Category: Katya Crema

Crema crosses seventh in a dramatic day of SX racing

19/2/2014

Katya Crema of Australia celebrates in the Freestyle Skiing Womens' Ski Cross © Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Katya Crema produced the best skiing of her career to place a sensational seventh in the Ski Cross event at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. It was a season best for the 25-year-old, in difficult conditions on the Extreme Park course at Rosa Khutor.

Jenny Owens also skied really well in the last event of her long and distinguished career to place 12th.

Sami Kennedy-Sim on Olympic debut showed glimpses of brilliance but ran out of luck in her 1/8 final to finished the day ranked 28th.

It was a day of high drama with delays due to crashes and fog, plus tough snow conditions from heavy rain.

Owens and Kennedy-Sim had some trouble on the seeding run but Crema showed good speed and stayed out of trouble to be ranked 11th.

After a strong qualifying run she was thrilled to ski so well in the head-to-head racing at the Olympic Games.

"My goal here was top 8 so I’m absolutely rapped," Crema beamed.

"That second heat I was so happy with that pass on the last turn. It was my last chance to get into the top two and I just went for it and it paid off."

In her semi-final she was back at the start and when gaining on the leaders she had to avoid the falling Swedish competitor. From there she could not improve on third behind eventual gold medallist Marielle Thompson (CAN).

In the small final she again was pushing the leaders on her fifth race down the course for the day but couldn’t quite get there to end with a final ranking of seventh.

"I guess it is whose performing on the day and I think I laid one down so I’m pretty happy."

The result improved on her 15th from Vancouver 2010 and equals Scott Kneller’s best Australian Ski Cross results at the Olympics from 2010.

Three-time Olympian Jenny Owens competing in the last event of her career was sporting a facial injury from a fall in training days ago and she had another small fall in the seeding run.

Yet she showed all her experience and determination to bounce back and ski so well.

She was second in her 1/8 final and just missed progressing from her quarter-final in third after making a mistake on the course.

"I just overshot that triple up the top and you can’t make mistakes like that. So unfortunately that was it," Owens said.

"I had trouble getting forward and I think I was a bit nervous in my last event – sort of just lost myself in it all."

Kennedy-Sim’s skiing career looked in doubt last April when she suffered at mild stroke yet she built herself back up and had a career best fourth place in a recent World Cup in France.

She was in a qualifying position from her 1/8 final before coming unstuck and falling.

"Unfortunately that’s the sport. It’s rough and tumble and that’s why we love it," Kennedy-Sim, who is married to Cross Country Skiing Olympian, Ben Sim, said.

"It just goes to show, it’s anybody’s race.

"I think I’m still developing as an athlete, so I’m looking forward to continuing and hopefully in Korea (PyeongChang 2018) I’ll be 29 and that’s not too old in our sport."

It was a great day for the Canadians. As well as gold to 21-year-old Thompson her teammate Kelsey Serwa won the silver and Sweden’s Anna Holmlund was ecstatic with bronze. 37-year-old Frenchwoman Ophelie David, who first won a medal at the 2005 World Championships, fell when pushing for the lead and finished her Games fourth.

Serwa, David and Thompson were the three fastest skiers in qualifying hours earlier.

Andrew Reid | sochi2014.olympics.com.au

Owens’ strong finale

24/1/2014

Olympic skier Jenny Owens on the slopes of New Zealand. © Jenny Owens

Australian Institute of Sport/NSW Institute of Sport skier Jenny Owens ended her World Cup career today after 101 starts and 14 years on the tour with her best result since December 2012.

The former alpine skier turned ski cross athlete, who will represent Australia for the third time at next month’s Sochi Olympic Winter Games, closed her World Cup career with a 15th place in Kreischberg, Austria.

The event, which is the last ski cross World Cup before the Sochi Games, was won by Frenchwoman Ophelie David, with Swiss skier Fanny Smith second and Canadian Marielle Thompson third.

The men’s event was won Switzerland’s Alex Fiva, ahead of Austrian Johannes Rohrweck in the silver medal position and Michael Schmid from Switzerland picking up bronze.

Today marked the 52nd time Owens has lined up in a World Cup ski cross event since debuting in January 2006, the second phase of her long World Cup career, which started in St Moritz, Switzerland in December 1999.

In other results for AIS/NSWIS athletes competing in Kreischberg, Anton Grimus was 14th, Katya Crema 16th and Sami Kennedy-Sim 24th.

With just 12 days before the start of the Sochi Games AIS ski cross program head coach Matt Lyons described his squad’s results as “encouraging.”

“The results today were not too bad, definitely an improvement, and yes I would say it was encouraging,” Lyons said.

Lyons added that he was particularly pleased the performance of Grimus, Owens and Crema in the first knock out final, with the two women crossing the line in second place and Grimus first, earning the trio a spot in the quarter finals.

Kennedy-Sim was unable to repeat the form that saw her finish in 4th place last weekend in Val Thorens, France, and did not progress past the first final.

Grimus, Kennedy-Sim and Crema will continue their Olympic Winter Games preparation by competing in a Europa Cup event before a final training camp leading into Sochi.

Sochi teammate and NSWIS athlete, Cameron Bolton, finished fifth in the snowboard cross final at the prestigious X Games in Aspen, USA, yesterday (Australian time).

Bolton was just 0.826 seconds behind event winner Nate Holland from America in a field that boasted some of the best snowboard cross riders in the world.

Kennedy-Sim's career best

17/1/2014

The AIS Ski Cross Team in Val Thorens

Australian ski cross athlete Sami Kennedy-Sim fought her way from 30th in qualifying to narrowly miss a podium finish in today’s last World Cup before the cut-off date for next month’s Sochi Olympic Winter Games.

Competing in Val Thorens, France, the Australian Institute of Sport/NSW Institute of Sport scholarship holder ended the day with the best World Cup result of her career and her first appearance in a World Cup final, behind the winning Canadian Marielle Thompson, Switzerland’s Katrin Mueller in second and Frenchwoman Ophelie David in third.

Kennedy-Sim finished fourth overall to record a confidence boosting result, with just 20 days to go to the opening of the Sochi Games in Russia and two days before the Sochi qualification cut-off date.

