SQUAW VALLEY, CA – (March 11, 2017) – Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO) did it again! A day after winning the giant slalom, Shiffrin won again, this time in slalom at the Audi FIS Ski World Cup in front of 12,000 fans on a sunny California day.

“I love the crowd,” Shiffrin said. “They cheered so hard! It’s just awesome that 12,000 people today came to watch. In the U.S., that’s so big, and we loved hearing them!”

Saturday’s victory was Shiffrin’s 25^th World Cup slalom win and puts her squarely in the driver’s seat to win her first overall World Cup title next week in Aspen, Colorado.

Mikaela Shiffrin won her fourth-straight slalom crystal globe following her victory Saturday at Squaw Valley. (Getty Images/Ezra Shaw)

“It definitely takes some pressure off in Aspen,” said Shiffrin, who now leads Slovenia’s Ilka Stuhec by 378 points with four races remaining. "I feel like I can go in and just try to enjoy the races a bit having secured the slalom globe and having such a big lead in the overall. But at the same time, the overall isn’t totally secure yet, and I really want to have a solid performance in front of the home-state crowd there.”

Shiffrin also won her fourth career slalom crystal globe, after Slovenia’s Veronika Velez Zuzulova skied out on the first run, becoming the first skier in history to win the World Championships slalom title and the World Cup overall slalom title in the same year for the third time.

But it wasn’t easy. Skiing on a steep, relentless and fast course, Shiffrin finished second to Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener on the first run. In the second run, just two gates in, Shiffrin got twisted on the steep pitch. But she took the next few gates to find her rhythm, and in characteristic Shiffrin style, drilled the bottom third of the course to take the lead by 1.03 from Sarka Strachova of the Czech Republic.

Then it was up to Holdener, who skied the top of the course well, but had to gas the bottom to unseat the American. After the third interval, Holdener held a slim 0.12 advantage, but disaster struck with a few gates remaining as she hooked a tip and skied out.

Mikaela Shiffrin reacts after Wendy Holdener of Switzerland skied off course in the second run in Squaw Valley, California. (Getty Images/Ezra Shaw)

Strachova finished second, followed by Austria’s Bernadette Schild in third. Megan McJames (Park City, UT) did not qualify for the second run. Resi Stiegler (Jackson, WY) and Lila Lapanja (Incline Village, NV) did not finish the first run.

Up next, the World Cup Finals take place in Aspen, Colorado, March 13-19. Downhill training is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, with the downhill race scheduled for Wednesday.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Mikaela Shiffrin won her 31st career Audi FIS Ski World Cup race Saturday, winning the slalom at Squaw Valley.
• Shiffrin won her fourth slalom crystal globe after Slovenia’s Veronika Velez Zuzulova skied out on the first run.
• Shiffrin also became the first skier in history to win the World Championships slalom title and the World Cup overall slalom title in the same year for the third time.
• An estimated crowd of 12,000 was on hand to watch Saturday’s slalom.
• Road to Aspen: Shiffrin leads the overall World Cup standings with 1,523 points. Slovenia’s Ilka Stuhec is second with 1,145, followed by Italy’s Sofia Goggia with 1,057. Shiffrin clinched her fourth slalom crystal globe with 760 points. Veronika Velez Zuzulova of Slovenia is second with 515 points with one slalom race remaining next week at the World Cup Finals.

QUOTES
Mikaela Shiffrin
It definitely takes some pressure off in Aspen. I feel like I can go in and just try to enjoy the races a bit having secured the slalom globe and having such a big lead in the overall. But at the same time, the overall isn’t totally secure yet, and I really want to have a solid performance in front of the home-state crowd there.

Today was amazing! It's incredible to have two wins here in Squaw Valley. I’m proud of the fight I put into the race. I think can ski a little bit better, but I definitely fought as hard as I could.

I love the crowd. They cheered so hard! It’s just awesome that 12,000 people today came to watch. In the U.S., that’s so big, and we loved hearing them!

RESULTS
Women’s slalom

RE, Sweden (March 11, 2017) – River Radamus (Edwards, CO; U.S. Ski Team D Team/Ski & Snowboard Club Vail) won the silver medal in alpine combined, the third medal for the U.S. at the 2017 FIS Junior World Ski Championships, Saturday.

Switzerland’s Lois Meillard took the gold as Germany’s George Hegele won the bronze. Sam Morse (Sugarloaf, ME; U.S. Ski Team C Team/Carrabassett Valley Academy), who won the downhill earlier in the week, finished sixth after winning the morning super G. Erik Arvidsson (Woodside, CA; U.S. Ski Team C Team/Squaw Valley Ski Team) was 22^nd; George Steffey (Lyme, NH; U.S. Ski Team D Team/Stratton Mountain School) 41^st.

