Andorran Paralympic Skier Roger Puig Finishes Eighth in Saalbach Downhill

Andorran paralympic skier Roger Puig finished eighth in the second World Cup downhill at Saalbach, Austria, on Wednesday, crossing the line 1.54 seconds behind winner Alexis Guimond of Canada. The result added 32 points to his overall and downhill standings.

Puig maintained solid rhythm throughout his run despite small errors that cost him a few tenths of a second. The performance capped a strong week after his 14th place in Tuesday's opener, where he recorded 57.39 seconds—3.39 seconds off the pace set by Switzerland's Robin Cuche. That race featured much harder and faster snow than in training, leading to three key mistakes, one in each major sector. The most costly came on the steepest section, where he took a gate too wide, losing his line and rhythm and nearly veering off course. GPS data logged a peak speed of 127 km/h, but he could not make up the lost time.

Earlier, Puig had clocked the third-fastest training time on Monday, 0.74 seconds behind the leader, following the cancellation of Sunday's session.

"The snow was much faster and harder than in training, and it doesn't forgive mistakes," Puig said after the first downhill.

With points from both downhills, Puig now ranks seventh in the overall World Cup standings and seventh in downhill. The Saalbach event continues with two super-G races on Thursday and Saturday, where the Andorran aims to sustain his momentum.