Although Kennedy-Sim was 3.8 seconds slower than the fastest qualifier, which put her in the last few places to make the 32-woman finals draw, Kennedy-Sim displayed determination and impressive speed throughout day two of the double header in France.

She skied strategically in the first knock-out round and again in the quarter finals before turning on an even more impressive performance in the semi-finals, finishing second to Thompson and earning a place in her first World Cup final.

Kennedy-Sim recaptured the form that enabled her to finish the 2011/2012 season with a world ranking of 11 and was headed towards second place in the final but unfortunately she went wide on the last turn before the finish line, which washed off precious speed.

With just 200 metres to race, Kennedy-Sim was overtaken for a place on the podium but she retains the confidence from bettering her previous best place in World Cup, a fifth in Canada in February 2012.

AIS ski cross program head coach Matt Lyons said that Kennedy-Sim's performance was a strong result.

“She can take a lot of confidence away from the day. She started each of her heats well. She was pretty much the fastest out in every heat and skied the top section really aggressively and really well.

"She maintained her position when she was being challenged by others. She did a good job.”

Fellow AIS/NSWIS squad members Jenny Owens was 23rd and Katya Crema was 26th, with both athletes unable to go further into the draw than the first final.

Crema was unlucky not to progress to the quarter finals, given that she was in a position to finish second in her heat, but she was passed by two athletes within a metre from the line, dropping the AIS/NSWIS skier back to fourth spot.

Owens missed the start in her heat and misjudged her speed with two jumps, pushing her down to third place in the heat, outside the top two places needed to advance to the next round.

Another AIS/NSWIS athlete, Australia’s only male in the event, Anton Grimus, who was the fastest qualifier on day one, was 17th after finishing third in a knock-out final.

The men’s event was won by American John Teller, while Sweden’s Victor Oehling Norberg was second and third going to Canadian David Duncan.

The squad will continue their World Cup season in Kreischberg, Austria, next weekend.

Grimus unable to build on qualification result

17/1/2014

Anton Grimus at the bib draw in Val Thorens

Australian Institute of Sport/NSW Institute of Sport ski cross athlete Anton Grimus was unable to capitalise on setting the fastest time in the qualification session in Val Thorens, France, when he finished the weather-affected World Cup in 17th place today.

Grimus’s fastest qualification result, which was the first time in his World Cup career he has achieved that distinction, placed the bearded Australian into race one of the four-man knock out finals with the sought after bib number 1, pitted against three Swiss skiers.

But unfortunately Grimus crossed the line in third, with only the first two advancing to the quarter finals.

Grimus challenged for the lead in the heat but after being checked, which negatively impacted the Australian’s speed, he was not able to fight his way back to the front.

Severe winds and snow brought the day to a halt soon after, with the event being stopped after the last of the men’s quarter finals was decided.

Organisers had no alternative but to combine the first final and the quarter final places with qualification session results to form an overall finishing order.

Canadian Christopher Delbosco, who finished second to Grimus in qualifying, was awarded the win, ahead of German Daniel Bohnacker and Swede Victor Oehling Norberg in third.

In the women’s event, AIS/NSWIS athletes Sami Kennedy-Sim and Katya Crema improved on their qualification results by finishing the day in 19th and 21st. Jenny Owens did not qualify.

Switzerland’s Sanna Luedi won, ahead of Sweden’s Sandra Naeslund in second and Austrian Katrin Ofner in third.

AIS ski cross program head coach Matt Lyons believes that the wind, more so than heavy snow, was the main problem that caused the abandonment of the event.

Lyons said that winds reached 80 km/h but more importantly the wind was gusting directly behind athletes leaving the start gate, causing athletes difficulties in gauging speeds going into jumps and features.

So unpredictable was the wind that it caused all four athletes to crash in one of the heats.

The Australian squad competes again tomorrow in the second stage of the double header. The event will be the last ski cross World Cup before the Sochi Olympic Winter Games in Russia next month.

Challenging weekend for ski cross squad

23/12/2013

Australia’s ski cross athletes Anton Grimus and Sami Kennedy-Sim were encouraged by qualifying for the finals of the World Cup at Innichen / San Candido, Italy, today.

Grimus was leading the first final when he was muscled out of position and after regaining balance, he gave himself an opportunity to finish in the first two places, which was needed to advance to the next round, when he fought back towards the front of the pack.

Unfortunately Grimus lost further ground when he ran wide on a turn and was unable to recover.

Grimus finished the day in 23rd, behind winner David Duncan from Canada, while Austrian Andreas Matt was second and Germany’s Daniel Bohnacker was third.

The women’s event was won by Swiss skier Katrin Mueller, Canadian Marielle Thompson was second and German Heidi Zacher was third.

Kennedy-Sim was 27th while fellow AIS / NSWIS athletes Katya Crema was 34th and Jenny Owens was 36th.

The fifth squad member, Scott Kneller, did not compete due to suffering concussion and a back injury in training before the qualification session.

Kneller was taken to the Bolzano Trauma Centre in Italy, 270 km from Milan, where he is expected to remain for at least another 24 hours for further observation.

AIS ski cross program head coach Matt Lyons said that he expects Kneller to make a full recovery but he is likely to miss four to six weeks of competition.
Lyons said it was too early to say if the injury would rule Kneller out of the Sochi Olympic Winter Games in Russia in February.

Crema back racing

21/12/2013

Katya Crema at Innichen / San Candido

Ski cross athlete Katya Crema finished in 21st place in the Innichen / San Candido World Cup in Italy, today, confirming that she has recovered from knee soreness which kept her out of the first events of the season.

After qualifying for the finals in 28th place, the AIS / NSWIS skier finished in third place in a knock out final and with only the first two advancing to the quarter finals, the Australian’s day came to an end.

AIS ski cross program head coach Matt Lyons said he was pleased that Crema was competing again and that she will go into tomorrow’s second stage of the double header at Innichen / San Candido with even more confidence, knowing that the injury is behind her.

Fellow AIS / NSWIS athletes Jenny Owens and Sami Kennedy-Sim were unable to qualify for the finals, finishing in 33rd and 36th respectively after the qualification session.

