Mollie Jepsen earns 7th medal for Canada at World Para Snow Sports Championships

Canada didn't crowd the medal podium Saturday as it did a day earlier but didn't walk away empty-handed at the World Para Snow Sports Championships.

Mollie Jepsen of West Vancouver, B.C., continues to perform on a trajectory for a productive Beijing Paralympics March, winning a silver medal in the women's standing super-G in Lillehammer, Norway.

The 22-year-old told Alpine Canada she is happy with her speed but there is room for improvement.

"Happy with my speed," said Jepsen, who missed gold by only 0.45 seconds to Russia's Varvara Voronchikhina. "There's more in the tank but I'm still building."

On Friday, Jepsen earned one of the Canadian team's six medals, securing bronze in women's standing downhill and finishing only 1.72 seconds behind eight-time Paralympic champion Maria Bochet of France.

Voronchikhina prevailed in Saturday's super-G in one minute 11.23 seconds, with Jepsen clocking 1:11.68 and Bochet third in 1:11.80.

With the Canadian Para alpine team sidelined all of last season due to the fluctuating circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were questions about what the competition field would look like on the World Cup circuit this year.

"There was definitely a period of time when we weren't racing last year that I wasn't sure what the competition field would be like," Jepsen said.

"It's great to have such a tight race and be up there with Marie [Bochet] who I've looked up to my whole racing career and Varvara."

In top form

In her 2018 Paralympic debut, Jepsen collected four medals, including one gold. However, she has since battled Crohn's — a type of inflammatory bowel disease — and injuries.

Born missing fingers on her left hand, Jepsen has regained top form this season with six medals in as many races on the World Cup circuit and is among Canada's top medal hopefuls for the March 4-13 Paralympics in China.

In other action Saturday:

• Calgary's Alana Ramsay, Frédérique Turgeon of Candiac, Que., and Michaela Gosselin of Collingwood, Ont., did not finish the women's standing super-G.

• Toronto's Katie Combaluzier also didn't complete the women's sitting along with Alexis Guimond of Gatineau, Que., in men's standing and Brian Rowland of Merrickville, Ont., in men's sitting.

The competition also features Para nordic skiing (cross country and biathlon) but the Canadian squad skipped the event to train at home.

Competition continues Sunday in Para alpine with super combined races.