SAC Speed Racing in Chile Attracts World Cup Stars

By Published On: September 10th, 2018Comments Off on SAC Speed Racing in Chile Attracts World Cup Stars

The South American Cup (SAC) is well underway in with downhill and super-G racing for both men and women taking place last week in La Parva, Chile.  Although the fields were small, with fewer than 50 men and 20 women participating in the week of races, the level of competition was high as several European national teams were on hand to provide pace and scoring opportunities for the younger racers in the field.

Downhill was first on the schedule with the men and women competing in two races each. For the women, Russia’s Aleksandra Prokopyeva was victorious in the first race, besting second-place finisher, Australia’s Greta Small, by 1.05 seconds. Argentina’s Macarena Simari Birkner was the fastest racer from the continent in third place, 1.75 seconds back.

It was deja-vu for Prokopyeva and Small in race number two as the duo once again captured the top two spots. Andorra’s Cande Moreno Becerra found herself in third place, 1.66 seconds off of Prokopyeva’s pace. Simari Birkner was the top continental athlete in fourth.

The men’s side saw German World Cup racer Dominik Schwaiger take top honors in race number one, barely edging out Frenchman Blaise Giezendanner and Serbia’s Marko Vukicevic by 0.08 seconds in a tie for second place. Chile’s Henrik Von Appen was the top continental finisher in 13th place.

Downhill number two went to Slovenia’s Klemen Kosi as he bester second-place finisher Schwaiger by 0.21 seconds for the win. Another German, Josef Ferstl, rounded out the podium in third, 0.35 seconds back. Von Appen was once again the top continental finisher in 21st place.

Super-G racing kicked off the next day with Prokopyeva once again showing her speed and capturing her third win in a row, besting Simari Birkner by over a second in the process. France’s Julie Perrier finished in third for her first podium of the series.

Prokopyeva made it a clean sweep with a perfect four wins, taking the second women’s super-G by 0.62 seconds over Andorra’s Carmina Pallas. Argentina’s Francesca Baruzzi Farriol was third, 1.10 second shy of the win.

It was a good first men’s race for the German team as they captured the top two spots on the podium with Andreas Sander and 2018 Hahnenkamm downhill winner Thomas Dressen going one-two in super-G. France’s Johan Clarey finished in third, 0.93 seconds back, and Chile’s Sven Von Appen was the top continental finisher in 19th place.

The final race of the series went to France as Clarey was able to top the field by almost a full second over his compatriot Brice Roger in second. Slovenia’s Kosi made it back on the podium in third place. Chile’s Henrik Von Appen cracked the top 10 in 10th as the top continental finisher.

SAC racing continues in El Colorado, Chile, this week with more speed racing.

For complete results, click here.

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About the Author: Sean Higgins

A Lake Tahoe native and University of Vermont graduate, Higgins was a member of the Catamounts' 2012 NCAA title winning squad and earned first team All-American honors in 2013. Prior to coming to Ski Racing Media, he coached U14s for the Squaw Valley Ski Team.