Three times Olympian Sami Kennedy-Sim has been selected to carry the Flag for Australia in tonight's Closing Ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games.

The 33 year-old freestyle skier will lead out the Australian contingent to mark the end of Australia's most successful winter Games campaign with four medals.

Sami says it's a rare privilege to carry the Flag.

"What an honour. When Geoff told me I was a bit stunned. But what a way to wrap up my third Games. While I did come here to better my last performance, it's another top ten performance at an Olympic Games and I am very proud of that.

"When you think about the history that this Team has created, it adds to the magic of these Games to be asked to lead our Team.

Australian Olympic Team Chef de Mission Geoff Lipshut says it was a great pleasure to break the news to Sami.

"Sami really deserves this honour. Her commitment and professionalism goes to the heart of what this Team has been about.

"She's had a wonderful career, reaching top five on World Cup tour events since making her debut in 2008 with a highest world ranking of 11th in 2011-12.

"In choosing Sami, I thought about her whole career. She struggled in her first Games in Sochi – she was extremely nervous, but then having two eighth placings in her next two Olympic Games.

"She has been the standard bearer for her sport – and keeping her sport going in our country. She has been putting herself out there and training really hard, travelling to all the events and being credible in what is a very tough sport.

"Sami has really made her career the most of what it could be. And tonight, she will proudly lead Australia as these very successful Games draw to a close," Mr Lipshut concluded.

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Sami Kennedy-Sim has fought gallantly to finish eighth in the ski cross to equal her best Olympic performance from PyeongChang 2018.

The 33-year-old from Sydney's Northern Beaches was up to the challenge in a strong field, as she laid down the 11th fastest time in seeding to progress straight to the 1/8 finals.

Sami won both her 1/8 final and quarter-final to be full of confidence heading into the semi-finals. After finishing fourth in the semi she went straight into the small final to round out her Beijing campaign in eighth place.

Heavy snowfall came through Genting Snow Park during the afternoon finals, and while it looked to cause some upsets Sami thought it's all part of the sport she loves.

"Anything can happen when you're in an outdoor sport. It's not a controlled environment and mother nature definitely showed up to play today," Sami said.

Now a triple Olympian, she was pleased to deliver another strong performance and continues to inspire a new generation of winter athletes.

"At any point when you can just be making it through rounds, showing up and fighting, and doing the best that you can - you can't be disappointed when you're putting in 100% effort.

"Whilst I'm sure I'll go back and watch this race, I will look at the things that happened in that semi-final and I'll replay it and relive it for a while… I'm really proud of the effort and the result, as the number doesn't always dictate the journey.

"It's been a pleasure today to be here."

A veteran of the Australian Team now she had nothing but praise for her fellow Aussies along with the Beijing Organising Committee, in what has been a unique Olympic Games.

"Within Team Australia we have had probably the best Games ever. More than ever is our team unified, we are so committed to each other and supporting each other.

"I think the Chinese are doing a fantastic job with these Games. These volunteers are happy to see you and it's day 23 of these Games and they have had to go through so much, 21 days of quarantine to come into these Olympics and they have to do 21 days of quarantine to come out of the olympics… and they have made these Olympics so beautiful and I am so happy," she said.

The event finished with Sweden's two-time world champion Sandra Naesland taking gold, followed by Marielle Thompson of Canada with silver and Daniela Maier from Germany claiming bronze. It was the first time since ski cross was introduced to the Olympic Games in 2010 that the event was not won by Canada.

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Sami Kennedy-Sim will head into her third Olympic Games full of confidence, after finishing in fifth place at the World Cup competition in Idre Fjall, Sweden, the final ski cross event before the athletes arrive in Beijing.

In the first of two events at the Swedish resort, Kennedy-Sim won the small final on day one to achieve her best of the 2021-2022 World Cup season. Also in action for Australia was Doug Crawford who finished in 41st position.

On day two, Kennedy-Sim finished in 13th place, with Crawford in 40th.

Aussie athletes competed in a wild Ski Cross World Cup double header event in Nakiska, Canada, which featured tricky conditions and crashes throughout the day.

Sami Kennedy-Sim finished 22nd on day one before improving to 14th on day two, while on the men’s side Doug Crawford finished with results of 48th and 45th, just ahead of compatriot Alfred Wenk in 51st and 54th in his World Cup debut.

