National Championships Roundup
Sweden
The Swedish Championships are split between Taernaby for the tech events and Åre for the speed races.
Both giant slaloms were held on Saturday, with Magdalena Fjaellstroem winning the ladies’ race. The former slalom junior World Champion 2013 managed to enter the Top 30 of the World Cup in slalom this season and finished 5th of both tech cup standings on the European Cup. On the men’s side, Mattias Roenngren claimed his second Swedish Champion title, after the alpine combined title from last season. The native from Åre hopes to be part of the team for the World Championships in his hometown next season, even though his 15 World Cup starts didn’t allow him to score any points at this point.
Slalom is the most successful discipline for the Swedish alpine ski team, with two current Olympic Champions: Frida Hansdotter and André Myhrer. Both were present at the National Championships in Taernaby and were able to snag the Swedish Champion titles, each with more than +1.50 over their closest contender.
The athletes will now enjoy a short Easter break and go to Åre for the speed portion from 4th April onward.
Canada
Erin Mielzynski (Collingwood, Ont.) won back-to-back slalom titles at the Canadian Championships. On Friday at Red Mountain Resort, Mielzynski was crowned the 2018 National Slalom Champion, making it her third title in this discipline. She also won in 2017 at Mont-Tremblant and in 2015 at Mont-Sainte Anne.
“It was honestly a little nerve-wracking to defend a title,” said Mielzynski. “It was definitely a bit rougher second run but some good practice to see how far I can push and keep a lead. It was a lot of fun and the volunteers did a really great job getting the race off. I’m really happy to be here and stand on the podium. Nationals is the biggest thing for us tech racers to come to right now in Canada. It means a lot to me to race with these youngsters. Sometimes they beat me and sometimes it’s close but it’s huge for me to try and be a role model here. Above all, I’m proud to be here to be part of this team. I love RED Mountain Resort and I’d definitely come back.”
Red Mountain Resort and its volunteers continued to battle tough weather conditions for the 2018 National Championships. Snow dumped down all day for the men’s slalom and ladies’ giant slalom national championship races.
Valérie Grenier (Mont-Tremblant, Que.) defended her giant slalom national title for the second year in a row, winning by 0.10 and Erik Read (Calgary, Alta.) was named the men’s slalom national champion for the third time in his career.
Grenier made up time on her second run after sitting in fourth-place after her first run. Grenier won the second run by .44 seconds.
“I’m happy I could make up time today and it was a nice surprise to be on the podium!” said Grenier.
On the men’s side, the Read brothers went one and two with older brother Erik Read finishing in first-place and Jeffrey Read (Calgary, Alta.) finishing 1.64 seconds back in second-place. Rounding out the men’s slalom national podium was Jack (James) Crawford (Whistler, B.C./ Toronto, Ont.).
“We’ve had all sorts of weather in Rossland and today we had some snow thrown at us,” said Erik Read. “Trevor [Philp] threw down a great first run so I knew I had to have a great second run to catch him. Unfortunately he went out but I’m really happy to be National Champ. I think the National Championships are really important in Canada so I’m super happy to have the title today. It’s really great to be racing with some of the younger guys who are bringing new and great energy into ski racing.”
“Racing Erik [Read] here is like the good old days chasing him down the track,” said Jeffery Read. “It was great to have him as a pace-setter. It’s always nicer when I beat him but I couldn’t catch him today!”
The final men’s giant slalom, originally scheduled on Friday, will finally take place on Sunday and conclude the events in Red Mountain Resort.
France
In France all the events of the National Championships are held in Chatel.
It started in Chatel with the men’s downhill on Wednesday, won by Adrien Théaux. The Frenchman, three times World Cup winner, took his 11th national title ahead of his teammates Johan Clarey and Nicolas Raffort.
As last year in Tignes, younggun Nils Allegre was able to win the super-g in Chatel and become National Champion in that discipline for the second time. He was ahead of Adrien Théaux and Blaise Giezendanner, 4th at the Olympic Games in that discipline. The super-g was also counting for the alpine combined title and in the slalom run, Nils Allegre was able to hold on to his lead and claimed another French Champion title.
Going into the week-end, the French Nationals stated the tech events. The ladies’ held a slalom, won by Nastaia Noens, while Victor Muffat-Jeandet took the title in the men’s giant slalom, ahead of Alexis Pinturault and Thomas Fanara.
On Sunday, the French queen of giant slalom Tessa Worley proved that she is the fastest in this discipline. After being on the season standings podium for the fourth time this season, she claimed a fifth national title in that discipline, a sixth in career. Like the giant slalom on the day before, the men’s slalom was won by Victor Muffat-Jeandet, who is enjoying an incredible momentum in the second half of this season. Young Robin Buffet was second and former World Champion Jean-Baptiste Grange was third.
