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Eight Canadians finished in the top-10 in K1, K2 race action on Saturday. Norway, the defending Nation's Cup Champion of the Sierra Wireless Whistler Cup, had a golden day on Saturday, earning top honours in all four events raced on the Raven-Ptarmigan and Upper Dave Murray runs of Whistler Mountain.
In women's action, Norwegian racers Lotte Sejerstedt and Kristina Riis-Johannessen took first and second in the women's K1 (11 and 12 years) giant slalom race, with American Devin Delaney finishing third.
Team Canada's Madison Irwin of Ontario was the top-finishing Canuck in the women's GS, finishing seventh in 52.83 seconds, 2.24 seconds behind the leader. She was joined in the top-10 by Shannon Campbell, also of Ontario, who finished ninth, and Whistler's Brynne Benbow, who was 10th.
Thirteen other Canadians raced their way through softening snow conditions into the top-30, including Tatum Monod of Banff, Alberta. Monod, whose father Peter is an alumnus of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team, tied for 21st with a time of 54.78 seconds.
“My goal was to be in the top-five in giant slalom, and top-15 in the slalom, but the competition here is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be,” said Monod, who recently switched to ski racing from snowboarding to follow in her father's footsteps, and those of ski racing heroes and fellow Rossignol racers Allison Forsyth and Bode Miller. Father Peter co-owns and operates one of Banff's signature ski shops, Monod Sports, an official Canadian Alpine Ski Team retailer, with his two brothers. “I wanted to be like my dad. My cousin was in ski racing, and I realized it's a lot faster. I like going fast, so I started ski racing. My goal is to be at the Olympics in 2010.”
In the women's K2 (13 and 14 years) slalom, first and second again went to Norway, with Nina Loeseth laying down the fastest two-run time at 1:25.07, and teammate Thea Grosvold earning silver in 1:26.75. Friday's Super G winner Anna Fenninger of Austria took bronze in the slalom, her favourite event.
“I wanted to win today, and I was so focused, I didn't even notice catching a gate with my thumb,” said Loeseth, whose swollen thumb proved painful with all of the congratulatory handshakes at the finish. “It's lots of fun here in Whistler, and all of the other athletes are so nice.”
Quebec's Eliane Duquet was the lone Canadian to crack the top-10, finishing 10th in 1:31.14, while 11 other Canadians made their way into the top-30.
In men's race action, Norwegian Jorgen Brath took the gold in the K1 giant slalom, laying down the fastest time of the one-run GS at 48.47 seconds. American Taylor Wunsch finished second in 49.24 seconds, while Italian Rocco Delsante took bronze in 50.24 seconds.
Ontario's Richard Long finished eighth to record Canada's only top-10 finish in the men's K1 giant slalom. Teammate Michael Welton missed the top-10 by only one-hundredth of a second, finishing 11th in 51.96 seconds.
“The snow is getting soft and slushy, but it's a good course – pretty turny,” said Welton of Mississauga, who started 16th. “Last year I was 18th in the GS here, and that was my best result at Whistler Cup. My goal for tomorrow's slalom is to be in the top-10.”
Welton was joined in the top-15 by three other racers, including Erik Read – son of Canadian Alpine Ski Team alumni Ken and Lynda (Robbins) Read – of Calgary, Alberta.
Finishing off the day's action were the K2 men, who disputed a two-run slalom on the Upper Dave Murray. Norway's Andreas Haug and Markus Nilsen took first and third, with Austria's Armin Triendl finishing second.
“I think what makes Norwegians so fast is that we train almost every day,” said Haug, who is attending his first Whistler Cup. “It is a great event. Today I just wanted to do a good job. Of course I'm happy to win, but I didn't expect to. The faster I go, the happier I am, so downhill and Super G are my favourite events.”
The top Canadian was Team Canada's Brandon Mudryk of Alberta, who didn't start in Friday's Super G because of illness. Mudryk finished sixth in 1:26.89.
“My goal was to be in the top-10 today, so I'm pretty happy,” said the Edmonton resident who races out of the Rabbit Hill Ski Club. “This is my third year at Whistler Cup, and it's always lots of fun.”
He was joined in the top-10 by fellow Canadians Antoine Morneau-R who is racing for Quebec and finished eighth, and Braden Long of Ontario who finished 10th.
Nine other Canadians finished in the top-30 of the men's K2 slalom.
All of the 2004 Sierra Wireless Whistler Cup competitors will have one final opportunity to gain points towards the Nation's Cup, the Provincial Cup, and the individual Canadian awards on Sunday when the K1 racers battle it out in the slalom, and the K2 racers return to the Raven-Ptarmigan for a giant slalom.
The action can be followed live via the Internet thanks to live timing. Please visit www.whistlercup.com
Women's K1 giant slalom
Top 10:
1. Lotte Sejerstedt, NOR, 0:50.59; 2. Kristina Riis-Johannessen, NOR, 0:50.78; 3. Devin Delaney, USA, 0:51.08; 4. Kino Sugo, JPN, 0:51.62; 5. Joelle Chevalier, USA, 0:51.85; 6. Jeanna Kantor, USA, 0:52.69; 7. Madison Irwin, Ontario, 0:52.83; 8. Sen-Hyun Kim, KOR, 0:53.01; 9. Shannon Campbell, Ontario, 0:53.17; 10. Brynne Benbow, British Columbia, 0:53.19.
