Great start for Canada with two podiums at Rio Tinto Alcan Whistler Cup
COMPLETE OFFICIAL RESULTS HERE
WHISTLER, B.C. (April 6, 2012) – Canada had a great first day at the Whistler Cup with two Canadians on the podium in the boys’ super-G and one Canadian in the top five in the girls’ super-G Friday in Whistler, B.C.
Cameron Alexander, of Vancouver, B.C., and James Crawford, of Toronto, Ont., were second and third, respectively, in the boys’ race.
“I feel great about my race, I'm extremely happy,” said Alexander, who crossed the line in one minute, 1.24 seconds and skis for the Whistler Mountain Ski Club. “My run felt pretty good but it was pretty sketchy in some parts. On the first jump I landed on the flats, got a bit too much air on that, but otherwise I felt really good the rest of the way down.”
Crawford, who also skis for the Whistler Mountain Ski Club, finished in 1:01.38.
“At the top I was a bit nervous but my coaches calmed me,” said Crawford, 14. “I had a bit of the butterflies, but during my run I completely forgot about it and skied the way I normally do.
“I made some mistakes that I could have easily not made that cost me a lot of time but other than that it went better than I thought. I’m happy I could finish off the super-G season with a good result.”
Australia’s Oliver Thompson won the race in 1:00.70.
“I'm stoked,” said Thompson, 14. “My run was pretty good. It was a bit nasty but it was quick. I went out with no regrets – go hard or go home.”
Sam Mulligan, of Grouse Mountain Tyee Ski Club, finished just off the podium in fourth (1:01.48). Other members of Team Canada racing on Friday were Riley Seger, of the Whistler Mountain Ski Club, who was ninth, Justin Beaurivage, of Club de Ski Owl’s Head, who was 17th, Samuel Lamhamedi, of Club de ski Stoneham, who was 27th, Frédéric Courville, of the Club de compétition du Mont Olympia, who was 31st and Simon Fournier, of the Club de ski Mont-Tremblant, who was 47th. Keagan Sharp, of Team Panorama Ski Club, did not finish his run.
In the girls’ super-G, Toronto’s Stephanie Currie, who skis for the Osler Bluff Ski Club, was the top Canadian in fifth place.
“It was good. I had a kind of later bib so it was a bit rough, but overall pretty good,” said Currie who started with bib No. 24 and clocked a time of 1:04.00. “The level of completion is really high. You have the best youth skiers from multiple countries so obviously they're going to bring it to all the races. You just have to have confidence in yourself and go for it.”
Currie was especially pleased to be in the top five.
“It feels good, it gives me more confidence as I haven't skied super-G for a while so I'm excited for the next couple of races and I'm definitely going to step it up.”
The girls’ super-G was won by Lorena Kaeslin, of Switzerland, in 1:02.36. Jessica Hilzinger, of Liechtenstein was second (1:02.73) and Norway’s Guro Hvammen was third (1:02.99).
“I had a very good run. I'm very happy,” said an excited Kaeslin through the help of an interpreter. “It’s super perfect to be one of the top 14-year-olds in the world.”
“It was great,” added Hilzinger. “On the course I could have drove a little bit faster.”
Team Canada had another racer in the top 10 with Mikayla Martin, of the Whistler Mountain Ski Club, in sixth (1:04.85). Haley McKercher, of the Sunshine Ski Club, was 11th, Ali Nullmeyer, of the Georgian Peaks Ski Club, was 14th, Courtney Hoffos, of Windermere Valley Ski Club was 20th, Alexandra Courchesne, of Équipe de ski de compétition Mont Saint-Sauveur, was 24th, Alexandra Burk, of the Lake Louise Ski Club, was 27th and Ingrid Gendron, of the Mont Orford Ski Club, was 37th. Stefanie Fleckenstein, of the Whistler Montain Ski Club, did not finish her run.
Canada’s team lead coach Jean-François Bélisle was happy with the first day of racing.
“Overall day one was a good day, a good start to the Whistler Cup,” Bélisle said. “It was really a good step up on the girls’ side in terms of their confidence, which showed in their results. On the boys’ side, all the boys were pretty competitive, the results proved that and even with the boys who were a little further back in the rankings, it was a very good start.”
In the girls’ K1 kombi, which is a race with a mix of slalom and giant slalom turns, Asami Katagiri, of Japan, was first (32.96), Carlotta Saracco, of Italy, was second (34.47) and Chelsea Kumono, also of Japan, was third (34.58). The top Canadian was Frances MacDonald from the Grouse Mountain Tyee Ski Club. In the boys’ kombi, Finn Iles, of the Whistler Mountain Ski Club, was first (41.49), Hayata Wakatsuki, of Japan, was second (42.04) and Kuba Sudomericky, of Devil’s Glen Country Club, was third (42.36).
Saturday the K2 and K1 girls will compete in giant slalom, while the K2 and K1 boys will race slalom. Follow the Whistler Cup races via live timing, at http://www.live-timing.com/races.php.
To view an event schedule and for more information about the Whistler Cup, presented by Rio Tinto Alcan, go to www.whistlercup.com
APRIL 6, 2012 – WHISTLER CUP – WHISTLER, B.C. – K2 GIRLS’ SUPER- G (Unofficial results)
COMPLETE RESULTS
APRIL 6, 2012 – WHISTLER CUP – WHISTLER, B.C. – K2 BOYS’ SUPER- G (Unofficial results)
COMPLETE RESULTS
APRIL 6, 2012 – WHISTLER CUP K1 FESTIVAL – WHISTLER, B.C. – K1 GIRLS’ KOMBI (Unofficial results)
COMPLETE RESULTS
APRIL 6, 2012 – WHISTLER CUP K1 FESTIVAL – WHISTLER, B.C. – K1 BOYS’ KOMBI (Unofficial results)
COMPLETE RESULTS
ABOUT THE WHISTLER CUP
The Whistler Cup, presented by Rio Tinto Alcan, is an international event for ski racers aged 13 and 14 in the K2 category. For the 2012 edition, the Whistler Cup is for athletes in the K2 category and not in the K1 category as in the past (K1 racers will be competing in a K1-racing festival). The Whistler Cup will be awarded to the best nation’s team. In its 20th year, it features 350 skiers from 18 countries. World Cup skiers who have participated in years past include Canada's Erik Guay and Erin Mielzynski, plus international stars including Slovenia's Tina Maze, Sweden's Anja Pärson and Benjamin Raich, of Austria. For more information about the Whistler Cup, visit: www.whistlercup.com
INFORMATION
On site contact
Janice Avon
Whistler Cup 2012
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http://www.whistlercup.com
Magalie Lafrenière
Communications Co-ordinator | Coordonnatrice des communications
Alpine Canada Alpin
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mlafreniere@alpinecanada.org
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