Coaches and members of the U.S. Junior World Championships team celebrate with River Radamus following Saturday’s silver medal. (USSA)

Radamus finished 10th in the morning super G, and backed it up with a fourth-place result in the afternoon slalom on a sun-baked course.

”All this year my slalom has been hit or miss," said Radamus. "I’ve been skiing really well sometimes but not been able to finish the run, but I’ve been feeling pretty good coming into these Championships."

“River picked bib 1 and attacked the line he inspected, making some mistakes but recovering well and putting himself in a good position for the slalom,” said Alpine Development Director Chip Knight. “Sam ran bib 31 and used the confidence he’s built all week to execute a great run and win the super G.”

The 2017 FIS Junior World Ski Championships continue Sunday with the women’s giant slalom, followed by the team event.

HIGHLIGHTS

• River Radamus won the silver medal in alpine combined Saturday at the 2017 FIS Junior World Ski Championships.
• Sam Morse posted the fastest time in the morning super G to finish sixth overall.
• The 2017 FIS Junior World Ski Championships continue Sunday with the women’s giant slalom, followed by the team event.

RESULTS
Men’s alpine combined

RE, Sweden (March 10, 2017) - Nina O’Brien (Edwards, CO; U.S. Ski Team D Team/Burke Mountain Academy/Squaw Valley Ski Team) was the top-placed American in alpine combined as Austria’s Nadine Fest won her second gold medal of the 2017 FIS Junior World Ski Championships Friday.

Slovenia’s Meta Hrovat took the silver medal, as Franziska Gritsch of Austria won the bronze. Fest also won the super G title on Thursday.

O’Brien finished 15^th Friday, as teammate Patricia Mangan (Derby, NY; U.S. Ski Team C Team/Holimont Racing Club) was 16^th and Maureen Lebel (Truckee, CA; Mammoth Mountain Ski & Snowboard Club) finished 21^st. Alice Merryweather (Hingham, MA; U.S. Ski Team C Team/Attitash Race Team/Stratton Mountain School), who won the downhill Wednesday, was 24^th.

Up next, the men compete in alpine combined at the FIS Junior World Ski Championships Saturday.

RESULTS
Women’s alpine combined

SQUAW VALLEY, CA (March 10, 2017) – Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO) provided more than 8,000 ski racing fans lining Squaw Valley's Red Dog course with a thrilling victory, and moved one step closer to the overall World Cup title after winning Friday’s Audi FIS Ski World Cup giant slalom.

“It’s awesome,” Shiffrin said. “The people in California are so nice. It’s great to win in front of my own home country crowd.”

Friday’s victory was Shiffrin’s fourth career World Cup giant slalom win and 30^th career World Cup victory. Italy’s Federica Brignone finished second, followed by World Cup giant slalom leader Tessa Worley of France in third.

Mikaela Shiffrin won her 30^th career Audi FIS Ski World Cup race Friday at Squaw Valley. (Getty Images/Agence Zoon/Alexis Boichard)

Shiffrin won the first run by 0.20 over Worley on a warm, spring-like, California day. In the second run though, Brignone almost spoiled the American homecoming for Shiffrin, as she put down an amazing run to move atop the leaderboard. Worley, who held a 0.79-second advantage over Brignone, failed to knock the Italian out of the lead.

So, it was up to Shiffrin, the final racer down to the mountain. She held a massive 1.14-second advantage at the first split over Brignone, then 0.72 at the second interval. By the time she hit the third interval split though, Shiffrin was trailing by 0.03 seconds. But in classic Shiffrin style, she shifted into overdrive and sneaked across the line to take the victory by just 0.07 seconds.

“I have a lot better skiing in me, but I definitely put some good turns out there, and I’m proud of that,” Shiffrin said. “Just to win the second to last GS of the season is a better position than I’ve ever been in at this point, so I’m really excited with today.”

Shiffrin celebrates her win in the Squaw finish. (Getty Images-Ezra Shaw)

Shiffrin though, was quick to share the triumph of her victory with the hardworking course crew at Squaw Valley, which have managed to provide a world-class venue after receiving a record 625 inches of snow so far this season.

“They have done a really, really good job here just combating all the snow they have had all winter,” Shiffrin said. “And then even just last week, putting water in it and making it compact again. I know these guys have been working tirelessly in order to provide a really good World Cup (course) for us. They did it! It’s awesome! It’s warm, and it’s not the easiest conditions to prepare for, or ski, but they did a great job!”

With Friday’s victory, Shiffrin built upon her overall World Cup lead over Slovenia’s Ilka Stuhec, who crashed and did not finish the first run. Shiffrin leads with 1,423 points. Stuhec has 1,145, followed by Italy’s Sofia Goggia with 1,045. Friday’s win also put her in contention for the overall World Cup giant slalom title with one race remain next week in Aspen. Worley leads the GS standings with 640 points. Shiffrin is second with 560.

