World Juniors Wraps Up with Slalom

SOCHI, Russia (March 5, 2016) – The FIS Junior World Ski Championships wrapped up today with men’s and women’s slalom, in which Alex Leever (Vail, CO, U.S. Ski Team, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail) and Patricia Mangan (Derby, NY, U.S. Ski Team/Holimont Racing Club) led the way for the Americans, finishing 19th and 14th respectively.

The tough conditions at the Rosa Khutor alpine center continued to plague the top juniors in the world. On the men’s side, Leever battled rain, sleet, snow and fog to grab a top 20, finishing 19th. Patrick Kenney (Hingham, MA, U.S. Ski Team/Burke Mountain Academy), Florian Szwebel (Avon, CO, National Training Group/Ski & Snowboard Club Vail), Drew Duffy (Warren, VT, U.S. Ski Team/Green Mountain Valley School) and Erik Arvidsson (Woodside, CA, U.S. Ski Team/Squaw Valley Ski Team/Bear Valley) did not finish in a challenging first run, where athletes struggled to even see through their goggles.

“Athletes were racing through ruts with their goggles covered and almost no vision,” said Alpine Development Director Chip Knight. “It was the kind of day where anything could happen, and you had to really battle to give yourself a chance.” 

Croatia packed the podium today for the men, with a German in the middle. Istok Rodes finished first, with Frederik Norys taking second and Elias Kolega rounding out the podium in third.

On the women’s side, Mangan skied to an impressive 14th place while teammates Galena Wardle (Basalt, CO, U.S. Ski Team/Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club) finished 20th and Nina O’Brien (Edwards, CO, U.S. Ski Team/Burke Mountain Academy) 21st. Women’s Europa Cup Head Coach Frank Kelble found Mangan’s performance a highlight of the weekend. “Mangan has been fast in training all year,” said Kelble. “She finally brought it on in a race. Good day for her.” Nellie Rose Talbot (Vail, CO, National Training Group/Ski & Snowboard Club Vail) also competed, but did not finish the first run.

Germany’s Elisabeth Willibald prevailed today, with Austria grabbing second and third place with a pair of Katharinas – Katharina Gallhuber and Katharina Huber.

Erik Arvidsson, Galena Wardle, Drew Duffy and Nina O'Brien participated in the Team Event, as well.

The results might not have been what they expected, but Kelble and Knight look ahead. “We were shooting for top 10s but the slalom field was very strong,” said Kelble. “We'll take it but expect more in 2017.” As Knight reflected on the day, he also looked forward to the future from a development standpoint. “We have work to do as a country in slalom to raise our game and compete at the international level,” noted Knight.

World Juniors action wrapped up with the presentation of the Marc Hodler Trophy awarded to Team Austria for the best overall performance. Austria scored 97 points followed by Switzerland with 85 and Canada with 58 points.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Patricia Mangan was the top American female, finishing 14th in slalom.
• Alex Leever was the sole American male to finish, grabbing 19th place.
• World Juniors action wrapped up with the presentation of the Marc Hodler Trophy awarded to Team Austria for the best overall performance.

QUOTES

Chip Knight, Alpine Development Director
Tough weather conditions today: rain, sleet, snow, and fog. Athletes were racing through ruts with their goggles covered and almost no vision. It was the kind of day where anything could happen, and you had to really battle to give yourself a chance. I’m proud of Tricia, Alex, Galena, and Nina for doing just that. The top athletes were far ahead though at the end of the day. We have work to do as a country in slalom to raise our game and compete at the international level.

Frank Kelble, Women’s Europa Cup Head Coach
Wet, sloppy, bumpy and nasty with terrible visibility at times. Mangan has been fast in training all year. She finally brought it on in a race. Good day for her. We were shooting for top 10s but the slalom field was very strong. We'll take it but expect more in 2017. 

RESULTS
Men’s slalom
Women’s slalom