OWIA/NSWIS athlete Anton Grimus has finished in 31st place at the World Cup event in Nakiska, Canada.

Grimus finished in fourth place in his eight final; therefore missing out on advancing to the next round.

“The eight final didn’t go to plan,” Grimus said.

“I missed the start and was fighting for third position; it just wasn’t my day today,” he added.

Today’s result sees Grimus in 29th position overall on the Ski Cross World Cup standings.

The Ski Cross team will now head back to Europe for the next World Cup race in Arosa, Switzerland.

Sami Kennedy-Sim, is likely to miss the event in Arosa, her third straight World Cup, after suffering a crash in official training before the first World Cup event of 2016 in Watles, Italy,

Kennedy-Sim is aiming to return at the World Cup event in Idre, Sweden, on the 13th of February.

IMAGE: The course in Nakiska © Nakiska Ski Area

Anton Grimus has dropped one spot to be ranked 24th overall after the FIS Ski Cross World Cup double header in Watles, Italy this past weekend.

After a season best seventh place in qualifying for race one, Grimus made a good start to his round of 32 heat, to be leading at the first turn.

After being pushed wide, Grimus lost speed through the major drag section and was overtaken, eventually crossing the line in third place, and finishing race one ranked 19th overall.

On Sunday, race two saw Grimus hold the yellow bib after progressing to the round of 32 heat, but he was able to win the start once again, and lead through the top half.

However, the other athletes were able to draft and all three passed on the long traverse, with Grimus eventually finishing fourth, and an overall place of 30th.

“It’s pretty frustrating because all the bits are coming together, especially with the start that I’ve been working on, and now the speed is coming through qualifying,” Grimus said.

“I feel for Anton because he is frustrated with missing great opportunities,” head coach Shawn Fleming said.

“It’s pretty frustrating as Anton had great starts but struggled to carry speed in the middle flat section,” Fleming added.

Sami Kennedy-Sim, ranked tenth in the world prior to Watles, did not compete this weekend after crashing prior to training during the lead-up to the Watles double header. Kennedy-Sim is recovering well and said she hopes to be back on the skis soon.
​
“I had a big crash before training,” Kennedy-Sim said. “I have some bruises and strains, but hope to be back skiing soon.”

IMAGE: Anton Grimus leading in a heat race in Watles © FIS

After a seasons best seventh place in qualifying yesterday, Anton Grimus has narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Quarter Finals in the first of this weekend’s two events in Watles, Italy; finishing 19th overall.

In a tough round of 32 heat, Grimus made an excellent start through the first section to be leading at the first turn.

After being pushed wide, Grimus lost speed through the major drag section, eventually crossing the line in third place.

“It’s pretty frustrating because all the bits are coming together, especially with the start that I’ve been working on, and now the speed is coming through qualifying,” Grimus said. “It’s building and building though through the season, so I’m excited.”

Head coach Shawn Fleming said he feels for Grimus.

“Anton had a great quali and we felt really good going into today, and he trained well this morning,” Fleming said.

“I feel for Anton because he is frustrated with missing great opportunities. All we can do is hope the weather holds and we get another chance tomorrow,” Fleming added.

Meanwhile, Fleming said Sami Kennedy-Sim is recovering well from her crash prior to the event getting underway, but will not take any part in this weekend’s events.

The second of the weekend’s two races will be held Sunday night (Australian time).

OWIA/NSWIS athletes Anton Grimus and Sami Kennedy-Sim have been preparing for the first  events of 2016 in Pitztal, Austria. The program has been training on a course on the glacier due to a lack of early snow in Europe.

The first World Cup competition will be in the Ski Cross program with two World Cup events taking place in Watles, Italy.
 
The Wattles World Cup was originally scheduled for January 10, but due to snow conditions was delayed a week to January 16.
 
A second World Cup event was also added to Watles, following the cancellation of the La Plagne event.
 
The schedule for Watles is as follows:
January 15 – Qualification for both World Cups
January 16 – World Cup #1 in Watles
January 17 – World Cup #2 in Watles
 
After the events in Watles, the OWIA Ski Cross team will then head to Nakiska, Canada, for the next round of World Cup competition.