Shiffrin takes a selfie with her team. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Alexis Boichard)

“I’m really excited to have 100 points after this race,” Shiffrin said. “Going into tomorrow, now I have to refocus, it’s a little bit of an adrenaline rush. I need to calm down and refocus for slalom day tomorrow.

“I can’t wait to go to Aspen; even having a 270-something-point lead going into the last, basically, four races of the season – that’s big,” she continued. “But at the same time, I don’t feel like I’ve done anything yet, so I don’t want to take it for granted.”

Shiffrin can wrap up the World Cup slalom title Saturday with a top-three finish as Slovenia’s Veronika Zuzulova Velez is currently second, trailing by 145 points. Saturday’s race will be live in NBCsports.com/live with the first run at 1 p.m. EST, and the second run at 4 p.m. EST.

Shiffrin stands atop the podium. (Getty Images-Ezra Shaw)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Mikaela Shiffrin took her 30^th career Audi FIS Ski World Cup victory Friday, winning the giant slalom at Squaw Valley.
• Italy’s Federica Brignone finished second, followed by World Cup giant slalom leader Tessa Worley of France in third.
• Megan McJames (Park City, UT) finished 22^nd; Resi Stiegler (Jackson, WY) did not qualify for the second run.
• An estimated crowd of 8,000 were on hand to watch Friday’s giant slalom.
• Road to Aspen: Shiffrin leads the overall World Cup standings with 1,423 points. Slovenia’s Ilka Stuhec is second with 1,145, followed by Italy’s Sofia Goggia with 1,045. In the overall giant slalom World Cup standings, Tessa Worley of France leads with 640 points. Shiffrin is second with 560.

QUOTES
Mikaela Shiffrin
Just to win the second to last GS of the season is a better position than I’ve ever been in at this point. I’m really excited with today. I have a lot better skiing in me, but I definitely put some good turns out there, and I’m proud of that.

It’s awesome. The people in California are so nice. It’s great to win in front of my own home country crowd.

I made a few mistakes, but nothing was ginormous and I was able to recover from it. Those mistakes were just because I was attacking. It’s so much better for me to add that little bit of risk, because I know I can handle it.

[On heading to the Aspen as the World Cup leader]
I’m really excited to have 100 points after this race. Going into tomorrow, now I have to refocus, it’s a little bit of an adrenalin rush. I need to sort of calm down and refocus for slalom day tomorrow. I can’t wait to go to Aspen; even having a 270-something-point lead going into the last, basically, four races of the season – that’s big. But at the same time, I don’t feel like I’ve done anything yet, so I don’t want to take it for granted.

[On the course crew]
They have done a really, really good job here just combating all the snow they have had all winter. And then even just last week, putting water in it and making it compact again. I know these guys have been working tirelessly in order to provide a really good World Cup (course) for us. They did it. It’s awesome. It’s warm and it’s not the easiest conditions to prepare for, or ski, but they did a great job!

BROADCAST AND LIVE STREAMING (times EST)
All events streaming at www.nbcsports.com/live

Saturday, Mar. 11
1:00 p.m. – women's slalom – run 1 – nbcsports.com/live
1:30 p.m. – women’s giant slalom – NBC
4:00 p.m. – women's slalom – run 2 – nbcsports.com/live
4:00 p.m. – women’s slalom – NBCSN – LIVE

RESULTS
Women’s giant slalom

SQUAW VALLEY, CA (Mar. 9, 2017) – The Audi FIS Ski World Cup returns to Squaw Valley for the first time since 1969, when local legend Billy Kidd took home slalom gold on home snow. This weekend, Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO) will lead the charge on a quest for gold and globes on a challenging, relentless Red Dog track in Squaw Valley for the final stop of the World Cup tour before World Cup Finals in Aspen.

As a part of its NBC partnership, the U.S. Ski Team expanded its broadcast to include both NBC as well as live coverage of the women’s slalom on Saturday on NBCSN, where Shiffrin could wrap up the World Cup slalom title.

Squaw has had a winter for the books with 625 inches of snow, which has presented some unique challenges. Even so, organizers have been up to the task and after a weekend snow dump, the weather is spring-like and clear. The Red Dog surface is in great condition, but with its terrain and length, it will provide an extremely technical and challenging race for the women.

The women will take on giant slalom Friday with slalom on Saturday – both on Red Dog. Shiffrin, who turns 22 years old on March 13, has the ability to clinch the World Cup slalom title if she grabs a top-three finish Saturday. That would be Shiffrin’s fourth slalom title in five years. How about that for a birthday present?!

