Snowsport GB 2007-04-03 09:39:00
British Junior Championships Day 1
Press
Release Issued by Snowsport GB
From The British Land Junior National Ski Championships.Meribel,
France. Day 1
Douglas
Crawford (19, Bearsden, Glasgow) and Louise Thomas (18,Guildford) won the
British Junior Slalom titles today, the opening races of The British Land
Junior National Ski Championships in Méribel, France. Both had a successful
time at last week's senior event on the same Du Corbey piste and buoyed by that
confidence they maintained their form.
The first
run of the Men's Junior Slalom proved especially challenging, a series of tight
opening gates on the steep followed by a difficult transition to the flatter
section gave no respite from tight, acute turns saw 38 competitors from a field
of 116 men fail to complete the course, including eight of the first fifteen
racers down the course. Crawford, who last week shared the overall British
Senior Combined title with Noel Baxter, held his nerve and skied a pair of
solid runs to win by a conclusive 5.02 seconds from Craig McFie (19,
Edinburgh)."It was not my best skiing today but it was a case of skiing to
win a title. It was not especially pretty or fast but did the job." Said
Crawford, who skied all four disciplines last week and has probably now as much
competition experience on this piste as any of the racers here. "I have no
trouble at all getting psyched up to race here if there is something at stake.
It is a difficult hill to race slalom on. The first course was not good, very
turny and tight, and I knew I just had to get down it. I skied better in the
second run."
Thomas
(18, Guildford) was quickest of the girl's field in both runs to win by 1.72
seconds from Jayme Baggio (15, Harpenden, Herts) who won the Junior 1 (Year of
Birth 1990 & 1991). Having left school last summer, this has been
Thomas' first full-time season racing and training. She is based from Val
d'Isere and undertook summer training in Saas-Fee. Racing with Val d'Isere's
Club des Sports she has competed in FIS races all season, mainly in France and
had hoped to make selection to the British Land Alpine Ski Team for next year. "At
the moment I have not yet reached the selection criteria, but that is certainly
my aim. I may have another years skiing independently. It is good for me to be
here and beat girls who are on the British Team just now, especially just to
give me confidence. As far as the French girls I race against go, I am still
probably a couple of years behind them because I have been in school, but I
certainly plan to catch them up."
She explained. Giant Slalom is her strongest discipline and so she has
every chance to repeating her title success again tomorrow.
British
Land National Junior Ski Championships, Meribel, France. Day 1. Junior Slalom: Results:
Girls |
|||||
|
Overall:
|
|||||
|
1 |
L Thomas |
(Guildford)
|
45.71 |
48.12 |
1:33.83 |
|
2 |
J Baggio
|
(Harpenden,Herts)
|
47.36 |
48.19 |
1:35.55 |
|
3 |
J
Mashiter |
(Milnthorpe,
Cumbria) |
48.30 |
49.23 |
1:37.53 |
|
Junior 1
(Year of Birth 1990 & 1991) |
|||||
|
1
|
Baggio |
|
|
|
|
|
2
|
Mashiter |
|
|
|
|
|
3 |
E McLeod
|
(Edinburgh)
|
49.94 |
50.43 |
1:40.37 |
Men |
|||||
|
Overall:
|
|||||
|
1 |
D
Crawford |
(Bearsden,
Glasgow) |
45.96 |
46.15 |
1:32.11 |
|
2 |
C Macfie
|
(Edinburgh)
|
48.19 |
47.93 |
1:36.12 |
|
3 |
S Wyer |
(Churchdown,Gloucs)
|
48.22 |
48.23 |
1:36.45 |
|
Junior 1
(Year of Birth, 1990 & 1991): |
|||||
|
1 |
B Hall |
(Birmingham)
|
48.69 |
48.86 |
1:37.55 |
|
2 |
T
Baldwin |
(Norfolk)
|
47.38 |
50.62 |
1:38.00 |
|
3 |
N
Robinson |
(Camberley,
Surrey) |
49.62 |
49.57 |
1:39.19. |