Manuel Osborne-Paradis wins Canadian downhill title
Vancouver native takes gold in Whistler ahead of Jeffrey Frisch, Jon Kucera
Manuel Osborne-Paradis won the national downhill title Saturday at the Sport Chek Alpine Canadian Championships in Whistler, B.C.
The 29-year-old from Vancouver — who grew up skiing in Whistler, B.C. — took the gold in one minute 1.97 seconds on the course at the Dave Murray National Training Centre.
Jeffrey Frisch of Mont-Tremblant, Que., took second place in 1:02.64, while Calgary's John Kucera was third in 1:02.79.
"I kind of knew what I needed to do today to be fast," said Osborne-Paradis. "I figured out the course right off the bat.
"It was just sticking to the plan and not taking too many risks, knowing the course was faster today."
Osborne-Paradis returned from injury this season and battled his way back into the top-30 with several standout performances, including a fourth-place finish in the downhill in Kvitfjell, Norway, and a seventh-place finish, also in downhill, in Val-Gardena, Italy.