Australia’s Sami Kennedy-Sim and Anton Grimus finished 12th and 26th respectively in the closing event of the FIS Ski and Snowboard World Championships in Kreischberg, Australia last night (Australian time).

The men’s gold medal went to Slovakian Filip Flisar ahead of Frenchman Jean FredericChapuis and Swede Victor Oehling Norberg who took the bronze.

Austria’s Andrea Limbacher won the host nation their first gold medal at these Championships while French veteran Ophelie David won silver and Switzerland’s Fanny Smith was third.

Although both Australians said that their results were lower than they were hoping to achieve, the OWIA/NSWIS pair leave Austria with a handful of positives to work on for the rest of the season.

Kennedy-Sim narrowed the gap between herself and the top group of athletes.

Having qualified for the finals in 12th, Kennedy-Sim won her first final, finishing ahead of the eventual bronze medallist.

In the next round, the quarter finals, she was in second place just five metres from the line, which would have seen her progress to the semi-finals, but she was passed by Germany’s Margarethe Aschauer, forcing the Australian back to third.

“I can walk away from here with confidence but unfortunately I fell victim to the unpredictable nature of our sport,” she said.

“Being passed five metres from the finish was a little bit disappointing.

“I was really close to the leaders in the qualification session and there were a number of other positives to take out. There were a few things that I need to learn from too.”

Grimus once again showed speed in the qualification run, being 0.76 of a second behind the pacesetter, Oehling Norberg.

“I had a few issues at the start, tangling up with some guys,” Grimus said.

“I didn’t have the smoothest run at the bottom. The speed is there. I’m just waiting for it to come together.

“It would have been awesome to put it together at World Champs but it was not to be.”

Coach Shawn Fleming shared the positive attitude of his athletes.

“He was ninth and was second fastest in the top half of qualifying yesterday so hopefully everything will come together for him, ”Fleming said.

“Today he was disappointed with the number and he knows he is capable of a lot more than that.

“It’s just a matter of time.”

Fleming said that from what he had seen of Kennedy-Sim in Kreischberg, he believes she is capable of top eight finishes.

“Through training and qualifying here, she has closed the margin on those leaders.

“In the first heat, she dominated. In the next heat she was third by less than a ski length.”

Australia finished the World Championships in equal fifth place on medal count, level with China.

The United States was the top performing nation followed by Switzerland, Canada and Austria.

Australia finished ahead of, Italy, France, Russia and a number of other European countries, to record a strong showing.

Results

Women’s ski cross World Championships, Kreischberg, Austria

1.       Andrea Limbacher (AUT), 2. Ophelie David (FRA), 3. Fanny Smith (SUI), 4. Julia Eichinger (GER), 5. Heidi Zacher (GER), 6. Nicol Kucerova (CZE), 12. Sami Kennedy-Sim (AUS)

Men’s ski cross World Championships, Kreischberg, Austria

1.       Filip Flisar (SLO),2. Jean Frederic Chapuis (FRA), 3. Victor Oehling Norberg (SWE),  4.Paul Eckert (GER), 5. Brady Leman (CAN), 6. Jonas Devouassoux (FRA), 26. Anton Grimus (AUS).

Australian ski cross athletes Anton Grimus and Sami Kennedy-Sim have qualified for the FIS Ski and Snowboard World Championships finals in Kreischberg, Austria, in ninth and 12th place respectively.

The OWIA/NSWIS skiers put in solid times in tonight’s (Australian time) qualification session.

Grimus stopped the clock at 1:02.08, 0.76 of a second behind Swedish pacesetter, Victor Oehling Norberg while Kennedy-Sim did 1:07.20, 1.35 seconds behind the session’s quickest, Canadian  Georgia Simmerling.

Australia’s ski cross team have turned their focus to the World Championships in Kreischberg, Austria, following the third World Cup event on the discipline’s calendar.

Sami Kennedy-Sim and Anton Grimus encountered mixed fortunes during the double header in the French resort of Val Thorens during the last few days.

The Olympic Winter Institute of Australia/NSW Institute of Sport duo arrived in Val Thorens with a clear plan to achieve strong World Cup performances and to continue their build up to the World Championships on January 24, however, the way the weekend unfolded was not as they expected.

Kennedy-Sim tweaked her sacroiliac on the right side of her pelvis in training and battled back stiffness throughout most of the Val Thorens event.

Kennedy-Sim did not ski at her best on the first day of racing and as a result she missed the cut for the finals.

Kennedy-Sim was able to qualify for the finals in 12th place on day 2 but was slotted against Canada’s Marielle Thompson and Sweden’s Anna Holmlund in the first knockout final.

Kennedy-Sim pressured the front runners but she was unable to progress to the quarter finals, ending her day in 13th, while the Canadian and Swede went on to claim first and second overall, ahead of France’s Ophelie David in third place.

Kennedy-Sim said she was looking forward to the World Championships and expects to launch into a rigorous training camp in Austria next week.

“Today was a good improvement on my last two World Cups and I’m feeling confident going into World Champs,” she said.

On the back of a fifth fastest time in the qualification session and a solid ninth place in the first race, Grimus once again showed his raw speed in the early stage of today’s qualification run.

Within sight of the finish line in the qualification session, Grimus made a fundamental error on the third last turn and unfortunately skied over a marker, gaining an automatic disqualification.

Grimus said he was disappointed not to have qualified for the finals but he is also looking forward to the World Championships.

“In the early part of qualifying I was skiing really well,” he said.

“In the second split I was in first position and made a mistake over the negative turn which made me hook up my skis a bit too much and I went over a gate.

