Tasmanian Dominic Monypenny has continued his meteoric rise in the sport of Nordic skiing with two outstanding performances in as many days at the New Zealand Winter Games.

 Striving for selection in the Australian team for next year’s Paralympic Games in Vancouver, Monypenny broke through for his first medal today, taking bronze in the Cross Country Sprint for sit-skiers. In a class-field, Monypenny (3:07.78) fought impressively on the challenging course at Snow Farm near Queenstown, to earn a memorable podium finish. Japan’s Kozo Kubo (3:01.2) took gold while Canadian Lou Gibson (3:06.74) edged out Monypenny by just over a second to claim the silver medal.  “I actually am really stoked,” Monypenny said. “The event here in New Zealand has probably seen some of the best racing of my skiing career.”  The excellent performance from the Tasmanian followed his quality effort yesterday, which saw him finish fourth in the 15km Classic against some of the world’s leading athletes.  “Both events have been pretty arduous,” he said. “But I have managed to hold off some key rivals who I thought would go sailing past me. It shows how much my skill level has continued to increase. That’s very pleasing.” The medal added another chapter to Monypenny’s amazing tale, as he aims to become one of the few athletes to represent Australia at both the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games. Formerly a World Champion rower, Monypenny represented Australia at last year’s Paralympic Games in Beijing, the only Tasmanian to do so. He now looks set to fly the flag for the Apple Isle once again. The Australian Paralympic team will be officially announced on November 25, and Monypenny, who became a paraplegic following a bushwalking accident in 1996, has his heart set on being named. And as the qualification period for Vancouver edges closer to its deadline, the ever-determined Tasmanian is hoping to complete his New Zealand Winter Games program on a high in tomorrow’s 10km Freestyle event.  The New Zealand Winter Games, a major warm-up event for next year’s Paralympic Games, is sanctioned by the International Paralympic Committee. It continues tomorrow on a day that will see Australia’s Alpine skiers get their first taste of action, with the Super G getting underway at Coronet Peak.