The 38-year-old former Royal Air Force Physical Training Instructor from Cambridgeshire finished almost a second in front of Japan’s Akira Kano in the race in the Italian Alps.

Rose said: "The last few days of training has been amazing and put me in a great frame of mind for racing.

"The cloud came in causing flat light and made changes in the course difficult to see.

"The snow must have softened and a few competitors crashed out in the ruts.

"I sat at the top contemplating it all for more than an hour throughout the delays between skiers.

"My run was fantastic until six gates from the finish. I ran too straight and just hung on as I came over the final rise.

"I totally over-jumped it at more than 70 miles per hour, landed and just managed to stay inside the last gate to the finish."

It exceeded Rose's performance in the corresponding event last year when he had won a silver medal.

Dave Chugg, the manager of the British Disabled Ski Team, said: "A fantastic result in such a strong field shows the potential the team has, and the world-class results they can achieve when they have the correct level of support."

The team’s head coach, Jane Stevens, was not surprised that Rose had struck gold.

She said: "Sean had some promising training runs leading up to the race.

"Whilst many athletes had difficulty on the challenging course, he remained calm and stayed focused with the gold medal in sight."



Rose, who was paralysed in a skiing accident ten years ago while in the RAF, had three podium finishes in the IPCAS European Cup last month, but just missed out on a gold medal.

Facing a shortfall for the Paralympics in March, the team cannot afford the level of support that the athletes need at all races.

But at Sestriere, Rose and the team had a physiotherapist and a ski technician, which helped enormously and made the difference that gave them gold.

Rose said: "My skis ran fast today which is down to having a ski technician working with us.

"I hope we can find a sponsor to cover his costs going forward as it is a real advantage.

"Hearing the National Anthem for the first time at the World Cup prize giving was a fantastic experience."


Related stories
January 2010: Error causes Rose to wilt on Austrian slope
December 2009: Rose continues to impress in Paralympic build-up
December 2009: Rose produces great performance to give Vancouver hopes boost
October 2009: Rose hoping to bloom in Vancouver next year