Category: Scott Kneller

Aussies positive despite crashing out

18/2/2014

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

Australia’s two male hopes in Ski Cross were bundled out in the 1/8 Finals, after crashing on the course at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park on Day 13. It seemed like every race had a crash and for the Australians luck was not on their side. The event was a clean sweep for the French team. World champion Jean Frederic Chapius led for most of the Big Final and hung on to win the Gold. Arnaud Bovolenta skied to Silver and Jonathan Midol the Bronze. Canadian Brady Leman crashed out near the bottom of the course pushing hard to make up ground and finished fourth.

Racing in Heat 2, Australian hope Scott Kneller had a slow start but positioned himself well in the field looking for opportunities to pass before crashing halfway through the race on a tight turn.

Kneller recovered to finish the race in third place, but with only two out of each heat going through to the next stage, his Sochi Olympic campaign was over. Earlier in the day he was ranked 24th after the seeding run.

Just competing at these Games is an achievement for the 24-year-old, after a serious training crash in December.

He spent three days in hospital with concussion and four broken vertebra and after intense treatment and gym work passed a medical test to take part in the event last Monday.

“The backs feeling good actually,” Kneller, who placed seventh at the event’s Olympic debut in 2010, said.

“It was a bit sore but nothing crazy, just to be able to come out and do that is incredible. I’m feeling all right and just happy to be here.

“I thought I skied pretty well and I was competitive it was tough being behind. I had speed but you couldn’t pass in the soft snow. It made it a little bit challenging to be behind and I had a shocking start but I can walk away from this one with a smile on my face.”

Teammate Grimus took to the course following Kneller in Heat 3.

After kicking off the day with a blistering seeding run where he placed 5th out of the 31 competitors, Grimus had a slow start on the track.

The Victorian’s Olympic debut then came unstuck with a crash towards the end of the twisty obstacle course, finishing the heat in fourth place.

The 23-year-old said the sport was unpredictable.

“I got out to a shocker start and then look I fought back and the top I probably went a bit too soon and then down the bottom at the first cut-out I sort of made my move and they made their move back,” he said.

“That’s Ski Cross really. You can’t win everything.”

Grimus said Australian women’s Ski Cross competitors Jenny Owens, Sami Kennedy-Sim and Katya Crema, could learn from the men’s mistakes on the course.

“It’s a tough track out there and everything’s possible. I’m not sure what the conditions are doing but they can gauge a lot out of the race today,” he said.

“Good jumps ... it was fun, really fun.”

For Kneller, competing in a sport he loves, at the Olympics was enough.

“It was such a big achievement for me to come here and be semi-competitive,” he said.

“It’s just unfortunate it didn’t pay out in the end.

“I gave it a red hot go and just juiced it a little far on that bottom triple.

“I had a great time and it’s just good to be here and skiing in the sunshine and doing what I love it’s good times.”

For now, Kneller is headed back to the University of New South Wales to finish his Engineering/Commerce degree.

“My body needs a rest. It’s been a pretty intense couple of months. I could do with a bit of R and R,” he said.

“We’ll just see where things take me but I’m going to take a break from skier cross for a while. So it should be good.”

For Grimus, two years worth of bushy beard will be getting the shave on Saturday, raising money for the Rob Kneller Foundation.

The Foundation was set up by Scott Kneller and his brother Luke, in memory of their father Rob, who passed away in April.

The aim is to provide young children in their home town of Jindabyne, NSW, the chance to take up Skiing.

Grimus has already raised about $14,000 and said he’s already given the honour of shaving it to his ski technician Marcus Ruiz-Navarro.

“He does a good job with my skis. He makes those edges sharp ... I can trust him for sure.”

Kneller said he was looking forward to seeing a shaven Grimus.

“It’s just unreal I can’t thank him enough for that, it’s quite incredible with his generosity. I’m looking forward to it I haven’t seen him without his beard for quite some time. He’ll be like a totally different man!”

The women’s Ski Cross will be held on Day 14 of the Olympics, with seeding starting at 18:45 (AEDT).

Annie Kearney | sochi2014.olympics.com.au

Kneller’s race of a different kind

9/1/2014

IMAGE: Scott Kneller (Blue) leading a race earlier in the season © GEPA pictures/ Daniel Goetzhaber

Ski cross athlete Scott Kneller is racing against the clock to recover from injury in time to be fit for the Sochi Olympic Winter Games in 29 days.

The 24-year-old Australian Institute of Sport / NSW Institute of Sport athlete was injured in a training mishap in the Innechin / San Candido World Cup in Italy on December 22.

Kneller arrived back in Australia this week and went straight to the AIS facility in Canberra to fast track his recovery.

