Andorran Skier Roger Puig Recovers to 8th in Saalbach World Cup Downhill

Andorran para-alpine skier Roger Puig delivered a strong recovery at the World Cup downhill events in Saalbach, Austria, finishing 14th in the opening race on Tuesday before climbing to eighth place the following day.

In the first downhill, Puig struggled with unexpectedly hard and fast snow conditions that differed sharply from training sessions, where he had placed third on Monday. He recorded a time of 57:39, 3.39 seconds behind winner Robin Cuche of Switzerland, after committing three significant errors—one in each key sector of the course. The most costly came on the steepest sections, where he overshot a gate, lost his line and rhythm, and nearly veered off track. GPS data showed him reaching speeds of 127 km/h, but the mistakes prevented a challenge for the top spots. "The conditions changed a lot compared to training—the snow was much harder and faster, and it doesn't forgive errors," Puig said afterward.

Puig rebounded impressively in Wednesday's second downhill, posting a competitive run with solid rhythm despite minor lapses that cost him a few tenths of a second. He crossed the finish line in 56:45, just 1.54 seconds off victor Alexis Guimond of Canada, with France's Arthur Bauchet in second and Cuche third. The result earned him 32 World Cup points.

These performances boosted Puig to sixth in the downhill standings with 129 points and eighth overall with 290 points. The Saalbach stop concludes with two super-G races on Thursday and Saturday, offering further chances to add to his tally.