Canada’s fantastic start to the 2014-15 Audi FIS Ski World Cup continued with a tremendous performance on Sunday.
Marie-Pier Préfontaine of St-Sauveur, QC, finished 6th in the Ladies’ Giant Slalom in Austria. Prefontaine’s two-run combined time of 2:18.20 put her just +0.59 behind 1st place Sara Hector of Sweden (2:17.61).
It was Préfontaine’s best-ever result on the World Cup circuit and third top-10 finish of her World Cup career.
Préfontaine posted three words on her Twitter account after the race. It was perfectly said: “Yes. Crushed it!”
Préfontaine has a pair of 9th-place results in Giant Slaloms, those coming at Beaver Creek, Colorado in December 2013 and Arber-Zwiesel, Germany in February 2011.
Marie-Michèle Gagnon, from Lac-Etchemin, QC, also competed on Sunday and ended up 19th in 2:19.31. Candace Crawford of Toronto, ON and Mikaela Tommy of Wakefield, QC did not qualify for the second run on Sunday.
Sara Hector of Sweden won the Ladies’ Giant Slalom in 2:17.61, ahead of Austria’s Anna Fenninger (2:17.70) and Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States (2:17.79).
Meanwhile, in Men’s Downhill, Manuel Osborne-Paradis of North Vancouver, BC finished 36th (1:34.40) on Sunday at Santa Caterina, Italy. While Ben Thomsen of Invermere, BC finished 44th (1:34.73) and Tyler Werry of Calgary, AB did not finish.
American Travis Ganong won the Men’s Downhill in 1:32.42, with Austria’s Matthias Mayer in 2nd (1:32.51) and Italy’s Dominik Paris coming 3rd (1:32.63).
Kuehtai in Tirol, Austria Ladies’ Giant Slalom (Canada’s placements)
Marie-Pier Préfontaine 2:18.20 (6th)
Marie-Michèle Gagnon 2:19.31 (19th)
Candace Crawford (DNQ for second run)
Mikaela Tommy (DNQ for second run)
Santa Caterina, Italy Men’s Downhill (Canada’s placements)
Manuel-Osborne Paradis 1:34.40 (36th)
Benjamin Thomsen 1:34.73 (44th)
Tyler Werry (DNF)
The World Cup skiing weekend concludes on Monday with the Ladies’ Slalom in Kuehtai in Tirol.
Throughout the season, keep visiting alpinecanada.org to find Canada’s latest results
(photo courtesy alpinecanada.org)