“All in all it was good to know that I was skiing quickly and now I need to put it down into actual races.”

The men’s World Cup was won by Switzerland’s Marc Bischofberger, with Frenchman Jonathan Midol in second and Canada’s Brady Leman third.

Results

Women’s World Cup ski cross, Val Thorens, France

1.   Marielle Thompson (CAN), 2. Anna Holmlund (SWE), 3. Ophelie David (FRA), 4. Sanna Luedi (SUI), 5. Georgia Simmerling (CAN), 6. Alizee Baron (FRA), 13. Sami Kennedy-Sim (AUS).

Women’s ski cross standings after race 3

1.   Marielle Thompson (CAN) 300, Georgia Simmerling (CAN) 205, 3. Anna Holmlund (SWE) 175, 4. Alizee Baron (FRA) 140, 5. Ophelie David (FRA) 134, 6. Fanny Smith (SUI) 125, 16. Sami Kennedy-Sim (AUS) 46.

Men’s World Cup ski cross, Val Thorens, France

1.   Marc Bischofberger (SUI), 2. Jonathan Midol (FRA), 3. Brady Leman (CAN), 4. Armin Niederer (SUI), 5. Jean Frederic Chapuis (FRA), 6. Arnaud Bovolenta (FRA), DNF Anton Grimus (AUS).

Men’s ski cross standings after race 3

1.   Andreas Schauer (GER) 153, 2. Thomas Zangerl (AUT) 152, 3. Jean Frederic Chapuis (FRA) 139, 4. Armin Niederer (SUI) 116, 5. Victor Oehling Norberg (SWE) 111, 6. Marc Bischofberger (SUI) 108, 25. Anton Grimus (AUS) 35.

Australian ski cross athlete Anton Grimus delivered a confidence building performance in France’s Val Thorens resort today when he narrowly missed a place in the semi-finals by about a ski length.

When racing came to an end on day one of the double header at Val Thorens, the OWIA/NSWIS athlete was ninth but it was the way Grimus carved out his result that provided the biggest amount of encouragement.

Like the season opener in Nakiska, Canada, Grimus exhibited his undoubtable speed in the Val Thorens qualification session, clocking the fifth fastest time, just 0.38 of a second slower than the fastest man on the mountain and he was consistently in the top group of athletes throughout training sessions leading up to race day.

With an underlying approach of being more patient to pick the right time to execute passing manoeuvres and a need to minimise mistakes during races, Grimus won his first knock out final.

In the quarter finals Grimus started strongly before tucking into third. He then challenged for second place about a third of the way into the race but elected to wait for a better opportunity.

At the half way stage through a big burm, he again made another inside move for second place but lost speed when he came out of the turn, just making the top of a double, which forced Grimus to again tuck back into third.

Still in reach of second place, he stayed in the draft during the last turn but he fell short of advancing to the semis by less than two metres.

The day was won by German Andreas Schauer, ahead of French hero and former Olympic champion Jean Frederic Chapuis and Austrian Johannes Rohrweck in third.

Coach Shawn Fleming said that Grimus made a significant step in the right direction.

“It has been a while since he has moved through a heat and it was definitely what we were looking to do,” Fleming said.

“Anton does not have the experience of some of the other top guys but he has the pace. Having another great qualifying on a different style of course to Nakiska, it is giving him confidence.

“He is up there with the fastest guys and as I say, we are ticking the right boxes.

“We were hoping to get into the semis but ninth today, we’ll take that. He is comfortable with everything he needs to do.”

Grimus echoed Fleming’s take on the day.

“All in all, it was positive for me and I’m looking forward to tomorrow,” Grimus said.

Day two of the Val Thorens double header will be held tomorrow before Grimus and teammate Sami Kennedy-Sim go to a training camp in preparation for the World Championships in Austria on January 24.

Kennedy-Sim finished in 20th place in Val Thoren, unable to make the top 16 cut to qualify for the finals.

The women’s event was won by Canada’s reigning Olympic gold medallist Marielle Thompson ahead of compatriot Georgia Simmerling while Frenchwoman Alizee Baron picked up the bronze.

Women’s World Cup ski cross, Val Thorens, France

1.       Marielle Thompson (CAN), 2. Georgia Simmerling (CAN), 3. Alizee Baron (FRA), 4. Anna Holmluld (SWE), 5. Ophelie David (FRA), 6. Sanna Luedi (SUI), 20. Sami Kennedy-Sim (AUS)

Women’s World Cup standings

1.       Marielle Thompson (CAN) 200, 2. Georgia Simmerling (CAN) 160, 3. Alizee Baron (FRA) 100 , 4. Anna Holmluld (SWE) 95, 5. Fanny Smith (SUI) 89, 6. Ophelie David (FRA) 74, 17. Sami Kennedy-Sim (AUS) 26.

Men’s World Cup ski cross, Val Thorens, France

1.       Andreas Schauer (GER), 2.Jean Frederic Chapuis (FRA), 3. Johannes Rohrweck (AUT), 4. Daniel Bohnacker (GER), 5. Arnaud Bovolenta (FRA), 6. Thomas Zangerl (AUT), 9 Anton Grimus (AUS)

Men’s World Cup standings

1.       Thomas Zangerl (AUT) 140, 1. Andreas Schauer (GER) 140, 3. Jean Frederic Chapius (FRA) 94, 4. Victor Oehling Norberg (SWE) 93, 5. Johannes Rohrweck (AUT) 80, 6. Arnaud Bovolenta (FRA) 67, 17. Anton Grimus (AUS) 35.