Canada adds to Paralympic medal count

Forest earns second medal of these Games, hockey and curling roll on

WHISTLER, BC, March 16 /CNW Telbec/ - Viviane Forest and her guide Lindsay Debou became the first Canadian double medalists of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games as the tandem captured the bronze medal Tuesday in a dramatic women's giant slalom, visually impaired.

Forest was in fourth place after the first run but Swiss skier Nadja Baumgartner, who had a 1.54 second lead on the Canadian, fell midway down the foggy and rainy course in the second run and solidified Forest's second medal. The Edmonton resident tweaked her groin in the first run but Debou said her partner fought hard.

"She's so strong," said Debou. "Mentally, we are at our peak right now, physically maybe not, but mentally we are 150 per cent. She is the toughest. We have three more races to go and want to keep our mental and physical health so we can get more medals."

At Vancouver Paralympic Centre, Canada scored a tournament-best six points in the sixth and final end en route to a 15-1 blowout over Sweden in wheelchair curling. The 15 points are the most scored by any country in a Paralympic Games. The previous mark was in pool play at the 2006 Turin Paralympics when Switzerland defeated Italy 14-0. Canada rebounded from its first loss at the hands of Sweden on Monday, displaying a sensational offensive outburst. With the win, Canada improves to 5-1 and remains tied for first place in the standings. Their next action is Wednesday when they face Germany and Korea.

The thousands in attendance provided an electric crowd for the home team and a distraction to Switzerland.

"In Europe we have no guests," said Swiss third Claudia Huettenmoser. "They're all behind the glass and it's absolute quiet. In Canada, it's really hard. It's a problem to concentrate on our stones."

In a rematch of the 2006 Paralympic gold medal final, the Canadian sledge hockey team takes to the ice against Norway at 20:30 PT tonight at UBC Thunderbird Arena. Canada (2-0) and Norway (1-0-1) are already guaranteed spots in the semifinals.

Para-nordic athletes were given the day off from competition on Tuesday. Biathlon returns to action at Whistler Paralympic Park on Wednesday.

About the Canadian Paralympic Committee

The Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) is a non-profit, private organisation with 43 member sports organisations dedicated to strengthening the Paralympic Movement. The CPC is responsible for creating an optimal high-performance environment for the Canadian Paralympic athletes to win at Paralympic and ParaPanAmerican Games. By supporting Canadian Paralympic athletes and promoting their success, the CPC inspires all Canadians with a physical disability to get involved in sport through programs delivered by its member organisations. For more information, visit www.paralympic.ca.

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For further information: Michael Cvitkovic, Press Chief, Canadian Paralympic Committee, [email protected], [phone] or [phone]; Marie-Helene Cayer, Media Relations (French Media), Canadian Paralympic Committee, [email protected], [phone]