In the men’s draw, Anton Grimus and Scott Kneller were 38th and 44th after the qualification session, with only the fastest 32 progressing to the finals.

The ski cross squad has the opportunity to improve on these results tomorrow.

Today’s women’s event was won by Switzerland’s Fanny Smith, ahead of Canadian Kelsey Serwa and Swede Anna Holmuld in third.

The men’s was won by Canadian David Duncan, followed by Swiss Alex Fiva and another Canadian Brady Leman in the bronze medal place.

Owens best in opening World Cup

6/12/2013

Australia’s ski cross squad has commenced their international campaign, competing in the opening World Cup of the season in Nakiska, Canada. The event took place is extremely cold conditions, which forced the event organisers to only run one of the planned two events at the location.

AIS scholarship holder Jenny Owens gave herself a confidence boosting 16th place, her best result since December 2012.

AIS ski cross program head coach Matt Lyons said that Owens performance “was a pretty good result.”

Fellow AIS skier Sami Kennedy-Sim qualified for the finals but was unable to progress further than the first race, leaving her in
30th place, while in the men’s event AIS athlete Anton Grimus was 19th.

Scott Kneller did not qualify for the finals and Katya Crema missed the event with knee soreness.

Canada’s Marielle Thompson won the women’s race, followed by Swiss Fanny Smith and Frenchwoman Ophelie David picking up the bronze medal.

France’s Jonas Devouassoux took out the men’s, with Switzerland’s Armin Niederer and Canada’s Brady Leman in second and third.

All systems go

3/12/2013

Australia’s ski cross squad has used a “back to basics” approach as the centrepiece of their strategy to prepare for the most important World Cup season in four years, which starts with a double-header in Nakiska, Canada, on December 6 and 7.

While every World Cup series comes with high expectations, this season has added importance for Australian Institute of Sport skiers Scott Kneller, Anton Grimus, Katya Crema, Jenny Owens and Sami Kennedy-Sim given it leads into the Sochi Olympic Winter Games in February.

Not only are World Cup results integral to the Sochi qualification process, which cuts off on January 20, AIS ski cross program head coach Matt Lyons knows that strong results on the tour may also carry through into the sport’s pinnacle event.

Despite the importance of the Olympic Winter Games, Lyons has not changed that much of his squad’s off-season preparation for this season compared with previous years.

“We determined at the outset that we would go back to basics,” Lyons said this week.

“We wanted to focus on the key elements of the sport, which are good skiing, good starts and good physical preparation. Those are the main three elements.

“However, it is worth acknowledging the fact that we are going into an Olympic year and it’s a big year and the challenges are there before us.

“We need to embrace those challenges and basically recognise that this is what we are here for.”

Lyons said that he is confident the squad has achieved almost all of his expectations throughout the off season training.

“We are all feeling like it is time to get going,” he said.

“We have done almost everything I wanted to get done during the preceding six to eight months.

“We tweaked a couple of things and got a lot of skiing in. Everybody is fit and healthy, which is a good start.”

However, Lyons added that he will have to wait until after the first event to gauge the progress of each of his protégés.

“Everybody does all the hard work and everybody does all the training but you never know until you get in that World Cup environment,” he said.

“We’ve had a couple of time trials but it is really difficult to recreate the pressure and intensity required at a World Cup, particularly when you also overlay the qualification pressures.

“We’ve still got seven qualification events before Sochi. We’re definitely far from home and hosed. Everybody still has to perform.

“Although it should be said that we’re not really focused on the Olympics part of our season just yet. It’s a day at a time.”

Officially the freestyle World Cup season started in August with slopestyle and halfpipe events in Cardrona, NZ, but this weekend marks the first stage of the Northern Hemisphere part of the calendar.

Ski Cross international season preparation update

9/10/2013

In late June a training camp took place in Cardrona, New Zealand for AIS athletes Katya Crema, Jenny Owens and Scott Kneller to focus on snow skills training including setting up a strong alpine turn.

The AIS Ski Cross Program commenced their domestic season training and equipment testing in July at the Perisher Ski Resort. Wax Technician Marcos Ruiz Navarro visited Australia for three weeks to conduct equipment testing and ski selection. The Perisher camp also proved valuable for working on start gate technique and jumping.

Mt Hotham hosted the Australian National Championships in mid-August. However, the finals were cancelled due to poor weather and results were determined by qualifying times. AIS scholarship holder Katya Crema was crowned Australian National Champion after winning both qualifying races while team mate Samantha Kennedy-Sim came in third place overall. AIS scholarship holder Anton Grimus was the best performed Australian male finishing in fifth place in race two of the event.

The team returned to New Zealand in late August to continue on-snow training. The first block involved visiting the club fields of New Zealand’s Southern Alps and skiing off-piste terrain where there is no grooming or chairlifts.

The month of September saw training in New Zealand continue with focus on hard snow alpine technique at various resorts including Mt Hutt (upper-G and GS training), Roundhill (Ski Cross specific turn shape training) and Cardrona (Two weeks of Ski cross tracking training alongside Snowboard Cross teams from Australia, Canada and America).

The AIS Ski Cross Team is currently preparing for an on-snow training camp at one of Europe’s many glacier based resorts. The final location is yet to be finalised following warmer conditions affecting some glacier options.

All athletes are healthy, happy and raring to go!

March 18th, 2013

18/3/2013

Australia’s Katya Crema has finished eighth on day two at the ski cross World Cup in Are, Sweden, having made it through the knock-out rounds to the consolation final in her final race of the northern hemisphere season.

It was another encouraging result by the Australian Institute of Sport / NSW Institute of Sport athlete, who’s season results include eighth in the World Championships earlier this month and three top 10 World Cup places.

Fellow AIS / NSWIS squad member and World Cup winner Scott Kneller also recorded an encouraging result by finishing 14th, his best performance since last December, when he placed seventh in Innichen / San Candido, Italy.

Kneller, who has been effected by a virus for the last month, showed signs of returning to the form he is capable of with the 13th best time in the qualification session in Are, a win in the round of 32 before a racing incident ended his day in the quarter finals.

