| FORMIGAL, Spain (Feb. 23) - Alice McKennis (18; Glenwood Springs, CO; Rowmark Ski Academy) turned in the top U.S. performance Saturday, finishing 19th in super G as the 2007 FIS Alpine Junior World Championships opened in unseasonable 40-degree weather and soft snow. Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany won the gold medal in 1:40.19. McKennis finished with a time of 1:44.10 and Laurenne Ross (19; Klamath Falls, OR; U.S. Development Team/Mount Bachelor Ski Education Foundation) was 26th. "This is a bruiser course because it's so long," said U.S. Competition Director Walt Evans. "A 100-second super G run is longer than most World Cup super Gs, almost as long as some downhills. The men's time Thursday on that 2010 Olympic super G course was 86 seconds." He said the results "were a little disappointing because we know, and the girls know, they can ski better than this. On the other hand, it's made them even more determined to do well in the remaining races, so I'm sure we'll see some major improvements as we go along." He also said the women were adjusting to the spring-like weather. "It's in the 40s and the snow gets soft quickly," Evans said. The next Junior Worlds race is the men's downhill on Tuesday. The women run again Wednesday with their downhill. OFFICIAL RESULTS FIS Junior World Championships Formigal, Spain - Feb. 23, 2008 Women's Super G 1. Viktoria Rebensburg, Germany, 1:40.19 2. Anna Fenninger, Austria, 1:40.97 3. Stefanie Moser, Austria, 1:41.65 4. Lara Gut, Switzerland, 1:41.77 5. Lisa-Marie Walz, Germany, 1:41.91 - 19. Alice McKennis, Glenwood Springs, CO, 1:44.10 26. Laurenne Ross, Klamath Falls, OR, 1:44.34 38. Lindsay Cone, Killington, VT, 1:45.26 45. Kiley Staples, Park City, UT, 1:45.92 # # # |
