It was a mixed season for Australia's alpine athletes in 2003/04, injury curtailing a series of promising results from several of our top skiers.
It was a mixed season for Australia's alpine athletes in 2003/04, injury curtailing a series of promising results from several of our top skiers.
Technical specialist Jono Brauer was very fast in training during the early season and generally skied very well. In World Cup races Jono twice finished in 33rd place and narrowly missed qualifying for his first top 30 placing and a second run. Jono had difficulties in the second half of the season with a nagging nerve complaint in his back.
AJ Bear made a strong start to the season, posting top 30 results – and collecting World Cup points and personal best placings – in three of the first five events he contested. Unfortunately, a high speed crash in Val Gardena in January ended his season, blowing out his anterior cruciate ligament and putting him out of action for the second year in a row.
Craig Branch's confidence grew throughout the winter. Craig began skiing faster in the second half of the season and had excellent results in the Spring events in Europe. He raced in a number of National Championship events in the latter part of the season and ended with a career high ranking of 55th in downhill.
An injury also cut short the season for SSA/NSWIS skier Luke Deane.
Australia's leading woman alpine skier, Jenny Owens, decided to retire, bowing out of competition after eight years on the national team, highlighted by her ninth place finish in Combined at the Salt Lake 2002 Games.
Technical specialist Jono Brauer was very fast in training during the early season and generally skied very well. In World Cup races Jono twice finished in 33rd place and narrowly missed qualifying for his first top 30 placing and a second run. Jono had difficulties in the second half of the season with a nagging nerve complaint in his back.
AJ Bear made a strong start to the season, posting top 30 results – and collecting World Cup points and personal best placings – in three of the first five events he contested. Unfortunately, a high speed crash in Val Gardena in January ended his season, blowing out his anterior cruciate ligament and putting him out of action for the second year in a row.
Craig Branch's confidence grew throughout the winter. Craig began skiing faster in the second half of the season and had excellent results in the Spring events in Europe. He raced in a number of National Championship events in the latter part of the season and ended with a career high ranking of 55th in downhill.
An injury also cut short the season for SSA/NSWIS skier Luke Deane.
Australia's leading woman alpine skier, Jenny Owens, decided to retire, bowing out of competition after eight years on the national team, highlighted by her ninth place finish in Combined at the Salt Lake 2002 Games.
