The penultimate day of competition at the 2017 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships saw Sami Kennedy-Sim and Anton Grimus in action in the men’s and women’s Ski Cross events.
 
With qualification and finals held back-to-back it was a big day of skiing and both athletes qualified for their respective finals but bowed out before the podium rounds.
 
Kennedy-Sim marginally missed a semi finals berth after finishing third in her quarter final. 
 
“When you get to rounds of 16 in women it’s so different to qualifying,” Kennedy-Sim said.
 
“In qualifying you’re just skiing on your own and people like me who don’t always qualify fastest and have fast starts can throw a spanner in the works,” she said.
 
The Sochi Olympian said the conditions made passing attempts difficult.
 
“I thought for sure I was making the right move and almost forgot that there was five centimetres of soft slush on the side. I went straight into it and that was the end.
 
“Tricky track to pass on in these soft conditions, if it was firm it would have worked for sure.
 
“The reality is it’s the end of March and it’s been a tough couple of days so to be competitive in the quarter finals is a good outcome,” she said.  
 
With a maiden World Cup podium under her belt this season, Kennedy-Sim is inspired to come back bigger and better in the crucial lead-in season to the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.
 
“I have a little break now when I get home and make sure I’m in better shape coming into next season,” she said.
 
“The aim is Korea and that’s looking really good right now. If I can get a few things sorted we should be even better next time.”  
 
In the men’s event, Grimus didn’t get the start to competition he was after and admitted to making a few mistakes in qualifying.
 
In the round of 32 he finished fourth in his four man-heat.
 
“I felt really good yesterday in training and today I just missed a few things in qualifying,” Grimus said.
 
“I overshot a few things which slowed down my skiing. I tried to learn from that but didn’t quite nail it in the second run.
 
“It happens, I’ve had a tough season and I’m glad for it to be over now so I can get my knee right,” he said. 

After a hectic World Cup schedule spanning 13 events in seven countries, Ski Cross athletes Anton Grimus and Sami Kennedy-Sim have one competition before season end – the 2017 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships.
 
A knee injury has interrupted Grimus’ season but he’s gained momentum as the season’s progressed and the 26-year-old is hoping his form will continue into the World Championships.
 
 “I’ve had a few events now and each event my knee’s gotten better and better and my skiing is getting more confident,” Grimus said. 
 
The Sochi Olympian will be fulfilling a goal by starting at these World Championships.
 
“My aim after hearing that my knee needed the operation was to get back for the World Championships and build up my performances to now,” he said.
 
“I haven’t had the ideal prep coming in, it’s a very different vibe to the last World Champs where I had no real injuries.
 
“I want the best result I can get and that’s obviously a podium but I know I am coming in underprepared in comparison to the last world champs.
 
"There’s no real pressure on myself, I’m going in there to give it my best result and that’s all I can do,” he said.  
 
Grimus will use the off-season to rest his knee so it is ready to go for this all important Olympic year. 
 
“Need a bit of a break with the knee as it hasn’t been perfect, having some time off after this event will definitely be beneficial for my knee.
 
“Once you have a knee injury you take it for granted just how good your knees are. To get back to the point where I can fully trust my knee will be awesome.”
 
Sami Kennedy-Sim finished the World Cup season ranked 12th, a result which was buoyed by her first ever podium result that came in Idre Fjall in Sweden where she finished second. 
 
As one of only four Australians to win a Ski Cross World Cup podium, Kennedy-Sim rates it among her career highlights.
 
“I’ve done 80 plus World Cups and for that to happen this year was a pretty big deal,” Kennedy-Sim said.
 
“To go to Sweden and put into practice the little changes that me and the team have been making, it’s validated everything that’s happened so far. Showed that I am moving in the right direction. I’m really happy with how things have been going and I’ve carried that into the next few races and obviously the results weren’t the same but the focus and the strategy has always remained the same.
 
“We’re at the stage where we’re just trying to replicate things with precision so you’re in a good position to have hopefully another podium or many more,” she said.
 
Kennedy-Sim has high expectations of herself for the World Championships and is hoping to add to Australia’s five medal haul from the event. 
 