Shiffrin is quite familiar with Red Dog, where she won a giant slalom title at the 2014 U.S. Alpine Championships. “I can’t wait to race in Squaw,” said Shiffrin recently. “It is so exciting to be finishing the season in the U.S. and Squaw has been one of my favorite places to race in the spring ever since U.S. Alpine Championships in 2014 when we raced there. That was my first time at Squaw and I fell in love with the place. There is so much skiing history and you can feel the passion for the sport everywhere you turn. People just love it there.”

Also competing this weekend for the Americans are the fierce and fiery Resi Stiegler (Jackson, WY), currently ranked top 15 in the world in slalom, local rising star Lila Lapanja (Incline Village, NV) – who was the junior U.S. slalom champ in 2014 – and Megan McJames (Park City, UT). Notably missing in this weekend’s competition is Olympic champion and local Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley, CA), who is still recovering from a hip injury.

"I was planning to ski here until a week ago,” she said. "But things weren’t going really well for me. It was hard to train. I just didn’t feel I could go 110% from start to finish. I’ll for sure check out the hill and be a fan again.”

Squaw kicked off the World Cup with a party at KT Stage Thursday night. (U.S. Ski Team-Tom Kelly)

While she won’t be racing, Mancuso has logged thousands of hours on Red Dog, starting when she was a young ski racer in the pre-dawn hours. And she had some advice for her fellow World Cup athletes.

"The biggest thing with Red Dog is just charging top to bottom,” she said. "It’s very challenging – there’s a lot of physical effort to get to the finish line. You have to be on that limit."

Fans can catch all of the weekend’s action via live streaming on nbcsports.com/live and on NBCSN and NBC.

Road to Aspen
After a weekend of speed racing, Ilka Stuhec of Slovenia trimmed Shiffrin's overall World Cup lead to 178 points going into a technical weekend in Squaw Valley. Shiffrin cannot clinch the overall in Squaw Valley, but can wrap up the slalom title. She holds a 145-point margin over Veronika Velez Zuzulova with two slaloms left on the schedule. Stuhec nearly has the downhill title in hand with a 97-point lead over Sofia Goggia and needs only to finish ahead of her in Aspen to gain the title. Goggia would need a win. Stuhec has a mere 15-point lead over Tina Weirather in the super G with the crystal globe on the line in Aspen. Tessa Worley has a 120-point lead over Shiffrin in giant slalom with two events remaining.

The Audi FIS Ski World Cup crystal globes will be awarded at the World Cup Finals in Aspen.

CONFIRMED STARTERS
Megan McJames (Park City, UT) – GS, SL
Lila Lapanja (Incline Village, NV) – SL
Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO) – GS, SL
Resi Stiegler (Jackson, WY) – GS, SL

QUOTES

Mikaela Shiffrin
I can’t wait to race in Squaw. It is so exciting to be finishing the season in the U.S. and Squaw has been one of my favorite places to race in the spring ever since U.S. Alpine Championships in 2014 when we raced there. That was my first time at Squaw and I fell in love with the place. There is so much skiing history and you can feel the passion for the sport everywhere you turn. People just love it there.

I have skied Red Dog once for our U.S. Alpine Championships race in 2014 and then again last year during a spring training camp. I have been on it enough to know that it is a very demanding and fun hill to ski, but I haven’t skied it enough to feel like I know it backward and forwards.

Julia Mancuso
I was planning to ski here until a week ago. But things weren’t going really well for me. It was hard to train. I just didn’t feel I could go 110% from start to finish. So I decided I would be here to experience it and talk to all my friends. I’ll for sure check out the hill and be a fan again.

The biggest thing with Red Dog is just charging top to bottom. It’s very challenging – there’s a lot of physical effort to get to the finish line. You have to be on that limit.

BROADCAST AND LIVE STREAMING (times EST)
All events streaming at www.nbcsports.com/live

Friday, Mar. 10
1:00 p.m. – women’s giant slalom – run 1 – nbcsports.com/live – LIVE STREAM
4:00 p.m. – women’s giant slalom – run 2 – nbcsports.com/live – LIVE STREAM

Saturday, Mar. 11
1:30 p.m. – women’s giant slalom – NBC
4:00 p.m. – women’s slalom – NBCSN – LIVE

Live streaming available on NBCsports.com/Live and the NBC Sports app, which is available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire.

START LIST
Women’s Giant Slalom

SQUAW VALLEY, CA (Mar. 9, 2017) - Millions of fans worldwide will be watching the racing action on Red Dog as the Audi FIS Ski World Cup comes to the Olympic village of Squaw Valley Friday and Saturday. But resort officials and local Olympic champion Julia Mancuso have a forward looking view, hoping that the races inspire the next generation of stars.

Officials from Squaw Valley and the U.S. Ski Team spoke to media Thursday to kickoff the race weekend. A continual theme was how the weekend of ski racing will impact the future.

