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Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese,
11 Mar 2014
11 Mar 2014
Toby Kane won a Paralympic bronze in the Super G at Torino in 2006
In a show of amazing courage, speed and skill Notre Dame medical student and Australian winter paralympian, Toby Kane competes in Sochi today in what is known as the Super Combined, which will have him skiing both the short and the giant slalom in a bid to capture gold.
The 27-year-old whose right leg was amputated below the knee after he was hit by a car on a footpath is a strong contender having beaten out the world's number 1, Russia's pocket rocket Alexey Bugaev in the Super Combined Slalom to win the International Paralympics Committee's World Cup Gold Medal in Italy last week.
The Super Combined is the fourth year med student's favourite event but he is well aware that having won the prestigious Gold Cup by just 0.01 seconds he is going to have to pull out all the stops if he is to defeat Bugaev a second time.
Over the weekend Toby came in an impressive sixth in the standing Downhill. But in Sochi's brutal Super G he along with 31 other competitors crashed out.
Toby had been well on his way to making the podium after clocking up the first split that would have put him in contention for bronze.
Had he finished the tough 1800 metre run he would have had a bronze medal to add to the bronze he won at the Torino Paralympics when at 19 years of age he was the youngest member of Australia's paralympic team.
Tune in to the ABC to see Australia's Toby Kane compete in the Super Combined at Sochi
But it is today's race where Toby is tipped to win and take out gold.
"Toby knows he is skiing well," says Australia's head coach Steve Graham. "He also knows you can't be conservative."
What is remarkable is that in the two events so far, Toby has competed on one ski against a majority of contenders who have the use of their legs and are on two skiis.
"Having two skiis is a fair advantage," he admits. "Those guys tend to have a level of consistency that's hard for us to achieve, and the harder we go the more likely we are to crash," he said yesterday.
The turn that ended Toby's chances in the Super G on Sunday was one that skewed his skiing leg on the inside, which is where balance for one legged skiers is most compromised.
"I knew it was going to be pretty difficult," a philosophical Toby said and with a grin added "I was probably one degree off where I needed to be, and you're on your arse."
But he is pleased with the way he is skiing and has high hopes for today's event.
Notre Dame Medical student Toby Kane competes in Super G at Sochi
The Super Combined is equally tough and will have Toby competing in the short slalom with tight fast turns and the giant slalom which has fewer and wider smoother turns. Each skier will make two runs down the two different courses on the same slope. Their times are then added and the fastest total time will determine the winner.
For the 100-plus medical students at Notre Dame's Sydney Medical School the race will be closely followed on television with each and everyone of them, along with staff and lecturers barracking for Toby as he streaks down the course wearing the Aussie green and gold.
Born and growing up in Melbourne, Toby took up skiing when he was just five years old, three years after he had had his left leg amputated.
"Growing up with a disability, I wanted to compete with anyone at anything to prove I could do whatever the other kids could do," he says.
That meant not only mastering skiing on one leg, but playing cricket, soccer, competing in swimming matches and playing water polo.
Toby Kane competed in the Downhill Standing and Super G at Sochi at the weekend
"For me skiing competitively was an extension of this; I wanted to try and prove what was possible and push the boundaries of skiing on one leg. And this has continued to be my inspiration throughout my skiing career, pushing the boundaries of one-legged skiing."
Toby is certainly doing this in Sochi. But this year's Winter Paralympics may also be his last.
Having competed in Torino in 2006, Vancouver in 2010, and now a member of the Australian team in Sochi, Toby is aware that after graduation with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery later this year, he will become a doctor which will leave little time for training.
Commencing his medical studies at Notre Dame's Medical School in 2011, Toby has managed to juggle training and study.
Nothing slows snow speedster Toby Kane who had his right leg amputated after a car accident when he was two
"Throughout my third year I spent one day a week at university, four days a week gaining clinical experience at the hospital and studied the course work at night and on the weekend," he says and believes it was strict organisation and experience that also enabled him to train in the gym four times a week for an hour and a half each.
"I think my experience in the sport allowed me to handle this balance. I don't think I could have done this if I was relatively new to the sport," he says.
In addition Toby was able to participate in Notre Dame's Elite Athlete Friendly University (EAFU) program which provided him with additional support and study flexibility.
Check with ABC programming for television coverage of the Combined Slalom set for today 11 March in Sochi.
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