Thrilling action with four races in one day

Portes du Soleil, France, January 31, 2024 — Today was a big day for the 2024 FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships race in Portes du Soleil, France. The competition is a week-long event that brings together the world’s best under-21 ski racers.

In the morning, athletes began the second day of speed events with a men’s and women’s super-G race at the Ringat venue in Châtel. These races also served as both super-G events and the super-G portion of the Team Alpine Combined. The Team Alpine Combined is a relatively new form of ski racing in which two racers, male and female, compete as a team (one in super-G and one in slalom). Later in the evening, the athletes raced the slalom leg of the combined event under the lights of Morzine’s Pleny Stadium in front of an excited crowd of 2,000 ski racing fans ringing cowbells and honking their horns.

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Women’s Super G

In super-G, Switzerland’s Mallory Blanc took gold, with Austrians Viktoria Bürgler (+.47) and Nicole Able (+1.14) taking second and third places on the podium. “Today’s skiing was a big change. The snow was soft, so it was a battle,” Blanc said after the race. Taking the lead meant that spinning teammate Anouk Brendli was set for success. “It’s a good position and there’s no pressure because no one has to carry the opponent,” Brann said.

In the United States, Alison Morin took first place in 12th place (+2.04). “The course set was a bit challenging for the rhythm and was actually fun, but the speed felt a lot slower than everyone expected,” Morin said. “I overskied a little bit, but I’m still happy with 12th place.” Mary Bocock was 21st, Tatum Grosdidier was 23rd, Liv Moritz was 36th and Caitlin Keene didn’t finish. .

Men’s Super G

In the men’s race, Italy’s Max Peratner topped the podium, followed by Spain’s Ander Mintegui (+.21) and Switzerland’s Livio Hiltbrand (+.22).

Jay Poulter of the Stifel U.S. team in super-G, who skied at Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club and Stratton Mountain School, signed with D1 University of Utah, finished seventh and qualified for this race. Achieved the highest score in the United States. Cooper Puckett of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, placed 20th. “There was a blind gate and it came at me sooner than I expected,” he said. “Other than that, it was good skiing, but one big mistake like that would have taken me out of the race.”

Women’s team alpine combined event

The finishing time of the super-G race determined the starting order for the evening’s slalom racers in reverse 30 order. Race organizers miraculously prepared steep snow on the brown hillside of Morzine’s Pleny Stadium for the slalom. They infused it and salted it overnight.

Switzerland’s Anouk Brendli finished in first place, and she and Swiss teammate Mallory Brun won the gold medal. “Last year we were together as a team in St. Anton and we finished sixth so I was very happy,” Brann said. “So this year was redemption.” Austria’s Viktoria Bürgler (super-G) and Natalie Falch (slalom) won silver, followed by Switzerland’s second pair Stephanie Grob (super-G) and Janine.・Meckler’s pair (slalom) won the bronze medal.

Mary Bocock of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, finished 20th in the super-G, and her sister Elizabeth Bocock placed 10th in the slalom, leading the team in ninth place and making her the top finisher on the U.S. team. Ta. “If Elisabeth had performed better in the super-G, she wouldn’t have had to gain so much time back,” Mary said. “She was really happy with her performance, especially since a lot of the girls were struggling to complete the slalom,” Elizabeth added. “Racing under the lights was so cool. I had never raced at night before yesterday, and being on the team with my girlfriend, Mary, was memorable. ”

Alison Morin of Truckee, Calif., finished 12th in the super-G, but her team partner Liv Moritz did not finish the slalom race.

Men’s Team Alpine Combined Event

Four teams from the United States entered the men’s combined race, and two of them finished. Jay Poulter, who finished seventh in the nation with a best finish in super-G, was paired with Camden Palmquist of Eagan, Minnesota. In the slalom, Palmquist finished in his 10th place, moving the pair to his 6th place overall in the team combined event. “Jay raised me well,” Palmquist said. “It’s something new for me. This is a team event, so I’ll really try to run fast for my teammates.”

Hunter Salani of Vail, Colorado, placed 31st in the super-G, starting teammate Cooper Puckett with number eight in the slalom. As a result of their efforts, the team ranked 14th overall. “It was an insane environment. As I was running down, I could hear the announcer’s voice,” Paquette said. “With the crowd and the lights, it was like a World Cup race…maybe even more.”