A two run downhill was held on the ladies’ side for the French Nationals and Romane Miradoli claimed the title with the fastest time in the first run and the tied fastest time with Esther Paslier in the second run. After a constant season, where she entered the Top 30 of the World Cup in super-g and in the alpine combined, Miradoli earns a third national title, the first one in downhill.
The French Championships in Chatel concluded with the ladies’ super-g on Tuesday. Tessa Worley, who also won the giant slalom this season, snagged the French Champion title in super-g as well. It’s her 7th title and 18th podium in the French Championships. The first one was earned ten years ago, in the slalom in Isola 2000.
USA
The U.S. Alpine Championships mark the season finale for U.S. skiers. This season, Sun Valley, Idaho, hosted the events similar to two years ago.
The alpine combined for both genders took place on Wednesday. A.J. Hurt – 17 years old, from the Squaw Valley Ski Team – won the race on the ladies' side. The all-round talent was able to beat several Nor Am Cup winners in the process. At the men’s race, World Cup skier Ryan Cochran-Siegle posted the fastest time in the super-G portion and was able to hold on to his lead in the slalom. It’s the second National title for the skier who was 10th in the Kranjska Gora giant slalom, after his win in the super-G last season.
On Saturday, both super-Gs took place instead of the originally scheduled day of Friday. Nina O’Brien, runner-up in the NorAm rankings in 2017 and 2018, was the fastest on the ladies' side. The more intense focus on the speed disciplines was worth it for Ryan Cochran-Siegle who won the men’s super-G just as he did last season.
In slalom, Colorado natives Nina O’Brien and Hig Roberts snagged the national titles. On the ladies' side, O’Brien continued her dominance in slalom with her second win in as many days, having emerged victorious in Friday’s super-G. This victory brings her national title count to three, as she was crowned 2015 giant slalom national champion as well. On the men’s side, 2017 giant slalom national champion Roberts, who skied a full World Cup season, claimed his second career National title despite competing as an independent.
Tommy Ford snagged the National title in giant slalom on Sunday. Eight years after his first of six U.S. championship titles, the athlete from Mount Bachelor is in an excellent shape, as he also earned his two career best performances in the last two World Cup races in Kranjska Gora and Are.
The U.S. Alpine Championships in Sun Valley concluded on Monday with the ladies’ giant slalom. And here is a name to keep in mind for the future: AJ Hurt. The 17-year-old, who won the combined on Wednesday, was able to snag the giant slalom title as well, as she finished 1.51 seconds ahead of her closest contender.
Norway
For the Norwegians, Hafjell hosted all disciplines of the National Championships and all titles were awarded this week.
With Olympic medallists at the start of the men’s downhill, the title was likely to go to either Aksel Lund Svindal or Kjetil Jansrud, but the fastest man on the hill was Adrian Smiseth Sejersted. The young athlete, who nearly scored his first World Cup podium this season at the super-G in Kvitfjell, is the new rising star in the strong Norwegian speed team. Another surprise came from Henrik Kristoffersen, who raced in downhill for the first time in four years and managed to claim a 19th place. On the ladies' side, Marte Berg Edseth (year of birth 1998 and a member of the European Cup team) posted the fasted time. She had previously won five FIS races – three in slalom and two in giant slalom.
The competitions in Hafjell continued with the alpine combined, was also won by Marte Berg Edseth for the ladies. On the men’s side, Rasmus Windingstad, eighth in the giant slalom in Kranjska Gora this season, earned the national title.
Windingstad also emerged victorious in the super-G held on Friday, a slim 0.03 seconds ahead of Sejersted. With this win, he earned his third national title. On the ladies' side, Edseth struck again and earned her third national title at this year’s championships.
The tech events in Hafjell started with giant slalom for both genders on Saturday. Ragnhild Mowinckel, who missed the beginning of the week due to illness, returned to racing and handily claimed the national title. Windingstad was once again the fastest on the men’s side, winning his third title in these championships and fourth in total.
On the final day, dedicated to the slalom, young Kaja Norbye surprised the field by winning the ladies' race ahead of World Cup skier and Stockholm winner Nina Haver-Loeseth. Norbye had only won 10 FIS races so far and scored a seventh place in the alpine combined and a eighth place in the slalom at the Junior World Championships in Davos this season. The men’s side also produced an unexpected victor. Henrik Kristoffersen, second in both the slalom and Overall rankings on the World Cup this season, finished second behind his childhood rival Simen Ramberg Christensen. The 25-year-old racer from Raelingen Ski Club's most notable result before beating Kristoffersen for the Norwegian slalom title was a fifth place in the European Cup city event in San Vigilio in 2011. He had taken several years off from competing in the sport and only recently returned to racing.
With this, all Norwegian Champions are crowned and the athletes can now enjoy the out-of-competition season, either with a well-deserved Easter break or the start of a spring camp.
