Markus Salcher

Markus Salcher

Markus Salcher with his 2014 Winter Olympic medals
Personal information
Nationality	Austrian
Born	(1991-06-01) June 1, 1991 Klagenfurt, Austria
Sport
Country	Austria
Sport	Alpine skiing
Event(s)	Downhill Slalom Giant slalom Super combined Super G
Medal record Men's alpine skiing Representing  Austria Paralympic Games 2014 Sochi Super-G, standing 2014 Sochi Downhill, standing 2014 Sochi Giant Slalom, standing IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships 2013 La Molina Downhill 2015 Panorama Super combined 2015 Panorama Giant slalom

Markus Salcher (born June 1, 1991) is an Austrian alpine skier and Paralympic Champion.

He competed in the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia, where he won two gold medals.^[1]

Athletic Development

Due to the sportive background of his family Markus’ first attempts on skis were undertaken early in life. At the age of only three years the first turns on skis were carved into the snow. The local ski club (SV Tröpolach in the Nassfeld skiing area) and his family helped to develop a solid skiing technique as well as a passion for the sport early on. The first racing experiences were gained at the age of five when Markus began to compete in local skiing cups against non-disabled age-peers. Even though these first races were not overly successful, the motivation to pursue a professional career as a skier did not wane. First contacts to the field of professional disabled sports were made during the winter of 2000. Since the 2003 / 2004 winter season Markus has been an active athlete member of various teams of the Austrian Skiing Federation (ÖSV). In addition to Markus’ personal ambition and self-motivation, the Sports-High School (SSLK Klagenfurt) needs to be credited with a big share in the development of the young athlete’s personal and athletic skills, from first semi-professional training programs to the acceptance into Austria’s National Skiing Team.

References