Marcoux set to head to South Korea

For Sault Ste. Marie’s Mac Marcoux, it’s an experience he’s been through already, but that doesn’t make it any less exciting.

The 20-year-old Sault native was named on Friday to the Canadian Paralympic team set to compete in PyeongChang, South Korea in March.

The veteran skier will be making his second appearance at the games after competing four years ago as a 16-year-old.

“I’m really excited,” Marcoux said Friday afternoon. “It’s such a cool experience. I’m really looking forward to not just the races but the whole environment of being at the Paralympics.”

At 16-years-old, Marcoux won a gold in the giant slalom and bronze medals in the downhill and super-G at the 2014 Games in Sochi.

Marcoux said his approach to the PyeongChang games won’t change much from the way he approached Sochi four years ago, adding that the experience from the last games is important.

“Skiing-wise, I’m going to keep it the same and try not to make any results-based goals because there are a lot of factors in skiing like the weather and snow conditions,” Marcoux said. “There are a ton of things that go into each day. We just need to come in with an open mind and ski the best we can during the day. Having the experience from Sochi, we were super nervous for about a month leading up to it.”

Marcoux is coming off a successful weekend at a World Cup event in B.C. that saw him pick up four first-place finishes.

“For the races we’ve got in, we’ve skied super well,” Marcoux said. “We’re working on a lot of positive momentum from last week’s races. There is a lot of good momentum moving into the games and our confidence is high.”

After skiing with his brother B.J. as his guide at the Sochi games, the 2018 event will be the first Paralympic Games for Mac and guide Jack Leitch.

The chemistry between the two during the two seasons they have skied together was evident from the start.

“Right away it was unreal how fast we clicked,” Marcoux said. “Within the first week, we were skiing wide open together, there was no hesitation.

“His confidence on the snow immediately rubbed off on me,” Marcoux added. “It made it a little bit of a seamless transition going from B.J. to Jack. The last two seasons have been epic. We get along really well off the hill. He’s been awesome and it’s been a real pleasure working with Jack over the last two years.”

The 2018 Paralympic Games open on March 8 in PyeongChang, South Korea.