Whistler Cup: American Shiffrin has another big win in the giant slalom

By Published On: April 11th, 2010Comments Off on Whistler Cup: American Shiffrin has another big win in the giant slalom

Burke Mountain Academy’s golden girl Mikaela Shiffrin is proving to have the Midas touch this season as the two-time Trofeo Topolino gold medalist and Junior Olympics champion cruised to another top-level win at the Whistler Cup today (April 10). She won the women’s K2 giant slalom by more than two and half seconds after finishing third in yesterday’s super G.

Shiffrin put down a time of 1:44.7 to claim a convincing victory over Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova in second with a time of 1:46.44. Austrian Chiara Mair finished third with a time of 1:46.42. Alix Wells was the top Canadian in eighth place.

 “Today went really well. I just tried to put it down the hill as fast a possible and it worked out. The conditions were great and the course was great, so it was perfect,” Shiffrin said, who won the slalom and finished with three podiums at last year’s Whistler Cup. “Everybody brings the same enthusiasm and focus to skiing. There are definitely similarities although Topolino is a bit bigger.”
  
The girl’s K1 (ages 11-12) podium in today’s one-run giant slalom was identical to yesterday’s kombi with Italian Elisa Fornari keeping her season-long win streak in tact. The U.S. did not send a K1 team
 
Fornari finished in one minute 03.95 seconds with Canada’s Mikayla Martin (Squamish, BC) in second just over half a second back. Mio Arai of Japan finished third.

“It was a really slow, turny course. I am not upset but I thought I could have done better,” said Martin, who skis out of the Whistler Mountain Ski Club. “I feel like I am going to come back for revenge tomorrow. I need to step it up a little but I think I can do it,”

Iceland’s Jakob Helgi Bjarnason won today’s boys K2 (ages 13-14) slalom with a two-run combined time of 1:18.95.
 
Valentijn Van Der Avoort of the Netherlands claimed second place in 1:19.29 while Nik Sterle of Slovenia moved up from fifth after the opening run to claim third place in a time of 1:20.31.

Fifteen-year-old Alex Kreutz (Vernon, BC) of the Vernon Ski Club was the top Canadian in fifth overall 1:21.03. Squaw Valley’s Max Hall led the U.S in eighth place followed by teammate Mitchell Underhill of the Buck Hill in ninth.
 
“It’s a really fun event and good to see where you stand against skiers from the rest of the world. It’s a fun race, the last race of the year and you can just let it all out and that’s what I tried to do,” added Kreutz.
 
Italian Alberto Blengini made it two Italian winners today, improving on a second place finish in yesterday’s boys K1 kombi to win today’s slalom in a two-run combined time 1:07.42. Matej Prielozny of Slovakia finished just 0.1s back in second with Filip Forejtek of the Czech Republic in third.
The top Canadian was yesterday’s winner Keegan Sharp (Invermere, BC) from Team Panorama, placing sixth in 1:08.81.
 
The ski race for the world’s elite 11 to 14-year-old ski racers has proven to be a destination of future ski racing champions, with a total of seven of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games medalists at the alpine events having competed in the Whistler Cup including USA’s Linsay Vonn (Kildow) and Julia Mancuso as well as Slovenia’s Tina Maze and Anja Paerson of Sweden.

The girls ski racers conclude the 2010 Whistler Cup tomorrow with a slalom while the boys have a giant slalom.

For complete results and more information go to the official Whistler Cup site here.

Shiffrin photo by Jeff Shiffrin

WHISTLER, BC – APRIL 10, 2010 – GIRLS K2 – GIANT SLALOM
1      9    SHIFFRIN Mikaela     USA1     54.04   (1)    50.73   (1)    1:44.77
2      1    VLHOVA Petra     SVK1     55.03   (3)    51.38   (2)    1:46.41
3      2    MAIR Chiara     AUT1     54.75   (2)    51.67   (5)    1:46.42
 
WHISTLER, BC – APRIL 10, 2010 – BOYS K2 – SLALOM
1      12    Jakob Helgi Bjarnason    ISL1    36.62   (1)    42.33      1:18.95
2     11    Valentijn Van Der Avoort    NED1    36.78   (3)    42.51      1:19.29
3     33    Nik Sterle     SLO1    37.45   (5)    42.86      1:20.31
 
WHISTLER, BC – APRIL 10, 2010 – GIRLS K1 – GIANT SLALOM (1 run)
1     8    FORNARI Elisa     ITA1     1:03.95   (1)
2     4    MARTIN Mikayla     CAN1     1:04.53   (2)
3     9    ARAI Mio     JPN1     1:04.65   (3)
 
WHISTLER, BC – APRIL 10, 2010 – BOYS K1 – SLALOM
1      12    BLENGINI Alberto     ITA1     33.11   (1)    34.31   (2)    1:07.42
2      1    PRIELOZNY Matej     SVK1     33.66   (5)    33.86   (1)    1:07.52
3      11    FOREJTEK Filip     CZE1     33.35   (3)    34.39   (3)    1:07.74

2010 USA Whistler Cup Team (Name, Hometown, Club)

Men

Jack Auty, Durham, NH (Burke Mountain Academy)
Ryan Berkshire Mooney, Charlemont, MA (East/Eaglebrook School)
Kyle Burcin, Basking Ridge, NJ (Killington Mountain School)
Max Hall, Olympic Valley, CA (Squaw Valley)
Zac Kjos, La Crosse, WI (Apex Racing)
Hunter Lord, Kittery Point, ME (Burke Mountain Academy)
Nicholas Mitchell, Edina, MN (Welch Village)
Hughston Norton, Stateline, NV (Heavenly Valley Sle Educ Found)
Peter Papineau, Park City, UT (Park City Ski Team)
KJ Savaria, Hailey, ID (Sun Valley)
Mitchell Underhill, Plymouth, MN (Buck Hill)
Nicholas Veth, Arroyo Seco, NM (Taos Ski Academy)

Women

Diana Abbott, Middletown, CA (Squaw Valley)
Julia Bjorkman, Incline Village, NV (Diamond Peak)
Danielle Brownell-Patty, Carbondale, CO (Aspen)
Kelly DiNapoli, Ludlow, VT (Holderness School)
Hannah Johnson, Incline Village, NV (Diamond Peak)
Madeline Johnson, Truckee, CA (Squaw Valley)
Brittany Lathrop, S. Londonderry, VT (Stratton Mountain School)
Montana Marzario, Prior Lake , MN (Buck Hill)
Julia Mueller-Ristine, Aspen, CO (Aspen)
Alita Rogers, Huntington, VT (Mt. Mansfield Ski Club)
Mikaela Shiffrin, Vail, CO (Burke Mountain Academy)
Kendall Vanhee, Edwards, CO (Ski Club Vail)

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About the Author: Eric Williams