
But surprisingly she ended the Games with only one silver in the super-G and bronze in the giant slalom. Despite that, this last performance will in no way overshadow a long and successful career on the slopes.
The Austrian alpine skier has won two golds, four silvers and three bronze over four Winter Paralympics.
She enjoyed a successful return from injury in the 2016-17 season, winning two world titles in giant slalom and super-G, defeating long-time rival Anna Schaffelhuber.
Loesch has bad memories of Sochi 2014, with Schaffelhuber sweeping the board with five golds to leave her without a Paralympic title.
However, the Innsbruck native was able to get revenge at the 2015 World Championships, leaving with three titles in Panorama, Canada, after an intense competition. That included a much coveted first gold medal in downhill, a victory which she cites as one of the most important in her career alongside her first world title in 2013.
Loesch finished second in the 2014-15 World Cup standings behind Schaffelhuber.
Loesch, who became paraplegic after a car accident at age five, was originally inspired to take up skiing in 1996 after she saw Paralympic athletes cruising down the slopes on television.
She graduated from the 2006 IPC Alpine Skiing development camp along with fellow Austrian and Paralympic champion Markus Salcher.
Biography
Impairment information
Further personal information
Sport specific information
International debut
General interest
She broke her nose when slalom skiing in 2013. (IPC, 10 Feb 2018)
She was named the Female Para Athlete of the Year at the 2014 Night of Sports Gala in Vienna, Austria. (paralympic.org, 31 Oct 2014)
She was received the Para Athlete of the Year award at the 2014 Lower Austria Sports Gala. (noe.orf.at, 23 Oct 2014)
She was named the 2013 Sportswoman of the Year by the Austrian Paralympic Committee [OBSV]. (derstandard.at, 23 Nov 2013)
She enjoys taking part in quizzes, and has taken part in international competitions. "I do it for fun because it takes my mind off skiing when times are tough. For the moment it's just a hobby. [There is] a lot of studying. I have to do a lot Wikipedia reading." (pyeongchang2018.com, 11 Mar 2018)
Results
| Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Downhill Sitting | Final Round | 3 | ||
| Women's Slalom Sitting | Final Round | 6 | ||
| Women's Giant Slalom Sitting | Final Round | 5 | ||
| Women's Super-G Sitting | Final Round | 7 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Slalom Sitting | Final Round | 1 | ||
| Women's Giant Slalom Sitting | Final Round | 8 | ||
| Women's Super Combined Sitting | Final Round | 2 | ||
| Women's Super-G Sitting | Final Round | 1 | ||
| Women's Downhill Sitting | Final Round | 3 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Slalom Sitting | Final | 2009-02-20 | 4 | |
| Women's Giant Slalom Sitting | Final | 2009-02-21 | 2 | |
| Women's Super-G Sitting | Final | 2009-02-23 | 5 | |
| Women's Super-Combined Sitting | Final | 2009-02-23 | 2 | |
| Women's Super-G Sitting | Run 2 | 2009-02-24 | 5 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Downhill Sitting | Final | 2011-01-16 | 3 | |
| Women's Super-G Sitting | Final | 2011-01-18 | 3 | |
| Women's Super-Combined Sitting | Final | 2011-01-19 | 2 | |
| Women's Slalom Sitting | Final | 2011-01-20 | 2 | |
| Women's Giant Slalom Sitting | Final | 2011-01-21 | 2 | |
| Mixed Team Event VI/Sitting/Standing | Final | 2011-01-23 | 6 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Downhill Sitting | Race 1 | 2013-02-20 | 4 | |
| Women's Super-G Sitting | Race 1 | 2013-02-21 | 1 | |
| Women's Slalom Sitting | Race 1 | 2013-02-24 | 9999 | |
| Women's Super-Combined Sitting | Race 1 | 2013-02-25 | 1 | |
| Women's Giant Slalom Sitting | Race 1 | 2013-02-26 | 1 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Downhill Sitting | Final Round | 2014-03-08 | 9999 | |
| Women's Super-G Sitting | Final Round | 2014-03-10 | 2 | |
| Women's Slalom Sitting | Final Round | 2014-03-12 | 5 | |
| Women's Super Combined Sitting | Final Round | 2014-03-14 | 9999 | |
| Women's Giant Slalom Sitting | Final Round | 2014-03-16 | 2 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Downhill Sitting | Race 1 | 2015-03-04 | 1 | |
| Women's Super-G Sitting | Race 1 | 2015-03-05 | 9999 | |
| Women's Super-Combined Sitting | Race 1 | 2015-03-07 | 1 | |
| Women's Giant Slalom Sitting | Race 1 | 2015-03-08 | 2 | |
| Women's Slalom Sitting | Race 1 | 2015-03-10 | 1 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Downhill Sitting | Race 1 | 2017-01-25 | 2 | |
| Women's Super-G Sitting | Race 1 | 2017-01-26 | 1 | |
| Women's Super-Combined Sitting | Race 1 | 2017-01-28 | 2 | |
| Women's Giant Slalom Sitting | Race 1 | 2017-01-30 | 1 | |
| Women's Slalom Sitting | Race 1 | 2017-01-31 | 3 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Downhill Sitting | Final | 2018-03-10 | 9999 | |
| Women's Super-G Sitting | Final | 2018-03-11 | 2 | |
| Women's Super Combined Sitting | Final | 2018-03-13 | 9999 | |
| Women's Giant Slalom Sitting | Final | 2018-03-14 | 3 | |
| Women's Slalom Sitting | Final | 2018-03-18 | 9999 |