"It’s been a dream to have a race back at home,” said Mancuso, who came out of the local Squaw Valley Ski Team and went on to become an Olympic champion and win four Olympic medals. Mancuso actually originated the concept, seeing an open weekend on the proposed calendar between the Olympic test event in South Korea and the World Cup Finals in Aspen. 

Olympic Champion Julia Mancuso originated the idea of Squaw Valley hosting the Audi FIS Ski World Cup to inspire the next generation of ski racers. (USSA-Tom Kelly)

"I planted the idea because I knew that anything was possible. Having that great legacy and all the champions living in the valley brought a lot of passion into my life. I’m happy to share this with the next generation and bring that passion into their life,” she said.

Mancuso brought her idea to Squaw Valley President and CEO Andy Wirth, who quickly engaged with the U.S. Ski Team to explore the possibilities.

"The heritage and legacy of this place are well known in North America and around the world,” said Wirth. “Squaw Valley’s background was developed by a remarkable cadre of skiers who have been raised by KT22.

"While we’re appreciative of the promotional exposure, what we’re really trying to do is to inspire the next generation of ski racers from our community, the region and across America,” said Wirth. "There will be another new group of young athletes competing for the USA in 2022 at Beijing and beyond. There’s nothing better to inspire young racers when stars come through the finish line and meet the kids.”

Squaw Valley has a long history and culture of ski racing. More than 6,000 fans came to the U.S. Alpine Championships at Squaw Valley just a few years ago.

"Everyone is just so stoked,” said Mancuso. "It’s all been positive and the community is very excited. This opportunity doesn’t come around that often.”

More than 6,000 fans came out to cheer on the racers at the 2014 U.S. Alpine Championships. (USSA)

USSA President and CEO Tiger Shaw was quick to latch onto the idea put forward by Squaw Valley to bring another World Cup venue online in America.

“It’s amazing that we can showcase another venue in America,” said Shaw. "With our partner NBC, the ability to bring this to our fans and expose younger athletes is a huge opportunity.”

As a part of its NBC partnership, the U.S. Ski Team expanded its broadcast to include both NBCSN as well as live coverage of the women’s slalom on Saturday on NBC, where Mikaela Shiffrin could wrap up the World Cup slalom title.

A World Cup at Squaw Valley, which has received 625 inches of snow this year, has presented unique challenges, but organizers have been up to the task. 

"We had a really good plan 10 days ago,” laughed Race Director Kyle Kruzee of Squaw Valley. “We put water on the course and it was ready - a great World Cup surface. Then Mother Nature came in and dumped three to four feet of snow on it - four to six inches an hour. So we lost that battle.”

On Monday, crews were able to push the snow off and actually find the original watered down surface, which was rebuilt in time for the World Cup athletes to free ski on the hill Thursday morning.

"I was ecstatic this morning to watch the freeskiing,” said Kruzee. “It was scratchy, hard and sounded like a World Cup race course.”

While Mancuso brought the idea forward, the complexity of her comeback from injury will prevent her from racing.

"I was planning to ski here until a week ago,” she said. "But things weren’t going really well for me. It was hard to train. I just didn’t feel I could go 110% from start to finish. So I decided I would be here to experience it and talk to all my friends. I’ll for sure check out the hill and be a fan again.”

While she won’t be racing, Mancuso has logged thousands of hours on Red Dog, starting when she was a young ski racer in the pre-dawn hours. And she had some advice for her fellow World Cup athletes.

"The biggest thing with Red Dog is just charging top to bottom,” she said. "It’s very challenging - there’s a lot of physical effort to get to the finish line. You have to be on that limit."

RE, Sweden (Mar. 9, 2017) – For the second day in a row, Sam Morse (Sugarloaf, ME; U.S. Ski Team C Team/Carrabassett Valley Academy) led the charge for the U.S., finishing just .08 seconds off the top of the podium at the 2017 FIS Junior World Ski Championships Thursday. On the women’s side, Maureen Lebel (Truckee, CA; Mammoth Mountain Ski & Snowboard Club) was the top U.S. finisher in ninth.

Though the sun was shining and the conditions were perfect, it was a challenging super G race in re and athletes could find the podium from any bib number. Both the men’s and the women’s courses offered a high degree of challenge combined with the terrain on the track.

“Yesterday’s downhill results were truly spectacular,” U.S. Alpine Development Director Chip Knight on Wednesday’s gold medal sweep. “Two top 10s today was a solid performance, but we left a lot out on the hill. Now it’s time to learn from our mistakes and execute better in the alpine combined events ahead.”

The men’s field put up quite the fight with a barnburner race, as less than a half of a second separated the top 10 and eight hundredths was the difference between first and fifth. Morse missed a podium by six hundredths but grabbed another solid finish to add to his Junior Worlds arsenal.

