Are plays host to drawn out Swedish Championships

The 2017 Swedish National Championships took a somewhat unorthodox approach to their races by choosing to hold the slalom races in early February and the remaining championship events in late March and early April. Although it’s not unprecedented for a nation to choose to split up championship events like this to maximize the number of elite athletes in attendance, it does make for some interesting looking race schedules.

After the Stockholm World Cup city event on January 31, the Swedish National Championship slalom races were held about six hours north of Stockholm by car in Hassela on Feb. 2. In the women’s race, emerging World Cup slalom contender Emelie Wikstroem took the win with a combined time of 1:25.14 seconds. Second place went to another World Cup regular, Anna Swenn-Larsson, 0.36 seconds back and third place went to Paulina Grassl, 1.62 seconds behind Wiksreoem. Fastest junior on the day was Elsa Haakansson Fermbaeck, who finished fourth overall, 1.68 seconds behind the winner.

The men’s race saw slalom ace Mattias Hargin take the convincing win with a total time of 1:23.77 seconds, a whopping 1.58 seconds ahead of second place finisher Filip Vennerstroem and 1.81 seconds ahead of Gustav Lundbaeck in third. Vennerstroem was also the fastest junior.

Nearly two months later, the championships picked back up in Are, which hosted this season’s World Junior Championships and will host the World Ski Championships in 2019. The downhill races were first up on March 29. Lisa Hoernblad took the women’s race with a time of 1:43.95 seconds, 1.32 seconds ahead of Lin Ivarsson in second and 1.45 seconds ahead of Helena Rapaport in third. Hoernblad was also the fastest junior.

In the men’s downhill, Finland’s Adreas Romar took top honors with a time of 1:41.39 seconds. Felix Monsen managed a second-place finish, 0.21 seconds off the pace and Filip Platter finished in third, 0.67 seconds off of Romar. Platter was also the fastest junior.

The alpine combined was next up with Hoernblad taking her second title in a row with a total time of 1:41.24 seconds. Second place went to Emelie Henning, 1.47 seconds back and third place was Fanny Axelsson, 1.53 seconds off the pace. Hoernblad was also the fastest junior.

Mattias Roenngren took the men’s combined title with a time of 1:33.67 seconds, 0.72 seconds ahead of second place finisher Lundbaeck. Romar rounded out the podium in third, 0.82 seconds behind Roenngren. Vennerstroem was the fastest junior on the day, 1.14 seconds off the pace in fourth.

Hoernblad kept the hits coming as she took her third national title in the women’s super-G with a winning time of 1:20.10 seconds. Rapaport was 0.24 seconds back in second and Fanny Axelsson rounded out the podium in third, 0.35 seconds off the pace. Hoernblad was also the fastest junior.

The men’s super-G title went to Monsen with a time of 1:16.33 seconds followed closely by Roenngren in second, 0.13 seconds behind. Rounding out the podium in third was Romar, 0.22 seconds back. Fastest junior on the day went to Platter in fourth place, 0.84 seconds back.

The men’s and women’s giant slaloms were the final events of the series with World Cup star Frida Hansdotter taking the women’s race with a combined time of 1:59.21 seconds, 0.26 seconds ahead of second place finisher Maria Pietilae-Holmner and 0.40 seconds ahead of another World Cup regular, Sara Hector, who finished third. Haakansson Fermbaeck was the fastest junior in seventh place, 1.22 seconds off of Hansdotter.

Andre Myhrer took the men’s GS title with a combined time of 2:24.26 seconds, 0.98 seconds ahead of second place finisher Anthon Cassman and 1.02 seconds ahead of Matts Olsson. Fastest junior honors went to Hannes Grym in sixth place, 4.37 seconds off of Myhrer’s winning time.

Complete results from the series are available here.