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Posted on Thursday April 14th at 12:49 p.m.
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Carl Murphy takes second place at Para-snowboarding World Cup in Lake Louise
A total 39 athletes from nine nations took to the snowboard cross course at the Lake Louise Ski Resort.
"I am totally stoked to get back on the podium after narrowly missing out in the first world cup," said Murphy. "I can't wait to get back to New Zealand on Wednesday to see my little man." (Carl's son Oliver was born 19 January 2011).
"It was great to see Carl come back with a second place after some equipment issues on day one (where he placed fifth)," said Snow Sports New Zealand's director of coaching and development and Murphy's coach, Adam Dooney.
Adding, "Carl only had two weeks on snow to prepare for this race but he has put a lot of time into fitness training over the summer and it paid off. He was up against Northern Hemisphere teams that have been solidly training on snow for the past four months."
Dooney, unable to travel with Murphy for this event, said "Carl had to take on a massive workload by himself. I'm impressed with how he handled it and still managed to make the podium."The next major event for Murphy will be a World Cup here in New Zealand that will be part of Winter Games NZ.
There won't be much down time for Murphy; he will start his build up for this race as soon as he returns to New Zealand.Joining Murphy on the podium were Evan Strong (USA) and Mike Shea (USA) who took first and third, respectively.
Men’s Podium, Day Two at WSF Para-Snowboarding World Cup in Lake Louise, Alberta left to right: Carl Murphy (NZE), Evan Strong (USA), Mike Shea (USA)
The sport of Para-snowboard cross is currently pending acceptance as an official Paralympic sport for inclusion in the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Games.
A positive decision on this would see New Zealand in a very strong position as a medal contender, with Carl Murphy, and several members of the Adaptive Snowboard Development team gaining experience and refining their skills. This decision is expected within the next month.
Snow Sports New Zealand will sign an MOU to host a Para-Snowboard cross World Cup here in New Zealand in August 2011 as part of Winter Games NZ. After hosting the World Championships at Cardrona Alpine Resort in July 2009, New Zealand is a popular choice for holding a World Cup, allowing teams to train in the Northern Hemisphere summer, and snowboard at New Zealand's great resorts.