The “Cross Alps” stretch of the Ski Cross World Cup season continued over the past week, with events in Arosa, Switzerland, and Innichen, Italy.

Dual Olympian Sami Kennedy-Sim was best placed of the Australian contingent at Arosa, finishing 19th, with Robbie Morrison and Doug Crawford finishing 58th and 59th respectively on the men’s side. During the event Morrison exacerbated a previous knee injury, which has forced him to return to Australia for treatment.

In Innichen, Kennedy-Sim was unable to compete after suffering a back injury in Arosa, leaving Doug Crawford as the sole competitor for Australia.

Crawford finished in 54th in both events.

The Ski Cross World Cup tour will now be on a break, with the next event taking place in Nakiska, Canada, on January 13-15.

Val Thorens, France hosted a ski cross double header event, with weather making for some tricky conditions.

Doug Crawford finished 22nd in the first event, and 61st in the second, while Sami Kennedy-Sim finished 23rd on both days.

The pair will not have to wait long until their next event, with the tour now heading to Arosa, Switzerland, for an event on December 13-14, with a team event on December 15.

Sami Kennedy-Sim has finished in 15th place at the opening World Cup of the season in Secret Garden, China, competing on the competition course that will be used for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in February.

The two-time Olympian had a strong qualifying performance, advancing to finals in in 7th place, 0.87 seconds behind the first place qualifier Sandra Neaslund of Sweden.

In the first round of finals, Kennedy-Sim was unable to progress to the next round, finishing in fourth place in her quarter final heat.

Neaslund went on to take victory in the women's event, with Russian skier Sergey Ridzik winning the men's event.

Also in action for Australia competing in the men's event, Doug Crawford and Robbie Morrison both missed out on qualifying for finals, finishing in 42nd and 43rd place respectively.

The Ski Cross World Cup tour now heads to Europe, with a double event in Val Thorens, France, on December 9-11.

Snow Australia ski cross racer Doug Crawford has finished his World Cup season in the best possible way, recording a personal best 13th place in Reiteralm, Austria.

Crawford was in great form in qualifying, advancing to the finals in 16th place. 

In the round of 32, Crawford advanced in the top two to reach the quarter-final stage for the first time in his career.

Crawford crossed the line in fourth place in the quarter-final, giving him a a final ranking of 13th.

"Thirteenth at the Reiteralm World Cup, what a way to end the World Cup season", an excited Crawford posted after the race.

"Thank you to my sponsors, friends and family for the support during the challenging season, you guys are the best."

Crawford's teammate Robbie Morrison also competed, finishing in 44th place.

IMAGE: Doug Crawford (right) in the thick of the action in Reiteralm © Doug Crawford Instagram

Snow Australia athletes Doug Crawford and Robbie Morrison have made their ski cross World Championship debuts in Idre Fjäll, Sweden.

Both men missed out on advancing to the 32 man final, with Crawford very close in 34th place, just 0.58 seconds behind the 32nd ranked skier. Morrison was not far behind Crawford in 39th place.

Taking the win in the men's event was Alex Fiva of Switzerland with Swedish skier Sandra Naeslund victorious in the women's event.

Two time Olympian Sami-Kennedy-Sim was unfortunately unable to compete after suffering a season ending elbow injury earlier in the season in Val Thorens, France, just after winning the second World Cup medal of her career at the prior competition in Arosa, Switzerland.

Crawford and Morrison will be back in action this weekend competing in the World Cup event in Reiteralm, Austria, with qualifying on February 17 and finals on February 19.
 
IMAGE: Doug Crawford getting some nice air on the Idre course  © Niko Opetnik

After two strong performances to start the 2020-2021 ski cross World Cup season, Sami Kennedy-Sim has suffered an unfortunate injury in training in Val Thorens, France.

"Unfortunately I had a crash in training on Friday and dislocated my elbow", the two time Olympian and NSWIS scholarship athlete said on her Facebook Page.

"I am scheduled to see a specialist on Monday to review my re-location and assess the area further, providing us with more insight into my rehab and a timeline to get back racing."

"Thank you to the Val Thorens Medical team who looked after me so well and to my superstar physio Benny Pagett who has overseen the whole thing, providing me with great care and all the right information."