Frenchman Jean Frederic Chapuis won the event, followed by Armin Niederer from Switzerland and France’s Sylvain Miailler in third.
The women’s final saw Swiss skiers, Fanny Smith and Katrin Mueller, occupy first and third places while Canadian Marielle Thompson secured the silver medal.

AIS ski cross head coach Matt Lyons said he was pleased with the results of Crema, Kneller, world number 12 Anton Grimus, who finished in 20th place despite the after-effects of a crash the previous day, and Sami Kennedy-Sim, who was 19th and unlucky not to make the finals.

“It was a pretty good day today,” Lyons said.

“Katya fought really hard with some good passing to get there but there were some good signs for the future for all of them.

“Scott skied a lot better than he has for the last month. His first round was really good and aggressive, which was the Scotty we saw in December and the Scotty we want to see in the future.”

On the first day of competition in Are, Anton Grimus was 14th, Scott Kneller 19th, Katya Crema 15th and Sami Kennedy Sim was 23rd.

With only Kennedy-Sim competing in the last World Cup ski cross of the season in Sierra Nevada, Spain, next Sunday, Lyons has started his review of the season and believes that each of the squad members has improved in a number of key areas.

“The standard has increased across the board and they have managed to keep pace with that, and depending on who you are talking about, some have improved on that.

“The sport is growing and it is definitely getting tougher at the top. Anybody in the top 32 for the men can win on a given day and anybody in the top 20 with the girls can do the same.

“There are definitely some positives and obviously we have a lot of work to do and we’ll get stuck into that as soon as they have had their break.

“They have a couple of weeks of not too much and then a couple of weeks of unstructured activity and then they’ll get back into the gym.”

Lyons also said that Australia’s domestic season will play an important part in their build up to Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games, and a full World Cup program starting towards the end of this year.

Australian ski cross squad's solid performance

11/3/2013

Australians Anton Grimus and Katya Crema reaffirmed that they are closing the gap between themselves and the top echelon of ski cross athletes when they both delivered their best ever results in a World Championships in Voss, Norway.

Grimus made it through to the consolation final of the year’s most important event, finishing in seventh overall, while Crema was eighth, which is a massive improvement on the 17th and 26th places in the other World Championships she has contested.

France took the first two places in the men’s final with Jean Frederic Chapuis winning his first world title, ahead of Bastien Midol and American John Teller in the bronze medal position.

The women’s final was won by Switzerland’s Fanny Smith, with Canada’s Marielle Thompson second and Frenchwoman and former World Champion Ophelie David in third.

The three other Australians – Scott Kneller, Sami Kennedy-Sim and Jenny Owens – also qualified for the finals, providing the squad with their best collective result of the season.

Each of the five Australian Institute of Sport / NSW Institute of Sport athletes adapted well to the fast and technical course, recording encouraging times in the qualification session.

Grimus, who has been regularly fast in qualification throughout the season, was eighth quickest in a group of athletes all within 0.5 of a second behind top qualifier Jouni Pellinen.

Grimus retained his speed in the round of 32, finishing in second place, to advance to the quarter finals.

Up against Switzerland’s world number one Alex Fiva, Pellinen and Germany’s Daniel Bohnacker, a World Cup winner, Grimus showed why he is constantly gaining respect among his peers when he crossed the line in second place, earning a spot in the semis.

Grimus again encountered Pellinen and the defending World Champion Christopher Delbosco from France and Midol.

Although Grimus tried every trick in his book, the limited passing opportunities on this course played a major role in preventing the Australian from qualifying for the medal round.

Much the same passing issues were again experienced in the consolation final, with Grimus having to be content with third place in his last race of the day.

Despite having a season interrupted with a minor injury, Kneller showed clear signs of returning to form and was unlucky not to progress to the quarters, having placed third in the round of 32.

Crema posted the ninth fastest time in the qualification session, she won her round of 32, but was unable to progress further than the quarter finals. Although she did not make the semis, her finishing position was elevated one place due to the disqualification of Swiss skier Katrin Mueller. Both Grimus and Crema began their careers as alpine ski racers at the Mt Buller Race Club.

The championships also saw a return to form of Kennedy-Sim, who finished last year with a world ranking of 11, however, she had not been able to reproduce that form until Voss.

Kennedy-Sim finished in 16th place and is now looking for a strong finish to this season.

Jenny Owens’ tough season continued when she crashed in her round of 32 final and did not finish.

The squad now turns their attention to a World Cup double header in Are, Sweden, on March 16 and 17 before all squad members, except Kennedy-Sim, return to Australia for a two week break and then commence their build up for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games in Russia.

Kennedy-Sim will compete in the season's final event in Spain at the end of March.

Grimus recaptures form in Olympic test

20/2/2013

Australian athlete Anton Grimus enjoyed a World Cup career equalling best qualifying result and a fourth place in the consolation final in the ski cross test event for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games in Russia today.

The 22-year-old Australian Institute of Sport / NSW Institute of Sport athlete set up a solid performance in the last freestyle skiing test event in Sochi by recording convincing wins in the round of 32 and a quarter final before finishing fourth in a semi-final.

With only the first two places from the semis qualifying for the final, Grimus had to be content with a place in the consolation final, in which he was fourth, ending the day in eight place overall.

The result enabled Grimus to retain his world ranking of 13.

The event, the ninth round on this season’s World Cup tour, was won by Swede Victor Oehling Norberg, Canadian Christopher Delbosco was second while German Andreas Schauer was third.

Grimus finished the Olympic test event full of confidence and with a number of areas to focus on for the rest of the World Cup season and to create a place in the Australian Winter Olympics team competing in Sochi next year.

Several of his World Cup results this season, and particularly his impressive qualifying time today, have encouraged the Australian to look to next February’s Sochi Games with optimism.

“I can be confident that a medal is within reach,” Grimus said.

“I’ve have had a few good results this season and I’ve got things to work on. It’s good knowing that I have room for improvement.”

While winning his first two races of the day was encouraging, perhaps the highlight of his appearance in Sochi was the way he revelled in the fresh overnight snow with the second fastest qualifying time, stopping the clock at 1:18.49, just 0.38 of a second slower than today’s overall winner.