Erik Arvidsson (Woodside, CA; U.S. Ski Team C Team/Squaw Valley Ski Team) finished 20^th, River Radamus (Edwards, CO; U.S. Ski Team D Team/Ski & Snowboard Club Vail) 28^th, Florian Szwebel (Avon, CO; U.S. Ski Team D Team/Ski & Snowboard Club Vail) 31^st, and Andrew Miller (Park City, UT; National Training Group/Park City Ski Team) 41^st. George Steffey (Lyme, NH; U.S. Ski Team D Team/Stratton Mountain School) did not finish.

On the women’s side, the Austrians dominated the field, sweeping the top four with Nadine Fest taking a commanding win by 1.19 seconds. Lebel bounced back from a tough downhill result to lead the team with a ninth place finish and Galena Wardle (Basalt, CO; U.S. Ski Team C Team/Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club) grabbing 11^th place. Nina O’Brien (Edwards, CO; U.S. Ski Team D Team; Burke Mountain Academy/Squaw Valley Ski Team) finished 28^th.

Keely Cashman (Strawberry, CA; U.S. Ski Team D Team/Squaw Valley Ski Team) did not finish.

Patricia Mangan (Derby, NY; U.S. Ski Team C Team/Holimont Racing Club) and Junior Worlds downhill gold medalist Alice Merryweather (Hingham, MA; U.S. Ski Team C Team/Attitash Race Team/Stratton Mountain School) put down fast splits on top but also did not finish.

The Junior World Ski Championships continue Friday in re, Sweden with the women’s alpine combined, while the men will have the day off.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Sam Morse (fifth) and Maureen Lebel (ninth) led the way for the U.S. in the 2017 FIS Junior World Ski Championships super G on Thursday.
• The Austrian women swept the podium and had four in the top five, led by Nadine Fest in her first ever FIS Junior World Ski Championship bid.  
• The Junior World Ski Championships continue Friday in re, Sweden the women’s alpine combined.
• re will also host the next FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in 2019.

QUOTES

Chip Knight, U.S. Alpine Development Director
Yesterday’s downhill results were truly spectacular. Two top 10s today was a solid performance, but we left a lot out on the hill. Now it’s time to learn from our mistakes and execute better in the alpine combined events ahead.

RESULTS
Junior Men’s Super G
Junior Women’s Super G

RE, Sweden (March 8, 2017) – Sam Morse (Sugarloaf, ME; U.S. Ski Team C Team/Carrabassett Valley Academy) and Alice Merryweather (Hingham, MA; U.S. Ski Team C Team/Stratton Mountain School) led a U.S. downhill gold-medal sweep at the 2017 FIS Junior World Ski Championships Wednesday. This was the second-straight U.S. downhill gold medal for junior men.

"It’s awesome to see athletes perform to their abilities when it counts,” said U.S. Alpine Development Director Chip Knight. “Kudos to them and to everyone who contributed to making it happen.”

Sam Morse stands atop the men's podium at Junior Worlds. (FIS)

Morse edged out Italy’s Alexander Prast by 0.38 for the victory. Austria’s Raphael Haaser was third. River Radamus (Edwards, CO; U.S. Ski Team D Team/Ski & Snowboard Club Vail) finished 10^th; George Steffey (Lyme, NH; U.S. Ski Team D Team/Stratton Mountain School) was 23^rd; Florian Szwebel (Avon, CO; U.S. Ski Team D Team/Ski & Snowboard Club Vail) was 64^th.

Defending Junior World downhill champion Erik Arvidsson (Woodside, CA; U.S. Ski Team C Team/Squaw Valley Ski Team) skied slightly off-line going off the first jump and lost a ski on the landing and skied out, but was not injured. Arvidsson is now looking forward to Thursday’s super G, according to Knight.

Morse, who started bib 30, has been working on his giant slalom skills all season, and tested some different lines in downhill training earlier in the week. His GS skills paid off significantly in the technical sections as the sun broke out for the later starters. In addition, the track ran quite a bit faster on race day than it had been in training.

“The men’s coaches and athletes made an educated guess to pick numbers later in the top 30 because guys had been fast from the 30s in training, and because the wind was expected to die down as the day went on,” noted Knight. “Having the sun break through was an added benefit.”

Morse, who was just off the podium in fourth at last year's World Juniors in Sochi, was thrilled. "It’s a big step in the career," he said after the race. "I’ve been looking forward to this for a while. It hasn’t really hit me yet, honestly. It puts a target on your back in the future, but it makes you hungry for that next step. We all dream of going to the World Cup and hopefully this will launch me in that direction."

