Badenhorst and Perrine claim World Cup medals

Individual NSWIS scholarship holders Joany Badenhorst and Melissa Perrine have both secured a podium finish at the IPC World Cup Finals in Korea.

Badenhorst claimed silver in the women’s LL2 snowboard cross on the Pyeongchang course, the site of the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games, falling to Dutch athlete Bibian Mentel-Spee in the final after a series of excellent wins during the knockout stages.

“Bibian is an amazing rider, but what made this result so amazing was that we were head-to-head. Whoever won deserved to win,” Badenhorst said to the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC).

“There was no margin for error and she was able to hold me out, but I stayed with her and it just shows my progress over the last little while.

“Secretly in the back of my head, I knew I could do this. But while it’s not a surprise, I’m definitely over the moon to win a medal here. Especially after such a great final race, that was just epic.”

Fellow NSWIS athlete Melissa Perrine was also in the medal-mix, claiming bronze in the women’s visually impaired downhill despite taking extended time off the slopes for academic pursuits.

Perrine was less than five seconds away from British winner Millie Knight, but she will now focus on her athletic pursuits ahead of the Games in March 2018.

“Next season I’ll be on snow a lot of more and will really be able to focus on technique and running with a bit more speed.

“I’m really looking forward to the Games next year now. It’s going to be really good and we know that it’s going to be a very competitive field. On any day, there are five or six of these girls who can win a medal so that’s great,” Perrine said to the APC.

The IPC World Cup Finals and PyeongChang Test Event will conclude on Saturday March 18.