"Team work makes the dream work and I cant wait to get back in the start gate soon."

"Thank you for the messages of support in this crazy week of highs and lows."

Kennedy-Sim's teammate Doug Crawford was the only Australian to compete in Val Thorens, finishing in 33rd place in the first event, and 43rd in the second event.

The ski cross World Cup tour is currently scheduled to resume in Montafon, Austria, on January 15.

Doug Crawford competing in the previous World Cup in Arosa

NSWIS ski cross athlete Sami Kennedy-Sim has continue her strong start to the season, with a sixth place finish in the second World Cup event in Arosa, Switzerland.

Kennedy-Sim had a great few days on the sprint track in Arosa, qualifying for finals in first place, winning a bronze medal in the first competition, her first World Cup podium since 2017, and a sixth place finish on day two.

In the round of 32 and 16, Kennedy-Sim advanced through her heat in second place to reach the semi-final stage.

Kennedy-Sim was unable to reach the medal round, finishing in fourth place in the semi-final, which put her in the small final to decide places six through to eight. Finishing in second place gave her a final position of sixth.

Also in action for Australia was Doug Crawford, who finished in 49th place.

Kennedy-Sim is currently ranked third on the world cup standings on 100 points, trailing Fanny Smith of Switzerland who leads with 180 points and Swedish skier Alexandra Edebo on 136.

The World Cup tour now heads to the French resort of Val Thorens, for another double event this weekend on December 19 and 20.

Australian ski cross athlete Sami Kennedy-Sim has started the season strongly, with a bronze medal performance in the opening FIS World Cup event in Arosa, Switzerland.
 
The podium result is the second of the two-time Olympian’s career, and her first since a silver medal in February 2017.
 
The 32-year-old athlete was superb in qualifying, blitzing the field by 0.8 secs and advancing to the finals as the top seed for the first time in her career.
 
In night time finals action on the sprint course, Kennedy-Sim won her heats in the round of 32 and 16 and finished in second place in the semi-final to advance to the big final medal round.
 
In the big final, Kennedy Sim was third across the line behind event winter Alexandra Edebo of Sweden and Fanny Smith of Switzerland in second place.
 
“Racing under lights is always a blast and creates a great show and atmosphere” said Kennedy-Sim after the race.
 
“The sprint track means that the racing is super tight no matter if you qualify first or 32nd,”
 
“This means that any mistake you make will end your day. This race is all about keeping speed.”
 
“Our team has been working so hard to produce the skiing that I have done yesterday in qualifying and today, the perfect receptor is the open relationship between myself, my coach Shawn, my psych Stacy and my ski tech Latus.”
 
“Hopefully I have a good night sleep tonight as we race under lights again tomorrow.”
 
The second World Cup event takes place tomorrow morning Australian time in Arosa, before the athletes head to Val Thorens in France for another double World Cup this weekend.

Sami Kennedy-Sim was in Jindabyne throughout the domestic season, training on snow at Perisher with Head Coach Shawn Fleming.
 
The Ski Cross team headed for Europe in mid October, and have been on snow in Switzerland and Austria preparing for the first World Cup events of the season.
 
The opening Ski Cross World Cup will take place in Arosa, Switzerland, on December 15 and 16, with the next events scheduled immediately afterwards in Val Thorens, France, on December 19 and 20.

NSWIS Ski Cross athlete Sami Kennedy-sim has finished in ninth place in Sunny Valley, Russia, her final event of the FIS World Cup season.

Kennedy-Sim had a strong performance in qualifications, advancing to finals in fifth place.

In the first round of head to head finals racing, Kennedy-Sim just missed out on advancing int he top two to the next round in a photo finish, placing third in the quarter final heat.

"I had some really great feelings on my skis this week in Sunny Valley," Kennedy-Sim commented after the race.

"I missed out on getting to the semi final by about 3 cm in a photo finish and I initially feel heart broken. I am disappointed that I have ended my season unable to ski into a big final."

"I have had some close racing all winter and I can't wait to get to work over the summer/our winter as we head into the Olympic qualifying period next year."

After Sunny Valley, Kennedy-Sim finishes her season in ninth place on the World Cup standings.

