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.

olympics.com.au

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.

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

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.

 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

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

Ski and Snowboard Australia

NSWIS Ski Cross athlete Sami Kennedy-Sim has had a strong weekend of competition in Feldberg, Germany, with two top 10 performances, including a season's best fifth place.

Kennedy-Sim made a positive start to the event, performing well in qualifying to advance though to finals for both days in seventh place.

On day one of competition, Kennedy-Sim won her quarter-final round, but unfortunatley placed fourth in the semi-final to miss out on advancing to the final medal round. In the small-final, Kennedy-Sim won her second heat of the day, to finish in fifth place overall, her best result of the season.

On day two, Kennedy-Sim narrowly missed out on advancing to the semi-final stage, finishing third in the quarter-final, giving her an overall placing of tenth.

After the race, a happy Kennedy-Sim commented on her performance.

"The racing at Feldberg was some of the tightest racing I have ever seen. Almost every heat had a photo finish."

"I am so happy with both my fifth and tenth place performances this weekend. I was skiing very fast all week and look forward to continuing racing next week in Sunny Valley, Russia."

After Feldberg, Kennedy-Sim is currently ranked 14th on the World Cup standings with three events remaining.

A number of SSA athletes were also in action in Feldberg, with Robbie Morrison making his World Cup debut in 52nd, Doug Crawford 54th and Lilly Speiser 26th.


IMAGE - Sami Kennedy-Sim (second from left) in a tight heat in Feldberg © FIS

NSWIS Ski Cross athlete Sami Kennedy-Sim has competed in her final World cup event before the World Championships, reaching the quarter finals and finishing in 12th place in Blue Mountain, Canada.

After bad weather caused the cancellation of qualifications, all competitors took part in head to head racing, with Kennedy-Sim advancing through the first round heat in second place. 

In the quarter-finals, Kennedy-Sim finished third in her heat, missing out on the top two required to move though to the next round, putting her in a final position of 12th.

After six races this season, Kennedy-Sim is sitting in 18th place on the Ski Cross World Cup standings.

The Ski Cross tour now heads to Solitude Mountain Resort for the upcoming World Championships in Utah, USA. Qualification takes place February 1, with finals the next day on February 2.

IMAGE - Sami Kennedy-Sim across the line first in one of the Ski Cross rounds in Idre Fjall  © FIS Freestyle

NSWIS Ski Cross athlete Sami Kennedy-Sim has made a strong start to her first events of 2019, placing 14th in the first event and eighth in the second event at the World Cup in Idre Fjall, Sweden.

After qualify for finals in 11th place, on day one Kennedy-Sim was unable to advance through the quarter-final found, to give her a ranking of 14th.

On day two, Kennedy-Sim had her best result of the season, winning her first round quarter-final to advance to the semi-final stage.

Unfortunately Kennedy-Sim was unable to advance to the big final, finishing fourth in both the final two rounds to end up in eighth place.

The Ski Cross World Cup tour now heads to Blue Mountain, Canada, the final stop before the 2019 World Championships.

IMAGE - Sami Kennedy-Sim across the line first in one of the Ski Cross rounds in Idre Fjall  © FIS Freestyle

Sami Kennedy-Sim has ended her season with a career-best overall World Cup tenth place with 259 points. Her result has been a steady climb up the standings after finishing 12th in 2017, 14th in 2016 and 16th. Her first World Cup season was in 2009/10.

The World Cup Ski Cross Final in Megeve, France over the weekend did not provide the thrilling season finale athletes hoped for after increasingly bad weather forced organisers to cancel the event.

In the prize-giving ceremony under the falling snow in the finish were Sweden’s Sandra Naeslund earned both the ski cross and the Freestyle overall crystal globes for 2017/18. 

 “I was disappointed to not race and try to improve my world ranking but I am happy to have finished the season tenth overall. Conditions here have been challenging and the track suffered due to rain and snow,” Kennedy-Sim said.
 
After a long season the two-time Olympian is headed home to Sydney before tackling the 2018/19 season.

Two-time Olympian Sami Kennedy-Sim, who has been Australia’s leading Ski Cross racer for over a decade, has seen her sport grow internationally into a fierce battle ground.

Talented and determined athletes require every mental and physical skill to enter the combat zone in which four women go head to head over jumps and down features to finish first or second to keep alive any hopes of progressing to the next round.

