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4 men win 15 of 16 gold medals
By Ray Grass
Deseret News sports writer
SNOWBASIN — Four men came to the Salt Lake Paralympics with very different goals. In the end, all four pretty much hit the same goal squarely in the center.
The four men won 15 of 16 available gold medals. One of them varied the colors by putting a silver in the mix.
Gerd Schoenfelder of Germany won all four events — downhill, super-G, giant slalom and slalom, in the LW3-9 class for disabilities in both legs or an arm and leg. Michael Milton of Australia and Martin Braxenthaler of Germany also won four golds, Milton in the LW2 class for leg amputees and Braxenthaler in the mono-ski class. Rolf Heinzmann of Switzerland won the first three events, but he slipped in the slalom and won a silver on the final day of the Games in the LW6-8 class for a disability in one hand or arm.
In the beginning, their expectations ran the full scale.
Milton came with expectations of winning all four events.
"I set a goal for myself 10 years ago to try and win all four events in the Paralympic Games. This is the first Paralympics where I've been in position where I could do that because of the way I was skiing," he said as he accepted congratulations from passing competitors.
He was not expected to complete the sweep. He has not won a slalom all season. He admitted on Wednesday that he was worried going into the slalom.
"I came this close before. In the World Championships in 2000, I won three gold and a silver and I thought that was as close as I would ever get. I went to the top (for a second run in the slalom) and leading after the first run. The feeling of being that close (and missing again) was stressful. I don't need that feeling again," he said.
"Mentally, I was on top of the world after winning three. And technically things have been going very, very well. I'm just happy my name is on top of the leader board, and it's over. Now I'm looking forward to going home to some warm weather."
Milton said he lost his leg in an accident when he was 9.
Monte Meier, from Hastings, Minn., won a silver. The slalom is his best event, and he was expected to leave with a gold. But, he said, "The first run was grippy. I don't know if the edge of my ski was too sharp. On the second run I went for it and made a big mistake on the steep pitch (before the finish) and lost a lot of time. But, that's ski racing."
Heinzmann said his goal was simply to come and win a gold in the giant slalom. He said he was ready to do anything "to win the giant slalom. It was an important race for me. It is the most difficult."
Not only did he win the giant slalom, but also the super-G and downhill. And, he said with a smile, he was not at all unhappy he didn't sweep the gold medals, but he was unhappy "for the Canadian skier. I would have liked for him to make a medal."
Ian Balfour of Canada was leading after the first run and was headed for a gold when he fell a few gates from the finish.
Heinzmann lost his hand in a farming accident.
Now, he said, his goal is to make it home in one piece. He hates to fly and, in fact, nearly missed both Nagano and Salt Lake City over his fear of flying.
"If possible," he reported through an interpreter, "to make good time he would go with a ship."
Braxenthaler said he came to the Games with hopes of winning "just one medal."
"After the first race, I thought maybe a second. After the second, I thought maybe a third. And after the third, I think maybe a fourth," he said. He admitted however that the downhill and slalom are his best events, "but now I can win in all four events."
Chris Waddell of Park City was third in the mono-ski.
Meier and Waddell were the only medal winners for the U.S.
All four winning skiers suggested that they were happy with their achievements and that before they set any more goals they would enjoy the ones completed in Salt Lake City for a while.
The Paralympics will finish up with the women's and visually impaired slalom on Saturday.
E-MAIL: grass@desnews.com
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March 16, 2002
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