Kneller said that his back injury is progressing well and rates his chances of being fully recovered in time for Sochi as very good.

“If you look at me you wouldn’t think there was anything wrong. I’m walking around fine,” Kneller said.

“I would say the chances of being ready for Sochi are pretty good. It sucks for sure but this is the situation I have been dealt and all I can do is give it a go, basically keep my head up and train hard for the next month.

“I want to get back there, I want to compete.”

Kneller praised the level of expertise at his disposal with in the AIS facility.

“I’ve got so much support here, it’s incredible, between doctors, physios, strength and conditioning coaches. They’re the best in the world,” he said

The other factor which will determine Kneller’s Sochi aspirations is his ranking.

He said his raw ranking was 26th in the world, meaning that he is inside the 32 place cut off for ski cross for Sochi, however, he is the first to admit that his fate, in terms of points, is out of his control.

Kneller will obviously miss the final two events to be held before the January 20 Sochi qualification cut off date, but he believes his points buffer between the 26th and 32nd rankings should be enough to enable him to secure a place in the Australian team.

Australian Olympic Team chef de mission, Ian Chesterman, said he hoped Kneller was part of the team for Sochi.

“Scott made the top eight in ski cross at his Olympic debut in 2010 at Vancouver and he has dedicated himself to doing even better in Sochi over the last four years.

“He is a highly valued team member and we all wish him a very speedy recovery and that things work out the way he deserves.”

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.

Tough day for ski cross squad

14/12/2013

Sami-Kennedy-Sim getting some nice air (second from right) in Val Thorens

Australia’s ski cross squad battled hard in the Val Thorens World Cup in France yesterday, with AIS/NSWIS skiers Jenny Owens, Sami Kennedy-Sim and Scott Kneller qualifying for the finals.

Unfortunately each was unable to advance further than the first round of the knock out finals.

Owens ended the day overall in 18th, Kennedy-Sim in 21st and Kneller in 30th.

Anton Grimus was 35th after his qualification run was affected by weather conditions.

AIS ski cross program head coach Matt Lyons said that the squad was not able to match the required intensity from the podium finishing athletes.

“Sami and Scott had opportunities from the front in their heats but underestimated their competition and allowed a couple of passes that they were not able to rectify and pull back,” Lyons said.
"Jenny was not as good over the first feature as she had been in training and was not able to move from third in her round.”

Katya Crema, who missed the event with knee soreness, hopes to compete for the first time this season when the squad heads to Innichen/San Candido in Italy on December 21 and 22.

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.

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.

Owens back on track

8/1/2012

Australian ski cross athlete Jenny Owens has made a strong start to 2012, finishing sixth at the ski cross World Cup in St Johann, Austria.

Bouncing back from 12th place in San Candido, Italy, on December 20, the Australian Institute of Sport / NSW Institute of Sport scholarship holder skied with great purpose, progressing through to the final eight, and while missing the race-off for the top four, she finished second in the consolation final to take sixth place.

The main final was won by France’s Ophelie David, who recorded her 24th victory in World Cup competition, with Germany’s Anna Woerner in second and Frenchwoman Alizee Baron in third.

While Owens went to St Johann with a desire to finish on the podium, she leaves Austria in a positive frame of mind, knowing that after 35 World Cup career starts that she still has the potential of competing at the highest level once again.

Much of the Australian’s success and renewed confidence was paved by her strong performance in yesterday’s qualifying, which saw Owens record the weekend’s seventh fastest time among the field of 35 skiers.

However, as Owens skied toward the finish line in the small final, a split second decision may have cost her victory in the consolation event.

Going over the last set of rollers before the finish line, Owens was leading France’s Marielle Berger Sabbatel by a slender margin.

In an attempt to provide a small advantage, Owens sat back on her skies, but instead of creating the small amount of acceleration that she was hoping for, the opposite occurred and the Frenchwoman cross the line first, relegating Owens to second in a photo finish.

Race judges took several minutes of studying the photo to separate Owens and Berger Sabbatel.

AIS ski cross head coach Matt Lyons was full of praise of Owens, saying that she, and the rest of Australia’s ski cross team, had done considerable soul searching after their disappointing opening to their World Cup season.

Lyons said that all team members showed significant improvement in Austria compared with the first event.

“After San Candido everybody took a deep breath and reassessed everything,” Lyons said.

“They dug deep, did some soul searching and a lot more training than was originally planned. Today was a big improvement.”

For the full story and details of other Australians in action at St Johann, go to the OWIA website: www.wintersports.com.au
Results of other Australian team members were also encouraging.