Grimus said he was “stoked, really happy” with the qualifying result.

“The last four weeks have been tough with qualifying. I knew I had it in me,” he added.

“I definitely feel I have improved but I wasn’t on the podium today so there is definitely room for further improvement.”
Australia’s number one male ski cross athlete, Scott Kneller, who has helped with the mentoring of Grimus, joined his protégé in the knock-out finals after qualifying in 26th place.

But Kneller fell at the last bank in his first final while pushing hard for the lead, which cost him the opportunity to advance to the quarter finals. Kneller finished the day in 28th place.

Katya Crema was the day’s leading Australian woman, finishing in 11th place after showing a clean pair of skis to her opponents in the round of 32.

Unfortunately for the AIS / NSWIS skier, her winning ways did not continue and she finished the day when she placed third in the quarters.

AIS /NSWIS athlete Sami Kennedy-Sim made it four out of four Australian ski cross squad members to qualify for the finals, which emphasised the determination the squad has shown while in Sochi to turn around a difficult few weeks on the tour.

Kennedy Sim’s appearance in the finals gave her a 27th place overall.

The fifth squad member, Jenny Owens, did not start due to soreness.

The women’s event was a one-two finish for Canadians Kelsey Serwa and Marielle Thompson, with Switzerland’s Fanny Smith in third.

Owens is Australia’s best performer

4/2/2013

The Australian Ski Cross team in Grasgehren

Australian Institute of Sport / NSW Institute of Sport athlete Katya Crema has retained her top 20 world ranking after finishing in 26th place at the eighth round of the ski cross World Cup in Germany.

Competing in the second day of a double-header in Grasgehren, which saw the first day cancelled due to weather conditions, the five member ski cross squad were hoping to record higher results but had a day that fell below expectation.

Jenny Owens finished 21st, three places ahead of fellow AIS / NSWIS skier Sami Kennedy-Sim.

Frenchwoman Ophelie David recorded her 25th World Cup victory, ahead of German Christina Manhard and France’s Marielle Berger Sabbatel picked up the bronze medal.

In the men’s draw, AIS / NSWIS skier Anton Grimus also missed the finals when he was 52st in qualifying and 51st overall.

Czech Tomas Kraus was first across the line in the final, followed by Canadian Tristan Tafel and third placed Swede Victor Oehling Norberg.

Frustrations for ski cross squad

17/1/2013

Katya Crema - middle - in action at the World Cup in Megeve IMAGE British Ski Cross

Australian ski cross athlete Katya Crema was the best performer among the five squad members when she finished 15th in the World Cup event in Megeve, France.

With all three of the Aussie female Australian Institute of Sport / NSW Institute of Sport athletes qualifying for the finals, expectation were strong but overall results at the end of the day were not as positive.

Jenny Owens’ finished with an overall result of 25th, after starting the day with a season equal best 12th fastest qualifying time.

Sami Kennedy Sim was 18th fastest in qualifying but had to settle for 27th overall.

Owens and Kennedy Sim were knocked out of the event in the round of 32 while Crema finished a comfortable 2nd before going out in her quarter final.

To add to the squad’s difficulties, Australia’s number one male ski cross athlete, Scott Kneller, injured an ankle and will fly back to Australia for further examinations and treatment.

The injury occurred during training when Kneller caught an edge of his ski and fell.

It is not known if his ankle will prevent him from competing in the next stop of the World Cup circuit, in Grasgehren, Germany, on February 2.

Anton Grimus, a podium finisher in Nakiska, Canada, in his first World Cup event of the season in December, had a day he would like to forget posting a 54th placing.

The men’s event was won by American John Teller, with Fin Jouni Pellinen in second and Swiss skier Armin Niederer in third.

The women’s event was won by Germany’s Anna Woerner, ahead of Canadian and World Champion Kelsey Serwa and Frenchwoman Ophelie David in third.

Kennedy-Sim makes first final of the season in Les Contamines

13/1/2013

Ski cross athletes Anton Grimus and Sami Kennedy-Sim qualified for the quarter finals of the World Cup in Les Contamines, France, today but both were unable to progress further in a tough day at the office for Australia’s five member squad.

Kennedy-Sim has struggled this season to continue the form that enabled her to finish the 2011/2012 season with a world ranking of 11 but today she showed definite signs that things are improving.

The Australian Institute of Sport / NSW Institute of Sport skier was 13th fastest in qualifying, earning a place in the quarter finals.

But unfortunately the fifth round of World Cup competition finished at that point when she did not finish the race.

Kennedy-Sim ended the day in 14th place behind Austria’s Andrea Limbacher, Sweden’s Anna Holmlund in second and Switzerland’s Fanny Smith making up the last podium position.

AIS / NSWIS athletes Katya Crema and Jenny Owens missed the cut with their qualifying times.

Grimus, who is enjoying a career best World Cup season, qualified for the first of the elimination finals by posting the 30th fastest time in qualifying.

He skied an aggressive and smart race to cross the line in the first final only to finish fourth in the quarters, making him ineligible to advance to the semi-finals. He placed 16th overall and still retains his top .10 ranking.

Scott Kneller qualified for the finals in 22nd place but could not finish any higher than third in his elimination race, ending his hopes of going deeper in the draw. He finished in 21st place overall.

The men’s event was won by Switzerland’s Alex Fivas, while Slovakian Filip Flisar and Czech Tomas Kraus were second and third.

The squad will quickly regroup for their next World Cup event in Megeve, France, on Wednesday January 16.

Kneller reaches career best form

24/12/2012

Australian ski cross athlete Scott Kneller reaped the benefits of a long arduous training program today when he claimed his best World Cup result in almost two years at the Italian resort of Innichen / San Candido.

Kneller, 23, made it through to the consolation final, rewarding the Australian Institute of Sport / NSW Institute of Sport skier with seventh place overall.

The event was won by Switzerland’s Alex Fiva, who captured his third World Cup victory, while German Daniel Bohnacker and Swede Victor Oehling Norberg took second and third.

Kneller’s teammates Anton Grimus and Katya Crema also qualified successfully for the final rounds of head-to-head competition.