There’s no prize for third until the very last race for the podium.

Kennedy-Sim, who has been a fixture in or near the top ten in the world for many years, placed eighth in the PyeongChang Games after a series of annoying 11th places in lead-up World Cups.

Last weekend in Russia, she improved on her Olympic result with a fifth and seventh in two tightly contested finals and is preparing for the World Cup Finals in Megeve, France this weekend.

A broken wrist strap on her ski pole at the start of her PyeongChang final’s race robbed the Sydney ski queen of an even better result and she has no doubts about going after a third Olympics.   
 
“Hell yeah,” Kennedy-Sim exclaimed when asked if she was continuing this week.  

“PyeongChang was definitely a step in the right direction. It’s taken me eight years to get here. I am definitely committed to continuing.”

Her struggle to get to her first Olympics in Sochi after suffering from a stroke is well documented and the now 29-year-old says she has grown as an athlete and a person.

“I had such an amazing Olympic experience in Korea. I learned a lot from Sochi and how I would do some things differently. I grew up,” she said.

“Olympics is not a World Cup. It’s a really special thing. You only get one shot and I wanted to make the most of the experience.”

“Watching other teammates and letting myself soak up the Olympic vibe was really important. In Sochi I tried to push it down and this time I was far more relaxed and far better prepared than four years ago.”

Is Kennedy-Sim a fighter? Hell, yeah (using her own words). From a life-threatening illness to competing in a cut-throat, sometimes vicious racing in a sport that is still emerging in Australia requires a tough-minded attitude, yet it’s the race in her head that she wants to conquer more than anything.  

“Honestly for me, even three weeks from Olympics to now, my biggest battle is between the ears.”

“My mental game really tends to be what lets me down, particularly in the last six to nine months. I’m looking forward to building that (her mental skills). If I can get that up to scratch, I will be all good.”

“It’s about fine tweaking, that’s I need to do.”

Kennedy-Sim knows she is better than good in the elite echelon of Ski Cross, yet as she talks openly and publicly about her competitive mental skill set and desire to step it up more, you can’t escape the feeling - as a bystander -  that she struggles with the idea of climbing her mental cliff, and that you would willingly stand beside her, or better still behind, and gently nudge her up the craggy, rock face called confidence.

“There are elements of my personality under pressure,” she muses. “And for me now it’s about the skills. It’s about minimising.”

“The Olympics were five full race rounds to stay in the game. I am looking forward to building on that more and having that bit more confidence. You only get that in races. That’s why I stayed on racing instead of going home.”  

Being a proud Olympian comes through in everything Kennedy-Sim says and forms her approach to the future.

“In the last year I’ve learnt that our sport is continuing to grow rapidly at the elite end and those experiences at that level you can’t buy. Seeing the way successful people operate.”

“It’s only the beginning of March and I’ve been in nine countries in three months watching how those successful people operate. Learning how and what makes the best tick. It’s about surrounding yourself with successful people.”

“I often try to make sure that I am setting an example. I want to be the most successful I can be. If you stand in your own way you’re never going to get there,” she states.  

The strength of genuine team feeling amongst the Australians in PyeongChang was highlighted by Chef de Mission Ian Chesterman and embodied by leading athletes such as Kennedy-Sim.

“Those days before the Closing are treasured and the ceremony itself tied us all together. The feeling of the team was so good.”  

“I think that the people that made the Olympic team were the bobsled guys and they really embraced the Olympic culture. They went to so many events for people they didn’t know.”

“They really were the glue and were relatively new to the winter sport. That was so important to the team. There was such good comradery.”

“So, for me, at 8am in the morning, I was up at their event.”  

“We are here for you. It is the Olympic spirit.”

“There will be a few people who retire and if this is a cultural set for our team, with so many young ones, what a great start!”  

Kennedy-Sim is a natural leader who is often involved in development programs in the domestic winters on the NSW and Victorian ski fields.

“I always aspire to be someone who can be sought out. Community engagement is important. I might fantasise about retiring but keeping going justifies everything for me. I want to be someone who instigates healthy change. That means I’m doing my job.”

There is one more event on her racing calendar for this season. The World Cup Ski Cross Final, which uses current world rankings and goes straight into racing without timed qualification runs and that’s just how Kennedy-Sim likes it.