Katya Crema was the unluckiest athlete of the weekend, missing the finals by 0.19 second, largely brought about by a sudden snow storm during her qualifying run, which was not a factor when the first 16 athletes skied.

Sami Kennedy-Sim finished qualifying in 28th place while young gun Anton Grimus missed the cut for the finals by just 0.2 seconds and showed glimpses of his potential.

The encouraging results have offset some of the disappointment resulting from a training accident that saw Australia’s number one male ski cross athlete Scott Kneller fracture three fingers in his left hand.

Kneller is undergoing rehabilitation in Australia and it is hoped that he will rejoin the team in February to compete in the last two events of the season.

Owens identifies aspect to work on

19/12/2011

Australia’s Jenny Owens had to be content with 12th place in the second race of a double-header World Cup ski cross event in the Italian resort of Innichen / San Candido on Sunday December 20.

Owens, who has stood on a World Cup podium four times throughout her career and had set herself a goal of a top eight place in Innichen / San Candido, admitted that a lack of aggression in her quarter final was the reason for finishing lower in the results than the Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder was hoping for.

The event was won by Canada’s World Champion Kelsey Serwa, completing back-to-back victories after her win on Saturday in the season’s opening round, with Switzerland’s Sanna Luedi second and compatriot Katrin Mueller taking third.

“I was third coming into the first turn and wasn’t aggressive enough, so stayed in third for the rest of the way down which moved me into 12th place for race two,” Owens said.

“The start was a tricky one and not qualifying for the finals the day before disadvantaged me, as there was no practice on the start before the race.

“I knew how I wanted to start but wasn’t exactly sure how to put it into action so I just went with it and tried to do what I could.

“I was a little bummed with my efforts here in San Candido but at the same time this is the first World Cup of the season and this is a strange race where strange things happen.”

Owens and the rest of Australia’s ski cross team will focus their attention on round three in St Johann on January 7, however, before journeying to Austria, Owens will benefit from a training session in Sweden.

In other results for the AIS/NSWIS ski cross squad, Sami Kennedy-Sim finished in 19th place in Innichen / San Candido while Katya Crema managed 22nd.

Scott Kneller, who secured his first World Cup victory in this event last season, finished 50th while Anton Grimus was 61st.

Winter Olympians pushed to limit on long, hard road to Sochi

24/11/2011

WHATEVER you did last weekend, be grateful that you are not a member of the Australian ski cross team along with Olympians Scott Kneller and Katya Crema, Anton Grimus and Sami Kennedy-Sim.

For they were woken at 3am on Saturday in order to hike to the top of of Mt Buller, then across to Little Buller. It took 4 1/2 hours in driving rain, but that was just the beginning.

For the full article written by Nicole Jerrery in the Australian, please visit the link below.

Winter Olympians pushed to limit on long, hard road to Sochi

Ski Cross team ready for World Cup season

27/10/2011

The AIS Ski Cross Team has just returned from a three week spring training camp in the glaciers of Austria. The team consisted of Scott Kneller, Anton Grimus, Katya Crema and Sami Kennedy-Sim, as well as coach Matthew Lyons and ski technician Marcos Ruiz-Navarro. AIS athlete Jenny Owens was also in attendance training with the Swedish and Norwegian teams.

We started off the camp in Stubai Glacier. Up at 3200m, the first few days of training took the lungs and legs by surprise, but we were able to acclimatise pretty quickly given all the off-snow training we have been doing back home. Thanks John Marsden! (OWI strength and conditioning coach).

Long days (8am - 3pm) and a quick t-bar turn-around meant that we were pushing 30-40 runs per day. The first week was focused on technical freeskiing, drills and GS gates, whilst the second week was more Ski Cross specific.

For the second week, we trained at Hintertux Glacier, where we had our brand new world-class SSA start gate set up. We trained GS alongside the Norwegian and Swedish Ski Cross Teams, as well as worked on starts, rollers and jumping. Although every man and his dog seemed to be at Hintertux whilst we were there, we were able to get in plenty of quality training.

In total, we skied a full 13 days out of 15, with only two weather days preventing us from heading up to the glacier.

This camp was in preparation for the first Ski Cross World Cups which are to be held in Europe starting mid-December. The World Cup season kicks off in San Candido, Italy, where Scotty memorably took out the victory in the second World Cup of the season last year. We then head to Austria in early January for the infamous night race under lights at St. Johann.

The team is now back in Australia. We have a six week dryland training block before we venture back overseas for the long four month winter season. Things definitely appear to be heading in the right direction with on and off-snow preparations. The team is feeling fit, strong and confident, and ready to take it to the Euros / North Americans on the 2011/12 World Cup circuit.

Article written by AIS Ski Cross athlete - Katya Crema