Zagreb, CRO (Jan. 16, 2019) – Canada’s lone entry in the season-opening World Cup races in Zagreb, Croatia, raced to gold in the ladies’ standing slalom on Wednesday. Frederique (Fred) Turgeon (Candiac, Que./Club de ski Bromont) earned her first World Cup win, and her first World Cup podium, by setting a blistering pace that was nearly six seconds faster than the next-best racer.

The victory was made even more special for Turgeon because she and her father always talked about how they would celebrate her first World Cup podium. Her father, Ronald, passed away suddenly in December.

“I wanted to do this for him,” said Turgeon following Wednesday’s second run under the lights. “We are connected; I’m skiing in his memory. He initiated me to skiing, so that makes this win extra special. I’m very proud.”

Turgeon took a commanding lead in the first run by 1.06 seconds, building on it in the second to ultimately win by 5.92 seconds with a two-run time of 2:22.34.

“I was really ready for this race to happen and (to) get the season started,” said Turgeon. “I had a lot of fun in training. With a night race, my leg gets very tired for the second run, but I dealt with that much better today compared to last year. It was a great day.”

Turgeon will compete again Thursday in the slalom in Zagreb, and is once again aiming for the podium. A live stream of the race, and of the World Para-Alpine Skiing Championship that kicks off next Monday, is available on the CPC Facebook Page, the CBC Gem app, and selective races will be available at radio-canada.ca/sports. For a full schedule of the Paralympic Super Series events available through streaming coverage, please visit CBCSports.ca.

Celebrate today’s podium results by joining the Medallists’ Circle

For the 2018-19 ski racing season, Alpine Canada is inviting ski fans to join the Medallists’ Circle. Donors are invited to commit a pledge for each podium performance by an Alpine Canada athlete this season at World Cup and World Championship events. All funds raised through the Medallists’ Circle will provide Canada’s alpine, para-alpine, and ski cross athletes with the resources needed to reach for the podium. For further information, please visit AlpineCanada.org.