“There’s no qualifications – just rankings seeding, which is good for me. It’s way better racing.”
 
The Ski Cross World Cup Final in Megeve, France will be held on Saturday, 17 March from 11.30pm (AEDT). You can follow live results here  and watch on Eurosport Australia. Check your local guides here
 
Belinda Noonan
OWIA

After finishing eighth at the PyeongChang Games, Ski Cross racer Sami Kennedy-Sim didn’t let up and has successfully contested the Sunny Valley double World Cups in Russia over the weekend.  
 
Demonstrating her strength in the sometimes brutal sport, Kennedy-Sim qualified fourth and fifth in the back-to-back races over two days, coming away with fifth and seventh placings in tightly contested finals.
 
Coming off the Olympic Games, many would expect that rest, recovery and time to chill would be a priority, but not for the Manly racer who is enjoying good form and intends to continue.
 
“I am proud to have continued on from my strong racing at the Olympics in Russia,” Kennedy-Sim said this morning after making the top eight in both World Cups in Russia.
 
“The track was in great condition and made for very tight racing, with photo finishes deciding the final heats. I led all but one heat in the past two days and am looking forward to racing in Megeve on March 17.”
 
World Cup race one was won by Fanny Smith (SUI), 2nd Brittany Phelan (CAN), 3rd Katrin Ofner (AUT), with Sami Kennedy-Sim in 5th. Race two was won by Sandra Naesland (SWE), Brittany Phelan (CAN), 3rd Fanny Smith (SUI) with Sami Kennedy-Sim in 7th.
 
“I now have nine days to rest and recover from a whirlwind few weeks before the World Cup finals kick off in Megeve, France,” she said.  

Belinda Noonan
OWIA

Dual Olympian Sami Kennedy-Sim has recorded her best result of the season after finishing eighth in the women's Ski Cross finals at Phoenix Park on Friday. 

While the 29-year-old said that it was "hard not to be disappointed" with her placing, the skier heads into her last remaining World Cups after PyeongChang confident and ready to fight. 

"That was a solid battle and it's a step up for me and the best result that I've had all season," she said.

"I'm going to continue building on this, I've got three more World Cups after this straight away so it's time for me to get my act together and keep producing these performances."

Canada dominated the podium, with compatriots Kelsey Serwa and Brittany Phelan winning gold and silver while Switzerland's Fanny Smith secured bronze. 

Prior to the finals, Kennedy-Sim spent time reviewing old footage from the PyeongChang test event. 

"I was looking for race footage from when we were here ... and all I could find was our qualifying footage so we decided to have a watch," she said.

"Two years ago I was still making small finals and getting similar results but I am so much better now than I was two years ago.

"Then talk about four years ago, six years ago, everyone is just stepping up in this sport and it is a pleasure to be part of it.

"To be one of the top girls in the world, that's sick and I hope that I can get other kids to come and have a crack, it's super fun!"

After the Sochi Olympian was guaranteed a spot in the quarterfinals due to Italy's Lucrezia Fantelli not starting, the Sydney native said that she was afforded an "extra training run" in her first heat of the day. 

"I just managed to knuckle everything down when it counted and get into the semi," she said.

"I skied the run that I've had on my mind the whole time I've been here and it finally came out on snow."

Misfortune struck the skier when her pole broke at the beginning of the semi-final. 

"Unfortunately I had a bit of bad luck in the semi-final to go through to the final breaking my pole at the start and getting stuck.

"Exercising my fitness and my strength by having got myself up the Wu-Tang which didn't feel very good."

While Kennedy-Sim was disappointed to have missed out on walking with her teammates in the Opening Ceremony, there was a sea of green and gold at Phoenix Park to cheer the Olympian on. 

"I've looked out in the crowd today and there's a big sea of yellow Aussie jackets here. That to me has summed up my Olympic experience, coming down in my first heat and just seeing so many Aussies, everyone cheering my name, that's amazing to have that support," she said.

"I'm really lucky to have my family here, some friends, some teammates but also my Ski Cross family.

"Our small team, we are a big family and we travel and spend way more time together than we do with our own families.

"I'm really looking forward to sharing today with them and being able to spend time with people and really relax a bit.
"In two days we pack up and it's business again."

 David Barden
olympics.com.au