Dual Olympian Sami Kennedy-Sim has recorded her sixth World cup top-10 of the season, finishing in ninth place in Megève, France.

Kennedy-Sim qualified for finals in eighth place, and was drawn in a tough quarter final heat that contained current number one Sandra Naeslund of Sweden.

In the quarter final, Kennedy-Sim finished was third across the line, just missing out by one place on advancing to the semi final stage.

"The conditions in Megeve were very challenging, we arrived and had 50cm of fresh snow followed by rain and warm temperatures, so the track deteriorated very quickly."

"I had a good qualifying run, finishing in 8th place. I had a fast start in by quarter final but had trouble in the first turn and was passed, finishing in third place and ninth overall.”

“The warm temperatures have forced the cancellation of our next WC in Feldberg Germany, so i am heading to Sydney to recover and train at home before I head to Russia in two weeks.”
 
With two events remaining for the season, Kennedy-Sim is ranked 10th on the World Cup standings.

The next event on the Ski Cross tour will take place in Sunny Valley, Russia, on February 23.

IMAGE: Sami Kennedy-Sim earlier in the season at the World Cup in Montafon © Chris Hocking

 Sami Kennedy-Sim has had a strong weekend in the ski cross World Cup events in Idre Fjäll, with two semi-final top eight performances.
 
The track in Idre Fjäll has plenty of great memories for the NSWIS skier, having made the podium on the course in 2017 and reaching the semi final stage in 2019.

Two World Cup events were ran, with Kennedy-Sim placing seventh on day one of competition, and sixth on day two, her equal best performance of the season.
 
Kennedy-Sim was one of the fastest female’s on the bottom section of course in finals racing, hitting the finish line with impressive speed.
 
“Had some great speed this weekend in Idre but couldn't get it together in the semi finals to race for the podium, so raced into sixth and seventh in small finals,” Kennedy-Sim commented after the event.
 
“Onwards and Upwards!”
 
After nine events, Kenendy-Sim is currently ranked 11th on the World Cup standings.
 
The next event on the Ski Cross World Cup tour will take place in Megeve, France, with qualifying set for January 31 and finals on February 1.

Photo © GEPA-pictures.com

After 11 years on the circuit, 29-year-old Anton Grimus from Australia decided to retire from Ski Cross as professional athlete.

Grimus was a member of the Australian National Alpine Team and made the switch to ski cross in 2010 with immediate success, qualifying second for the final in his first World Cup start.

In December 2012, he made the World Cup podium with a third place in Nakiska, Canada, which was his best  ever World Cup result. And by early 2013, he placed 7th in the World Championships. Competing in his first Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, Grimus placed 25th.

In 2014-2015, Grimus again was one of the fastest in the wold with strong qualifying times. His best World Cup performance that year came in Arosa, Switzerland, where he placed 7th.

Grimus timed his best performance of the 2015-2016 season perfectly, finishing in ninth place at the Olympic Test Event for PyeongChang.

Unfortunately Grimus had his fair share of injury problems during the period of 2014-2018, including undergoing knee surgery in 2017. He finished in 32nd place at the 2017 World Championships in Spain and has secured a handful of top 20 finishes over the 2016-2018 World Cup circuit.

Grimus missed out on progressing through to the quarterfinals in PyeongChang after placing fourth in his eighth final heat at Phoenix Snow Park, ending his second campaign in 30th. His event was impacted by a broken clavicle, showing great courage to push out the gate.

Grimus decided to take a break from competition during 2018-2019.

The Australian athlete had returned to the circuit past December after a 19-month break, but had a bad crash during training at the second stage of the Cross Alps Tour in Montafon, from which he went away with a concussion and therefore was not able to continue the CAT.

In January 2020, Grimus announced to retire from professional skiing.

The first Ski Cross World Cup event of 2020 has taken place in Nakiska, Canada, with NSWIS athlete Sami Kennedy-Sim starting the year with a top ten performance.
 
Kennedy-Sim qualified for finals in 12th place, in a time of 1:16.29, 3.76 seconds behind first place qualifier Fanny Smith of Switzerland.
 
In finals, Kennedy-Sim placed third in her first-round heat, behind eventual winner Marielle Thompson of Canada, and was unable to progress to her next round.
 
