Aussie Ski-Cross team make finals but miss podium rounds

The penultimate day of competition at the 2017 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships saw Sami Kennedy-Sim and Anton Grimus in action in the men’s and women’s Ski Cross events.
 
With qualification and finals held back-to-back it was a big day of skiing and both athletes qualified for their respective finals but bowed out before the podium rounds.
 
Kennedy-Sim marginally missed a semi finals berth after finishing third in her quarter final. 
 
“When you get to rounds of 16 in women it’s so different to qualifying,” Kennedy-Sim said.
 
“In qualifying you’re just skiing on your own and people like me who don’t always qualify fastest and have fast starts can throw a spanner in the works,” she said.
 
The Sochi Olympian said the conditions made passing attempts difficult.
 
“I thought for sure I was making the right move and almost forgot that there was five centimetres of soft slush on the side. I went straight into it and that was the end.
 
“Tricky track to pass on in these soft conditions, if it was firm it would have worked for sure.
 
“The reality is it’s the end of March and it’s been a tough couple of days so to be competitive in the quarter finals is a good outcome,” she said.  
 
With a maiden World Cup podium under her belt this season, Kennedy-Sim is inspired to come back bigger and better in the crucial lead-in season to the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.
 
“I have a little break now when I get home and make sure I’m in better shape coming into next season,” she said.
 
“The aim is Korea and that’s looking really good right now. If I can get a few things sorted we should be even better next time.”  
 
In the men’s event, Grimus didn’t get the start to competition he was after and admitted to making a few mistakes in qualifying.
 
In the round of 32 he finished fourth in his four man-heat.
 
“I felt really good yesterday in training and today I just missed a few things in qualifying,” Grimus said.
 
“I overshot a few things which slowed down my skiing. I tried to learn from that but didn’t quite nail it in the second run.
 
“It happens, I’ve had a tough season and I’m glad for it to be over now so I can get my knee right,” he said. 

Article by OWIA