Other Canadians in the top-30:
12. Aimee Bell-Pasht, Ontario, 0:53.54
13. Stephanie Marcil, Quebec, 0:53.71
15. Sophie Breton, Quebec, 0:53.92
17. Evann Parker, Alberta, 0:54.42
19. Laura Rozinowicz, Ontario, 0:54.62
20. Alecia Willis, British Columbia, 0:54.68
21. Madison McLeish, British Colubia, 0:54.78
21. Tatum Monod, Alberta, 0:54.78
24. Morgan Waldo, Saskatchewan, 0:55.01
26. Marissa Riopelle, Ontario, 0:55.35
28. Amy Gottlieb, British Columbia, 0:55.83
29. Rachel Cohen, British Columbia, 0:55.84
30. Maelle Bergeron, British Columbia, 0:56.16
Women's K2 slalom
Top 10:
1. Nina Loeseth, NOR, 1.25.07; 2. Thea Grosvold, NOR, 1:26.75; 3. Anna Fenninger, AUT, 1:27.08; 4. Thea Hovde, NOR, 1:27.62; 5. Stefanie Gantnerova, Slovakia, 1:28.28; 6. Jana Gantnerova, Slovakia, 1.29.24; 7. Elisabeth Rottensteiner, AUT, 1:30.10; 8. Nikola Galfvova, Slovakia, 1:30.84; 9. Kiley Staples, USA, 1:31.11; 10. Eliane Duquet, Quebec, 1:31.14.
Other Canadians in the top-30:
11. Andrea Bliss, Alberta, 1:31.25
15. Georgia Simmerling, British Columbia, 1:31.96
18. Anya Holinski, Alberta, 1:35.36
20. Jen Mah, British Columbia, 1:36.08
21. Dana Lavigne, Quebec, 1:36.22
22. Christina Fisher, Ontario, 1:36.25
25. Valerie Beland, Quebec, 1:36.79
26. Carly Presakarchuk, Alberta, 1:36.88
27. Mikaela Kofman, Ontario, 1:37.23
29. Krystyn Peterson, Ontario, 1:37.97
30. Alexandra Parker, Alberta, 1:38.13
Men's K1 giant slalom
Top 10:
1. Jorgen Brath, NOR, 0:48.47; 2. Taylor Wunsch, USA, 0:49.24; 3. Rocco Delsante, ITA, 0:50.24; 4. Johan Raeder-Haakonsen, NOR, 0:50.39; 5. Michael Radford, USA, 0:50.58; 6. Cody Unicume, USA, 0:50.79; 7. Nick Daniels, USA, 0:51.17; 8. Richard Long, Ontario, 0:51.33; 9. Won-Jun Kim, KOR, 0:51.74; 10. Michael Ankeny, USA, 0:51.95.
Other Canadians in the top-30:
11. Michael Welton, Ontario, 0:51.96
12. Andy Trow, Alberta, 0:52.1
13. Philip Brown, Ontario, 0:52.72
14. Erik Read, Alberta, 0:52.78
16. Ian Spence-Morrison, British Columbia, 0:52.94
17. Charles-Andre Tessier, Quebec, 0:53.01
18. Ben Williams, Ontario, 0:53.05
19. Jaden Jamieson, Saskatchewan, 0:53.11
21. Christopher Campbell, British Columbia, 0:53.50
22. Alexander Binks, British Columbia, 0:53.61
23. Tyler Mackenzie, British Columbia, 0:54.13
24. Dawson Newman, British Columbia, 0:54.30
25. James Rose, British Columbia, 0:54.33
29. Finlay Smith, British Columbia, 0:55.15
30. Connel Timmons, British Columbia, 0:55.72
Men's K2 slalom
Top 10:
1. Andreas Haug, NOR, 1:23.05; 2. Armin Triendl, AUT, 1:23.76; 3. Markus Nilsen, NOR, 1:24.61; 4. Marcel Hirscher, AUT, 1:24.67; 5. Nolan Kasper, USA, 1:26.69; 6. Brandon Mudryk, Alberta, 1:26.89; 7. Antoine Morneau-R., Quebec, 1:27.11; 8. Tommy Ford, USA, 1:27.18; 9. Lane Shipley, USA, 1:27.30; 10. Braden Long, Ontario, 1:27.40.
Other Canadians in the top-30:
12. Alexander Matheson, Ontario, 1:29.09
15. Kelby Halbert, Ontario, 1:30.99
16. Vincent Levesque, Quebec, 1:31.42
19. Luke Hammill,Alberta, 1:32.46
20. Trevor Jackson, Ontario, 1:33.67
22. Gordon Allan, Alberta, 1:33.97
23. Sean Alexander, Alberta, 1:34.49
25. Dustin Cook, Quebec, 1:34.76
29. David Ghent-Kyle, Ontario, 1:35.67