Wenham Native Stephens Wins Bronze In Alpine Skiing At Sochi Paralympics
WENHAM, Mass. (CBS/AP) — An alpine monoskier from Wenham, Mass., has won a bronze medal at the Paralympics in Sochi.
Laurie Stephens, 29, took third in the women's downhill competition, missing gold by just 0.39 seconds.
"It's pretty exciting to have it be so close like that," she said in a Team USA news release. "I was pretty nervous going into it and just tried to ski the best that I could you know that you can I always improve but I'm pretty happy with that. The competition is pretty exciting like I said I was pretty nervous at the start but I just tried to ski the best I could and I got a bronze, that's pretty awesome."
Stephens was born with spina bifida, but began skiing at Loon Mountain in New Hampshire when she was 12. She now lives in Aspen, Colorado.
This was Stephens' third Paralympic appearance. She earned two gold medals at the Torino 2006 Paralympic Winter Games and silver in Vancouver in 2010.
She was named the USOC's Paralympic Sportswoman of the Year in 2006 and was a 2006 ESPY Award nominee for Best Female Athlete with a Disability.
The Paralympic competition includes alpine skiing and snowboarding, biathlon, cross-country skiing, sled hockey and wheelchair curling.
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