Kneller’s result drew praise from AIS ski cross program head coach Matt Lyons, who firmly believes that Kneller’s dedicated approach to training all year has repaid the winner of this event in 2010 with the best form of his career.

Kneller missed most of last World Cup season with a hand injury and since has committed himself to a demanding fitness program to not only get back into competition but also to take his skiing to a new high, to achieve his goal of competing strongly at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, which is a little more than a year away.

“I think Scott is skiing better than before he injured his hand,” Lyons said.

“He was skiing pretty well that year but now he’s stronger and more consistent.

“I put this improvement down to hard work. Plus he’s also more experienced, which accounts for a lot in this sport.

“You can see the importance of experience with the new-comers that don’t make it through some of their rounds.

“You learn things in a head-to-head environment.”

Kneller earned his spot in the knock out rounds with the 10th fastest time in qualifying, his best qualifying result in the four World Cup rounds this season.

Kneller won his round of 32 and was second to Bohnacker in the quarters, which advanced the Australian to the semis.

After starting well and challenging for the lead in his semi, Kneller took the less-than-perfect line through a turn about half way through the race and slipped back to third across the line.

In the consolation final to decide placings fifth through eighth, Kneller suffered a similar fate but the result was nonetheless encouraging for the rest of the season. Kneller moves to a world ranking of 11th.

Kneller’s fellow AIS / NSWIS teammate Anton Grimus also enjoyed a solid performance, finishing in 16th after a second place in his first knock out round and making it through to the quarter finals. Grimus is now ranked 7th after four events.

AIS / NSWIS scholarship holder Katya Crema is another of the squad who is skiing better than before.

Crema’s 10th place in Italy today continues a definite improvement this season, and like Kneller and Grimus, Lyons believes that basic hard work is the reason.

Unfortunately Australians Jenny Owens and Sami Kennedy-Sim failed to qualify for the knock out rounds, finishing in 17th and 23rd, although both showed signs that improvement to their seasons is about to happen.

The women’s event was won by World Champion Kelsey Serwa from Canada, ahead of compatriot Georgia Simmerling in second.

Switzerland’s Katrin Mueller was awarded the bronze medal after French woman Ophelie David, who crossed the line in third, was controversially disqualified from the final for her involvement in a race incident involving Mueller.

The Australian ski cross squad next competes in the French resort of Les Contamines on January 12.

Two Australians in top 10 rankings

20/12/2012

Australian ski cross athlete Anton Grimus has carved out the best start to a season in his three years of World Cup competition when he again finished in the top 10 today and was the fourth fastest in qualifying at Val Thorens, France.

The result provides the Australian Institute of Sport / NSW Institute of Sport skier with a career high ranking of sixth in the world.

Grimus, who finished on the podium in Canada earlier this month, shares his place in the top 10 with fellow Australian squad member Scott Kneller who has retained his 10th place ranking by also making the quarter finals and finishing in twelfth place overall in Val Thorens.

Today’s third round World Cup competition was won by Switzerland’s Armin Niederer, who has enjoyed victory in two of the three races this season, with Canadian Brady Leman in second and American Joe Swensson taking the other podium placing.

Grimus improved ranking was the highlight of the day for the five person Australian squad.

Going into the final day of racing at Val Thorens, AIS ski cross head coach Matt Lyons thought that practice times from the day before indicated that Australians would figure in higher places than what eventuated.

Both Grimus and Kneller were very fast in practice but unfortunately were not able to carry forward their pre-race form.

Grimus looked like he would advance to the semi-finals when he fought his way into second, after missing the start of the quarter final, but the Australian was passed soon after. Only the top two quarter finalists progress to the semis.

“Today’s course was not particularly technical, with not that many features, comparatively flat and was more of a ‘‘gliding’ type of track, which did not suit our athletes,” Lyons said.

“It was the sort of course that was hard to go fast and easy to go slow.”

As well as allowing opponents too much space and opportunity to pass, the squad’s selection of wax played a part in the result and, with hindsight, Lyons believes a different wax selection would have made his athletes faster.

The three women in the squad had a day they would like to forget with Katya Crema placing 19th, Sami Kennedy-Sim in 21st and Jenny Owens in 34th.

Swiss ace Fanny Smith made it three on the run by winning in Val Thorens, followed by Norway’s Marte Hoeie Gjefsen and Austrian Andrea Limbacher in third.

The squad journeys to Italy for the fourth round at Innichen / San Candido on Sunday December 23.

This resort has fond memories for Kneller, who won there in 2010.

Crema's World Cup best

12/12/2012

Australian ski cross athlete Katya Crema achieved a World Cup career best sixth place in Telluride, USA, today.

The 24-year-old Australian Institute of Sport skier qualified with the sixth fastest time, before going on to record a second place in the quarter finals and a fourth in the semi-finals, which earned her a spot in the consolation final for the second time of her World Cup career.

Crema raced aggressively in the consolation final to finish strongly in second place, one position higher than her other consolation final appearance in France last January.

Swiss ace Fanny Smith was the overall winner, notching her second victory in as many rounds of the new season, ahead of old-time rival Ophelie David from France and Swede Anna Holmlund in third. The podium places were exactly the same as the opening round in Nakiska, Canada, last weekend.

Australia’s World Cup medallist Jenny Owens fought back from a disappointing start to the season by improving her first round result by 13 places, to finish 11th overall in Telluride.

Teammate Sami Kennedy-Sim also showed definite improvements to the opening round when she finished 23rd, seven places higher than in Canada.

AIS ski cross program head coach Matt Lyons said that Crema’s improvement today was a result of skiing aggressively in each of her races.

“She enjoyed the track and took a few risks which paid off,” Lyons said.

“Katya had good starts today, although she wasn’t the first out but she played the percentages well, passed a few and pressed well.

“The girls may have been a little tight in their first event of the year in Canada.

“Training without World Cup competition can sometimes mean that it takes a while to get back into it, get the head space right and get used to the competition again.”

In the men’s event, Australia’s number one Scott Kneller was eighth fastest in qualifying, showing speed that was carried through to the first of the knock-out finals.

Kneller won his first heat but could manage only third in the quarter finals, giving him an 11th place overall.

