Calgary Alta. (February 9, 2018) – The 2018 FIS Alpine Junior World Championships in Davos (SUI) have wrapped up after ten days of incredible racing.  The Canadian Team included ten of the countries top junior athletes. Athletes from around the world were pushed to their skiing limits, facing tough course sets, challenging weather conditions and an overall intensity like no other.

Host nation Switzerland dominated the event, finishing 1st overall and claiming the coveted Marc Holder Trophy (6 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze).  Austria finished 2nd overall with eight meals (1 gold, 4 silver, 3 bronze) and Norway finished 3rd overall (2 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze).

Without question, the story of the championships was hometown Swiss hero Marco Odermatt, who won a total of five gold medals in Davos (downhill, super-G, alpine combined, giant slalom and team event).

Canadian Development Team member, Sam Mulligan (Vancouver, B.C.) was just 0.02 seconds away from winning gold in the men’s downhill, bringing home a much-anticipated silver medal after missing the podium in 2017 by 0.01sec.

“World Juniors is a great opportunity for our athletes to test themselves against the best in the world for this age group and compete on a bigger stage. Sam’s 2nd-place finish in the downhill, as well as strong performances by the rest of the men’s team is a testament to the hard work these guys have put in over the season and are proof that we can compete with the best in the world. Our focus now shifts back to the Nor-Am circuit and I look forward to seeing what these guys can do through the rest of the season.” John Kucera, Men’s Development Team Head Coach.  

The Canadian men continued to have strong representation in the speed events with BC Alpine Ski Team athlete, Cameron Alexander (Vancouver, B.C.) taking home 5th-place in the super-G, +1.30secs from 1st-place.

“Seeing one of Canada’s Provincial Team athletes hit the top ten with a 5th-place finish at World Juniors is promising’, stated Dusan Grasic, Director, Domestic Sport at Alpine Canada. It shows that we have strong talent coming up through our Provincial Teams and that Canada seen as a strong speed nation.”

Alexander followed up on his super-G result, leading the men’s team in the alpine combined event, finishing in 13th-place. ACA Development Team athletes, Jeffrey Read (Calgary, AB) and Simon Fournier (Montreal, QC) finished 17th and 18th respectively.

The ladies team battled hard at each race, bringing home top 30 results.  Noticeably missing from this year’s championship was 2017 FIS Alpine Junior World Championships gold and silver medallist, Ali Nullmeyer, who is out for the 2017-18 season recovering from double ACL surgeries. Also missing from the 2018 roster was Amelia Smart (Invermere, B.C.) and Cassiday Gray (Invermere, B.C.), who both remained in North America.

Canadian Development Team member, Stefanie Fleckenstein (West Vancouver, B.C.) was Canada’s top female in the downhill, finishing in 13th-place, + 1.07sec back from the fastest time set by Kajsa Vickhoff Lie, from Norway.  Fleckenstein finished the alpine combined event in 16th-place, while teammate Marina Vilanova (Montreal, QC) finished in 25th-place.

Canada had an unfortunate early round exit in the team event this year, knocked-out in the quarterfinals against a strong Italian team. Team Canada was comprised of Stefanie Fleckenstein, Marina Vilanova, Jeffrey Read and Sam Mulligan.

Canada battled hard in the tech series, competing against over 100 competitors per event and bringing home top 30 finishes in both the men’s and ladies’ events.

Read finished the men’s giant slalom in 18th-place, followed by teammate Fournier in 43rd position.

NCAA (Dartmouth College) athlete Stephanie Currie (Toronto, ON) lead the Canadian women in giant slalom, finishing just outside the top 30 in 31st position.

Fournier took charge in the men’s slalom, leading the Canadian results in 15th-place, while Currie was the top Canadian in the ladies race, finishing in 19th-place.

Congratulations to all of the athletes who participated in the 2018 FIS Alpine Junior World Championships.

 

Canadian Top 30 Results

Ladies’ Giant Slalom (30.01.2018)

n/a

 

Men’s Downhill (31.01.2018)

2 – Sam Mulligan

6 – Jeffrey Read

17 – Cameron Alexander

18 – Simon Fournier

20 – Riley Seger

 

Ladies’ Slalom (31.01.2018)

19 – Stephanie Currie

 

Men’s Super-G (02.02.2018)

5 – Cameron Alexander

 

Team Event (03.02.2018)

7 – Canada

 

Men’s Alpine Combined (04.02.2018)

13 – Cameron Alexander

17 – Jeffrey Read

18 – Simon Fournier

29 – Sam Mulligan

 

Ladies’ Super-G (04.02.2018)

18 – Stephanie Fleckenstein

 

Ladies’ Alpine Combined (05.02.2018)

16 – Stephanie Fleckenstein

25 – Marina Vilanova

 

Men’s Giant Slalom (06.02.2018)

18 – Jeffrey Read

 

Men’s Slalom (07.02.2018)

15 – Simon Fournier

19 – Sam Mulligan

 

Ladies’ Downhill (08.02.2018)

13 – Stefanie Fleckenstein

 

For a full list of results, please visit: https://data.fis-ski.com/dynamic/event-details.html?event_id=41122&cal_suchsector=AL

 

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