This gave Kennedy-Sim a final ranking of tenth, and a World Cup season ranking of 12th after seven events so far this season.
 
The next event of the Ski Cross World Cup tour will take place in Idre Fjäll, with two events scheduled to take place at the Swedish resort, with the first day of competition on January 25 and second day on 26.

IMAGE: Sami Kennedy-Sim in training at Nakiska © Sami Kennedy-Sim Instagram

Two time Olympian Sami Kennedy-Sim has recorded her best result of the season, with a sixth place finish at a night World Cup in Arosa, Switzerland.
 
Kennedy-Sim advanced through two heats of racing to reach the semi final round for the first time this season.
 
In the semi-final, Kennedy-Sim was unable to each the big final after placing fourth, and in the consolation small final, she finished in second, to give the final ranking of sixth.
 
‘I am so happy to have achieved a sixth place today, Kennedy-Sim said, “I was one of the fastest girls in training over the past days and that confidence propelled me into today.
 
“I am looking forward to heading to Italy tomorrow for the final stop of the Cross Alps Tour.”
 
OWIA Ski Cross Head Coach was happy with the performance of the NSWIS athlete after the race.
 
“Arosa was a good race, the weather held off and we had good conditions.”
 
“Sami has been training really fast and was confident.”
 
She had a bit of trouble in the semi-final, getting held out of the first turn into the jump and had to give a little which cost her. “
 
“Sami came back really strong in the small final and had a clean run top to bottom.”
 
Also in action for Australia competing in the men’s event was Anton Grimus in 46th, and Doug Crawford in 54th.
 
The Australian Ski Cross team now heads to Innichen, Italy, for the final stop of the action packed Cross Alps Tour, which sees six competitions at four venues over the course of 17 days.

The first event will take place on December 21, with the second and final event of 2019 on December 22.

Photo: GEPA pictures/ Oliver Lerch

NSWIS Ski Cross athlete Sami Kennedy-Sim has finished in 14th place at the World Cup event in Montafon, Austria, her third top-16 finals performance of the season.
 
Kennedy-Sim started the event off strongly, qualifying in ninth place, but unfortunately in her first round heat in finals, she crossed the line in fourth, and was unable to advance to the semi final stage.
 
After three competitions, Kennedy-Sim is currently in 13th place on the World Cup standings.
 
Also in action for Australia was Doug Crawford, who placed 58th in qualifying.
 
Two time Olympian Anton Grimus was unable to compete after a heavy crash in training forced him to miss the event.
 
It’s a quick turnaround for the Ski Cross athletes, with two World Cup events in the next week as part of the Cross Alps Tour, which sees six competitions at four venues over the course of 17 days.
 
The first event is in Arosa, Switzerland, on December 17, with the final event of 2019 in Innichen, Italy, on December 22.

The 2019/2020 Ski Cross World Cup season has commenced with a double event in Val Thoren’s, France with mixed results for the Australian athletes.
 
Two-time Olympian Sami Kennedy-Sim made a good start to the event, qualifying for finals in 14th place.
 
Anton Grimus and Doug Crawford did not advance to the finals, after placing 49th and 57th respectively in qualifying.
 
In the first of two World Cup’s, Kennedy-Sim had a strong first round heat, starting well in the top section and leading at times during the heat. In the lower section of the course, Kennedy-Sim slipped back to third, and was unable to advance to the next round. This gave Kennedy-Sim a final ranking of tenth.
 
“Today’s racing was very tight. I had the lead at some points of the run, and I will carry that confidence into tomorrow’s racing”, said Kennedy-Sim.
 
“I look forward to reviewing the race this evening and being competitive again tomorrow.“
 
In the second World Cup, Kennedy-Sim placed fourth in her heat, giving her a final ranking of 14th.
 
OWIA Ski Cross Head Coach Shawn Fleming commented after the race.
 
“Well that was not the day we had planned for. Decent start but stuck in the mix going into first turn and checked speed tight on the inside. From there she was playing catch up the whole way.”
 
“Next week we compete in Montafon, Austria, which will be a shorter format this year due to low snow but the forecast looks quite challenging for the coming week with heavy snowfalls.”

Sami-Kennedy Sim, Robbie Morrison, Anton Grimus, Doug Crawford and Lee Rolls represented Australia at the Austrian National Championships and Europa Cup in Pitzal.