However, the AIS / NSWIS scholarship holder who trains at NSW’s Thredbo and Perisher resorts will be encouraged by his best World Cup result since January 2011, having missed most of last season with a hand injury.

Anton Grimus was unable to repeat the form that gave him his first World Cup podium finish in Canada, finishing the Telluride event in 18th.

The men’s event was won by Slovakian Filip Flisar, Canadian Brady Leman finished in the silver medal position and Switzerland’s Armin Niederer in third.

The AIS ski cross team now moves to Europe, with two World Cup's scheduled before Christmas, with the first in Val Thorens, France, on December 19.

Grimus wins first World Cup medal

9/12/2012

Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder Anton Grimus has delivered a career best by making his first World Cup ski cross final and grabbing the bronze medal in Nakiska, Canada.

Grimus, the son of Mt Buller legend Hans, smashed his previous personal best result of 10th, making it a dream start in the opening World Cup of the season.

AIS ski cross program head coach Matt Lyons said that Grimus’s noticeable improvement this season is a result of working on starts, air technique and a more intense pre-season program in Australia.

“There were glimpses last year of what Anton is capable of,” Lyons said. “He has been working on consistency, his starts, what he needs to do in the air and just hard work in training.

“We are very pleased.”

Lyons was also excited by the result of, Scott Kneller, who was in contention during his quarter final but was knocked off his skis by another athlete while a group of four racers were jostling for position, finishing in 12th.

The three female members of the ski cross squad had a day they would like to forget.
Katya Crema finished in 23rd, Jenny Owens in 24th and Sami Kennedy-Sim in 30th place, all failing to qualify for the head to head final races.

The squad now travels to the Colorado resort of Telluride in the United States for round two on December 13.

Kneller, Crema third in World Cup warm-up

3/12/2012

With the opening World Cup of the season less then a week away, the AIS Ski Cross team has taken part in the Canadian Ski Cross National Championships with some promising early season results.

The event, which took place in Nakiska, Canada, site of the opening World Cup, featured a strong field including many of the worlds best athletes, and served as ideal preparation to practice competition skills after a series of on snow training camps over the past month.

Leading performances included Scott Kneller and Katya Crema both making the podium finishing in third place, with Anton Grimus in eighth.

Also competing in the event were Sami Kennedy-Sim and Jenny Owens who finished in 14th and 15th place.

The AIS Ski Cross team now has a few days training before the opening World Cup on December 7-8.

Sami finishes season with PB ranking

14/3/2012

Australian Institute of Sport / NSW Institute of Sport scholarship holder Sami Kennedy-Sim more than lived up to her motto “passion plus persistence equals performance” this season.

The Perisher ski cross athlete finished the 2011 / 2012 season with a World Cup ranking of 11, ten places higher than her season end standing 12 months before, to be the highest ranked World Cup racer in the Australian squad.

After a relatively slow start to the season things changed at the World Cup fourth round at Alpe d’Huez in France on January 11, Sami bagged a personal best 6th place.

Two rounds later, she created another PB, with a fifth place and a consolation final win at Blue Mountain in Canada, her favourite World Cup location.

Sami again equaled her personal best in Branas, Sweden, on March 3, in a performance that added hefty weight to her arrival this season as an athlete with the potential to achieve a podium finish.

At the final round in Grindelwald on March 10, Sami qualified in 7th place, but the event was cancelled after the accident, and resultant tragic death, of Canadian skier, Nik Zoricic.

Qualification places were used as the event results - Sami 7th, Katya Crema 15th, Anton Grimus 39th and Scott Kneller, returning from injury, finished 49th.

The Olympic Winter Institute of Australia extends its sincere condolences to the Canadian team as well as Zoricic’s friends and family.

Kennedy-Sim wins consolation final

5/3/2012

Australian ski cross athlete Sami Kennedy-Sim has added to her strong results in this season's World Cup with a win in the consolation final, giving the twenty-three-year-old a fifth place overall, in Branas, Sweden, today.

It is the second time this year that the Australian Institute of Sport / NSW Institute of Sport skier has finished fifth.

Today’s final was won by series leader, Canada’s Marielle Thompson, ahead of Switzerland’s Emilie Serain and French veteran Ophelie David, who is just 10 points behind Thompson in a fight for this year’s title.

In only her second year as an AIS / NSWIS scholarship holder, the Perisher skier has slowly but steadily climbed higher in the results with four World Cup consolation finals appearances in nine events.

Her push for a spot in the podium decider round has intensified since mid-January and compares favourably with last season when she regularly finished in the 20's.

After qualifying in ninth place, Kennedy-Sim displayed her head-to-head racing prowess by finishing second in a quarter final behind Switzerland’s Katrin Mueller, who won the last World Cup round in Germany a week ago.

Skiing against David, Mueller and Frenchwoman Jessica Millet Gouchoe in a semi-final and for a place in the final, Kennedy-Sim, who is usually clean and fast out of the start gate, caught a pole of another skier, causing her to lose valuable ground.

The starting mishap was described by AIS ski cross program head coach Matt Lyons as “bad luck” and Kennedy-Sim was unable to bridge the gap with the other three skiers.

However, Kennedy-Sim showed her characteristic grit in the consolation final by winning the race in fine style, giving her fifth overall.

The consistency achieved by Kennedy-Sim this World Cup season means that her world ranking is 12, providing automatic inclusion into the season ending World Cup finals in Grindelwald, Switzerland, next Sunday.

Fellow squad member, Katya Crema, with her 15th place today after qualifying in 10th, seems set to be another Australian inclusion in the season’s curtain call event.

Crema fell during her quarter final in Sweden, which ended her hopes of going further in today’s ninth round event.

The men’s draw saw Anton Grimus also continue his improvement with a 19th fastest time in qualifying and 28th overall.

While his placing was down compared with recent rounds, Lyons is pleased with Grimus’ form and believes he is recapturing the speed that he displayed in his debut season last year.

Grimus is on the threshold of also qualifying for the World Cup finals, with the outcome hinging on his performance in the season’s penultimate event, the first day of a double header, in Grindelwald next Saturday.

