Whistler Cup kicks off with super-G

The 25th Whistler Cup, hosted at Whistler Blackcomb, Canada, kicked off on Thursday. The Whistler Cup is an elite international race for junior athletes, and competition got started with the U16 men’s and women’s super-G races.

Fredrik Willumsen Haug of Norway took the gold with a final time of 1:04.24, followed by Raphael Lessard and Nathan Romanin of Canada in second and third place.

“The course was really soft, especially in the middle, so I really had to ski the bumps in the course,” said Haug. “It didn’t feel like a good run but it was fast and I’m really happy.”

Lessard was competing for the first time at the Mackenzie Investments Whistler Cup.

“It feels good to get a strong result,’’ said Lessard. “It was a good run considering it was hard to see. The conditions were challenging, but I pulled it through. It was particularly foggy on the last pitch and could not see the ground.’’

Romanin reached the podium despite being the 44th starter. The start of the men’s race was also delayed two hours due to conditions. The two American finishers in the race, Jack Reich of Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club (SSWSC) and Wyatt Hall of Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (SSCV), finished in 13th and 22nd place, respectively. Nico Richeda of SSWSC did not finish.

Selina Egloff of Switzerland won the gold medal in 1:06.33 seconds. Ine Haugland of Norway took silver with a final time of 1:06.36 and Sofie Sund Malin of Norway was third with a time of 1:06.51.

“The course was very fast,’’ said Ergloff. “That is usually not ideal for me, but I was able to overcome that.’’

Three American women started the race. Zoe Zimmerman of Burke Mountain Academy finished in seventh place, 1.01 seconds away from the win. Nicola Rountree-Williams of SSCV and Georgie Sullivan of Sugar Bowl Academy finished in 19th and 48th, respectively.

Competition continues Friday with the U16 men’s and women’s giant slalom, the U14 women’s slalom and the U14 men’s dual slalom.

Complete women’s results are available here.
Complete men’s results are available here.