“I’m really happy with how it’s been going and I’m happy to continue that momentum hopefully this weekend at the pinnacle event for us of the season.
 
“Hoping I can rise to the challenge and follow suit in the way the rest of the Aussie team have been doing, everyone’s been doing really well. It’d be nice to slot in there and add a little sweetener at the end,” she said.
 
Ski Cross qualifying and finals will be held Saturday. Final events will be lived streamed at: https://www.skiandsnowboard.org.au/2017-snowboard--freestyle-world-champs/
 
 

With the World Championships just under two weeks away, Sami Kennedy-Sim has achieved a confidence boosting fifth place performance at the final World Cup event of the season in Blue Mountain, Canada.

With only the top-16 women and top-32 men invited to competed at the final World Cup event, the worlds best were keen to finish the season on a high and improve their end of season ranking.

In the round of 16 quarter final stage, Kenendy Sim advanced to the semi final's after placing second. She then narrowly missed advancing to the medal round final four after placing third in the semi final.

Fueled by her "big final" near miss, Kennedy-Sim lead from start to finish in the "small final" consultation final to finish the event in fifth place.

The result saw Kennedy-Sim finish the season ranked 12th on the World Cup standings, almost tying her previous best season end ranking of 11th in 2012.

After the Race OWIA Ski Cross Head Coach Shawn Fleming commented.

"Sami was having a good semi-final sitting in second through the bottom section, but a series of small mistakes opened the door for Canadian Britt Phelan, and she took advantage making the pass on the last jump.

"Sami was obviously frustrated with her mistake costing her a trip to a big final and this fired her up and she destroyed the field in the small final winning from the start and never looked back."

NSWIS team-mate Anton Grimus collected valuable Olympic qualification points with a 24th place finish after narrowly missing qualification through to the round of 16.

"Anton is still working back from his knee injury and while he went out in the first round he skied his heat quite well, especially through the start section", Fleming said.

"Unfortunately one of the Italians stayed close behind him and was able to use Anton in the last turn to get a bit of a slingshot and was able to make the pass at the finish line by the length of his hand."

The OWIA Ski Cross program now heads back to Europe for a few days on snow before heading to Sierra Nevada, Spain, for the  World Championships on March 18.

IMAGE: Sami Kennedy-Sim (right) in action at Blue Mountain © FIS Freestyle

The final competition of the 2016/17 Audi FIS Ski Cross World Cup season hits the slopes of Canada’s Blue Mountain resort this Sunday, where the best ski cross athletes in the world will be looking to end the tour on a high before heading back to Europe for the Sierra Nevada 2017 Freestyle World Ski Championships.

After thirteen competitions at eight different resorts in seven different countries across three continents, it all comes down to Sunday’s competition for OWIA skiers Sami Kennedy-Sim and Anton Grimus as only the top 16 ladies and 32 men are invited to the ski cross World Cup finals.

The race course in Blue Mountain is a difficult, snaking course, with the standout features being the dramatic start immediately followed by a tricky gliding section, which will be a tough test of rhythm, and a one-of-a-kind final jump.

“The course looks good with a very technical and difficult start section. Unfortunately, today was windy with snow and training was limited to only the start section and first 200 metres of the course. Tomorrow we hope for better weather and training,” said Australian coach Shawn Fleming.

There are no qualification rounds in Blue Mountain – just two training sessions and the heats according to World Cup rankings, which will be competed on Sunday in Canada (from 2.30am Monday morning AEDT).

Sami Kennedy-Sim is hoping to match or better her previous fifth place in Blue Mountain.

“The track looks really fun and the start section is very technical so I was happy to at least have a go on it today,”Kennedy-Sim said.
 
“We race on Sunday and I am really excited to race in Blue Mountain again. We raced here five years ago and I was fifth. Fingers crossed for a less blowy day tomorrow and that I can ski the way I have been and secure another great result.”

Grimus has had a difficult time after becoming injured early in the season and is fortunate to have made the top 32 men after the Russian and French teams decided to keep the majority of their squads in Europe ahead of the World Championships.

You can catch up with all the action at 8am on Monday 6 March on Eurosport.