Due to poor weather and high wind, the event format for the National Championships was adjusted so that a sprint race would be run in the valley.

The field was very strong with many international World Cup athletes using the race as a warm-up to the season proper.

Morrison and Kennedy-Sim were among the standout performers, with Morrison taking home a silver medal and Kennedy-Sim finishing in fifth place.

Grimus finished 28th, Crawford 42nd and Rolls narrowly avoided a crash to finish in 83rd position.

In the Europa Cup event Kennedy-Sim backed up her previous solid performance by taking out fifth place, while Morrison had another outstanding result claiming 12th position, with Grimus 29th, Crawford in 45th and Rolls 63rd.

Article courtesy of Snow Australia

Race Three and Four of the Hotham Ski Cross ANC were held at the weekend, with some solid performances from Australian Ski Cross athletes.

Sami Kennedy-Sim continued her good form from Races 1 and 2 to take home a silver in race three and the gold on race four.

Fellow Aussie Elizabeth Lambert improved across the weekend, finishing 16th and ninth in race three and four respectively.

The men’s event impressed onlookers, with a host of international skiers lining up against some strong Aussie talent.

The Australian men were unstoppable, taking out five spots in the top 10 in race three: Robbie Morrison third, Anton Grimus sixth, Doug Crawford seventh, Lee Rolls eighth and Alfred Wenk ninth.

Race four saw some similar results for the men, the Aussies again taking out five top ten spots, Robbie Morrison remaining the strongest of the group and improving on his race three results to finish in second place.

Crawford outperformed Grimus taking out sixth position, Grimus seventh, Rolls eighth and Wenk ninth.

Kennedy-Sim said the Hotham track was a good challenge that suited athletes at all levels of the sport.

"It was a good challenge for myself and the other World Cup athletes," Kennedy-Sim said.

Listen to more of Sami's thoughts below:

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B2QBi26lx0d/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=dlfix

Aussie athletes achieved four podium places across the first four races of the FIS ANC Ski Cross held at Hotham on Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 September.

After finishing fourth in the first final, Sami Kennedy-Sim improved her standing on day thanks to aggressive racing which saw her cross the line in second position in Wednesday’s final.

Fellow Aussies Anton Grimus, Robbie Morrison and Doug Crawford also achieved some outstanding results over the competition.

Grimus said that despite the tough conditions, Doug and Robbie did a great job in making the finals after Race 1 and 2 respectively.

“It’s great to see the younger guys coming through the ranks and racing really well,” Grimus said.

“We had both soft and firm snow throughout the course which made it tricky.”

Canadians Marielle Thompson and Zach Belczyk took out the finals of Race 1 and 2 in the Women’s and Men’s Ski Cross races respectively.

Race 3 and 4 of the Ski Cross ANC will be held at Hotham on the weekend, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September.

Results

Final 1 Women’s
Marielle Thompson (CAN)
Zoe Chore (CAN)
Brittany Phelan (CAN)

Final 1 Men’s
Zach Belczyk (CAN)
Tyler Wallasch (USA)
Anton Grimus (AUS)

Final 2 Women’s
Marielle Thompson (CAN)
Sami Kennedy-Sim (AUS)
Brittany Phelan (CAN)

Final 2 Men’s
Zach Belczyk (CAN)
Tyler Wallasch (USA)
Robbie Morrison (AUS)

Dual Olympian Sami Kennedy-Sim has finished her 2018/2019 FIS Ski Cross World Cup season with two quarter-final appearances in Sunny Valley, Russia.

With back to back races over the weekend, the NSWIS skier finished 16th in her first race on Saturday. She then went on to improve her position by two places on Sunday with a 14th place.

After the races Kennedy-Sim said on Instagram she was looking forward to regrouping for the next season back in Australia.

“Not my best racing in Sunny Valley this weekend, actually not my best season.

“Looking forward to some sun at home and making a solid plan to have a chance at the crown again next year,” she said.

After the Sunny Valley event, Kennedy-Sim is in 15th place on World Cup standings, but will not be contesting the final event of the season in Veysonnaz, Switzerland, on March 17.

IMAGE - The course and finish area in Sunny Valley © FIS Facebook

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