Alice Merryweather (center) smiles after winning the Junior Worlds downhill. (FIS)

In the women’s race - which was run under overcast conditions before the men - Merryweather, who was battling a bit of a cold earlier in the week, rebounded to win by just 0.02 seconds over Switzerland’s Katia Grossmann. Germany’s Kira Weidle was third.

“(Alice) progressed nicely through the training runs, improving each time,” Knight said.  “(Tuesday) she had fast splits, but botched one turn. It was great to see her make that adjustment and execute on race day.”

Merryweather now looks forward to the rest of the week at re. "It’s pretty unreal," said Merryweather. "This is my fourth year of World Juniors and I’ve always wanted to be on top of the podium. To achieve that is so cool. It’s a huge boost to my confidence going into the rest of this series and the rest of this season. It feels good and I want to keep this feeling going."

Galena Wardle (Basalt, CO; U.S. Ski Team C Team/Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club) was 16^th; Nina O’Brien (Edwards, CO; U.S. Ski Team D Team/Burke Mountain Academy/Squaw Valley Ski Team) 24^th; Rachael DesRochers (Mammoth Lakes, CA; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail) 35^th; and Maureen Lebel (Truckee, CA; Mammoth Mountain Ski & Snowboard Club) was 36^th.

The Junior World Ski Championships continue Thursday in re, Sweden with men and women’s super G.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Americans Sam Morse and Alice Merryweather both took wins at the 2017 FIS Junior World Ski Championships downhill Wednesday.
• This was the second-straight U.S. downhill gold medal for the junior men. Erik Arvidsson won the title in Sochi, Russia in 2016.
• The Junior World Ski Championships continue Thursday in re, Sweden with men and women’s super G.
• re will also host the next FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in 2019.

QUOTES
Sam Morse
This is a dream come true! After coming in fourth last year in last year’s World Juniors in Sochi, Russia, to come here and win was amazing. I had some OK training runs, but the coaches encouraged me. I knew I had It in me. It took it all to come together for race day and it did.

It’s a big step in the career. I’ve been looking forward to this for a while. It hasn’t really hit me yet, honestly. It puts a target on your back in the future, but it makes you hungry for that next step. We all dream of going to the World Cup and hopefully this will launch me in that direction.

Alice Merryweather
It’s pretty unreal. This is my fourth year of World Juniors and I’ve always wanted to be on top of the podium. To achieve that is so cool. It’s a huge boost to my confidence going into the rest of this series and the rest of this season. It feels good and I want to keep this feeling going.

RESULTS
Junior Men’s downhill
Junior Women’s downhill

KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia (March 5, 2017) – A day after wrapping up his sixth-straight overall World Cup title, Austria’s Marcel Hirscher added another crystal globe to his trophy case - the World Cup slalom title.

Austria’s Michael Matt won Sunday’s Audi FIS Ski World Cup slalom race under light rain and sloppy course conditions. Italy’s Stefano Gross was second, followed by Germany’s Felix Neureuther in third. But it was Hirscher’s fourth-place finish that sealed the overall slalom title, his fourth career slalom crystal globe.

David Chodounsky finished 19^th at the Audi FIS Ski World Cup slalom Sunday in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Stanko Gruden)

For the Americans it was a tough day in Slovenia. David Chodounsky (Crested Butte, CO) was the only American to qualify for the second run, eventually finishing 19^th. Starting 23^rd, Chodounsky had a solid first run – finishing 11^th. But ran into a bit of difficulty near the bottom of his second run on the wet, rutted course.

Mark Engel (Truckee, CA) just missed qualifying for the second run, finishing 34^th in the first run. Robby Kelley (Starksboro, VT), AJ Ginnis (Vouliagmeni, Greece) and Hig Roberts (Steamboat Springs, CO) did not qualify for the second run.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Austria’s Michael Matt won Sunday’s Audi FIS Ski World Cup slalom race. Italy’s Stefano Gross was second, followed by Germany’s Felix Neureuther in third.
• Austria’s Marcel Hirscher won the overall World Cup slalom title following his fourth-place finish Sunday.
• David Chodounsky was the only American to qualify for the second run, finishing 19^th.
• Road to Aspen: A day after wrapping up his sixth-straight overall World Cup title, Austria’s Marcel Hirscher added the World Cup slalom title following his fourth-place finish Sunday. Hirscher has also won the overall World Cup giant slalom title. Norway’s Kjetil Jansrud is the overall super G champion. The only title yet to be decided is downhill. Jansrud holds a 31-point lead over Italy’s Peter Fill. The final downhill of the season is March 15 in Aspen.