Australia’s number one male ski cross athlete Scott Kneller may return to competition next Saturday for the first time since suffering a hand injury in January. Kneller and Lyons will decide at the end of the week if he will race.

3 athletes in the top-16

27/2/2012

Australia’s ski cross squad delivered one of their best combined results of the World Cup season in the German resort of Bischofswiesen-Goetschen.

Sami Kennedy-Sim, who was the best performer among the Australians, won her quarter final in difficult conditions to advance to her third semi-final for the season.

Swiss racer Katrin Mueller won the eighth round event, ahead of French veteran and series leader Ophelie David and Canadian Marielle Thompson in third.

Despite drawing the tougher of the two semis, alongside the eventual event winner and silver medalist, the Australian Institute of Sport / NSW Institute of Sport scholarship holder bolted out of the starting gate to lead most of the way.

Kennedy-Sim, 23, from NSW’s Perisher, was two ski lengths in front of the other three athletes with a berth in her first World Cup final in sight, but a lack of experience brought about a mistake which forced her wide on the top turn, allowing the other skiers to overtake her.

Kennedy-Sim was unable to regain enough speed to recover and was forced to settle for a place in the consolation final.

Fellow AIS / NSWIS skier Katya Crema found much better form on the second day of the double header at Bischofswiesen-Goetschen by qualifying fifth fastest, her best qualifying result of the season, and finished the day in 10th overall.

Crema placed third in her quarter final, a result that did not qualify her for the semis.

According to AIS ski cross program head coach Matt Lyons, Crema focused on skiing “closer to the edge.”

He asked Crema to “worry less about being perfect, because it will not be perfect” and use a strategy based around raw aggression.

“Often when it feels great it can be slow,” Lyons said.

The plan paid dividends, providing Crema with her best result since January 15, when she finished in seventh place in France.

Anton Grimus is also displaying season best form by finishing 16th, adding to another 16th yesterday.

The 22-year-old AIS / NSWIS athlete impressed many when he debuted last season but until the last few races this year, has since struggled to repeat that form.

Lyons is encouraged by Grimus’ recaptured form, believing that he is learning every time he competes.

“Anton is showing encouraging signs, learning every race and he recognises a couple of mistakes he made today,” Lyons said.

“He said to me that he could see what was going on around him, being aware of things and not so reactive to what happens at a particular moment.

“This is the result of experience and being in that environment, up against stiff competition, and he is definitely holding his own, knowing how to perform.”

The squad was further encouraged by Australia’s number one male ski cross athlete Scott Kneller returning to the snow after missing most of the season with a hand injury. While Kneller did not race, he trained with the squad and acted as the event forerunner.

SSA devleopment ski cross athletes Brooke Dunleavy and Rebecca Wyatt also competed in the event, with Brooke recording a 22nd place result.

Grimus records PB

26/2/2012

Australian ski cross athlete Anton Grimus achieved the best performance of his World Cup season with a win in the first knock out final and an overall 16th place in Bischofswiesen/Goetschen, Germany, today.

The Australian Institute of Sport / NSW Institute of Sport racer is coming into some strong last minute form by stringing together solid results in the last two events.

The race down the 904-metre course in 7.2 degree foggy and rainy conditions saw Canadian Tristan Tafel take first place, with American John Teller in second and Canadian Christopher Delbosco in third.

After qualifying in 21st position to reach the finals, Grimus came up against the event winner in the first final and crossed the line ahead of the Tafel to record a confidence boosting victory.

However, in the next final, which included Tafel once more, fortunes failed to favour the young Aussie, with Grimus not finishing due to a crash.

AIS ski cross program head coach Matt Lyons said that he was pleased to see some encouraging signs from Grimus.

Lyons and Grimus have been focusing on a number of technical factors that are now starting to pay dividends.

Teammate Sami Kennedy-Sim finished in 12th place overall after she was pinched out on one of the turns in her quarter final, forcing the Perisher athlete into third place, resulting in her missing a semi-final berth.

The final was won by Austrian Andrea Limbacher, ahead of David and compatriot Alizee Baron in third place.

Katya Crema unfortunately did not qualify for the finals, finishing in 18th place.

The three AIS / NSWIS scholarship athletes will now regroup and do it all again in the second stage of the double header tomorrow.

Sami's 5th best yet

2/2/2012

Perisher ski cross racer Sami Kennedy-Sim enjoyed a World Cup career best performance when she clocked the third fastest time in qualifying and convincingly won the consolation final to finish fifth overall Blue Mountain, Canada.

Canadian Marielle Thompson, Austrian Katrin Ofner and Switzerland’s Katrin Mueller filled the podium placings.

The 23-year-old Australian Institute of Sport / NSW Institute of Sport athlete is experiencing her best World Cup season since debuting in 2008.

It was only several weeks ago that Kennedy-Sim achieved a then personal best, a sixth overall in the World Cup fourth round at the French resort of Alpe d’Huez.

The last 12 months have seen a significant turn-around for Kennedy-Sim and her results in the last month show that an even stronger commitment with training and focusing more on the technical aspects of her skiing are translating into higher finishes.

AIS ski cross program head coach Matt Lyons said Kennedy-Sim was happy with fifth yet disappointed that an error in her semi-final cost her a chance to make her first World Cup final.

“It was a little unfortunate that she did not get into the final,” Lyons said.

“She made a mistake up at the top when she was in second place and Katrin Ofner was able to pass her. Sami was definitely in there with a good chance to qualify for the final.

“Sami has done a lot of training and put in a lot of hard work and things are starting to come together for her.”

Teammate Katya Crema qualified 10th but was also beaten to the line by Ofner in a quarter final to miss the semis to finish the day 11th overall.

The team’s number one female athlete, Jenny Owens, crashed in her quarter final to finish in 14th place.

In the men’s event, Anton Grimus qualified for the finals after being 11th fastest, however, a race strategy error pushed him back to 16th place overall.

Canadian Brady Leman won with compatriot Christopher Delbosco second and Austrian Andreas Matt third.

The Blue Mountain event marked the half way stage of the World Cup ski cross season and the Australians will return home for 10 days before resuming their campaign in Bischofswiesen/Goetschen, German, on February 25.

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