WHISTLER — Canada's Chris Williamson finished sixth today in the men's super-G at the Paralympic Games.

Competing in the visually impaired category, Williamson and guide Nick Brush finished in 1:23.74, 2.19 seconds behind gold medallist Nicolas Berejny of France. Slovakian skiers Jakub Krako and Miroslav Haraus finished second and third, respectively.

Williamson, a 37-year-old resident of Markham, Ont., has one more shot to make the podium in Saturday’s super-combined. He finished fourth in giant slalom and sixth in slalom earlier in the Games.

• • •

Para-alpine skiing is taking place at Whistler Creekside.

Alpine ski races for athletes with a disability have been held since the late 1940s. The invention of the mono-ski — a seat fixed on single ski — opened the sport to athletes who could not stand to ski. Mono-skis are equipped with short outriggers (forearm crutches with shortened skis attached at the base for balance and steering). Slalom and giant slalom were introduced at the first Paralympics Winter Games in Örnsköldsvik in 1976. Downhill was added to the Paralympic Games in 1984 in Innsbruck, and Super-G was added in 1994 at Lillehammer. Mono-skiing became a medal event at the Nagano 1998 Paralympic Games.

In Paralympic alpine skiing, athletes are classified as standing, sitting or visually impaired and compete against other athletes with a similar disability. Skiers with a visual impairment use the same equipment as able-bodied skiers, but ski with a guide. Skiers with locomotive disabilities may either use the same equipment as able-bodied skiers or a prosthesis (an artificial arm or leg) and stabilizers in place of ski poles (stabilizers are a type of crutch with a small ski at the end). Sitting skiers use a mono-ski.

Alpine events for men and women are downhill, slalom, giant slalom, super combined and super G.

(Vanoc website)