RESULTS
Men’s slalom

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (March 4, 2017) – For the second-straight day, Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) finished second at the Audi FIS Ski World Cup super G test event for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

It was dj vu all over again as Italy’s Sofia Goggia won for the second-straight day, followed by Vonn in second and Slovenia’s Ilka Stuhec in third – same podium as Saturday’s downhill. Fresh off the heels of her first World Cup victory Saturday, Goggia’s narrow 0.04-second victory over Vonn was her 11^th podium appearance of the season.

Lindsey Vonn (left), Italy's Sofia Goggia and Slovenia's Ilka Stuhec once again shared the podium at the Audi FIS Ski World Cup on Sunday. (Getty Images/AFP-Fabrice Coffrini)

“Today I thought I actually skied really well, maybe too round on the top,” Vonn said. “But especially the middle section, I’m really happy with how I skied. I think I gave away a little time on that last little pitch, I wasn’t quite clean enough and I didn’t carry my speed as well as I could have. But … really easy fixes. The main point of this weekend was (to gain some confidence) on this hill. I really like it. It suits my skiing really well. I know what I can do to be faster.”

Laurenne Ross (Bend, OR), who was fourth in Saturday’s downhill, finished sixth Sunday – her best super G result of the 2017 season.

"I'm feeling pretty good; I'm glad it's starting to come together" Ross said. "I'm starting to feel a little more confident in super G. It was a fun run on a fun hill and I'm happy with the day. I do feel like I'm an end of season skier, which is kind of annoying, but at least it's the end of the season so I feel pretty good going into Aspen (World Cup Finals)."

Laurenne Ross finished sixth in super G at the Jeongseon Alpine Centre on Sunday. (Getty Images-Tom Pennington)

Other U.S. finishers included Alice McKennis (New Castle, CO) in 32^nd, Jackie Wiles (Aurora, OR) 34^th, Stacey Cook (Mammoth Lakes, CA) in 35^th, Anna Marno (Centennial, WY) 39^th and Breezy Johnson (Victor, ID) 42^nd.

A number of U.S. athletes made the long trip to South Korea along with the women’s speed team to get some time on the 2018 Olympic courses. Mikaela Shiffrin, the current World Cup overall leader, trained at the tech venue in YongPyong earlier in the week and inspected the downhill track at Jeongseon before heading back to the United States to prep for next weekend’s World Cup at Squaw Valley, California. Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, NY) and Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, CA) grabbed some time on the speed track, forerunning the women’s downhill and super G events, and will also train with the women for a couple of days before heading back to prep for World Cup Finals in Aspen.

Up next the women head to Squaw Valley March 11-12 for giant slalom and slalom races, the finals tech events before the World Cup finals March 13-19 in Aspen, Colorado. Shiffrin holds a 178-point lead over Stuhec in the overall World Cup standings. The battle for the Crystal Globe in super G will come down to the final super G race in Aspen on March 16 as Stuhec holds a 15-point lead over Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein. 

HIGHLIGHTS

• Lindsey Vonn finished second for the second-straight day to Italy’s Sofia Goggia in Sunday Audis FIS Ski World Cup super G.
• Goggia's margin of victory between the two days was a mere .11 seconds.
• Slovenia’s Ilka Stuhec was third again for the second-straight day.
• Laurenne Ross, who was fourth in Saturday’s downhill, finished sixth Sunday – her best super G result of the 2017 season.
• Road to Aspen: Mikaela Shiffrin holds a 178-point lead over Stuhec in the overall World Cup standings. The battle for the Crystal Globe in super G will come down to the final super G race in Aspen on March 16 as Stuhec holds a 15-point lead over Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein.

QUOTES
Lindsey Vonn
I definitely struggled this season in super G with just a lack of training hasn’t allowed me to be very confident. But I really like this track, and I think I proved that today. Of course I’m disappointed to be a few hundredths from two wins, but I always feel like in skiing the luck will always come back to you. So I’m hoping that next year those hundredths will come back and I can hopefully be on the top f the podium.

Today I thought I actually skied really well, maybe too round on the top. But especially the middle section I’m really happy with how I skied. I think I gave away a little time on that last little pitch, I wasn’t quite clean enough and I didn’t carry my speed as well as I could have. But … really easy fixes. The main point of this weekend was (to gain some confidence) on this hill. I really like it. It suits my skiing really well. I know what I can do to be faster.

Laurenne Ross
I'm feeling pretty good; I'm glad it's starting to come together. I'm starting to feel a little more confident in super G. It was a fun run on a fun hill and I'm happy with the day. I do feel like I'm an end of season skier, which is kind of annoying, but at least it's the end of the season so I feel pretty good going into Aspen.

You really can’t make mistakes on this hill. One small mistake and there is no pitch to pick up your speed. You really just have to be on it and just maintain your speed and generate the whole way down.

(The course) is really nice. It runs really well … and speeds were actually feeling similar to what they felt like in downhill.

RESULTS
Women’s super G