New South Wales Institute of Sport/Skiing Australia alpine ski team members Craig Branch and Jenny Owens have had disappointing results in races in Europe. Owens finished in 51st place in the downhill in St Moritz, 3.72 seconds behind race winner Renate Goetschl of Austria. German Hilde Gerg was in second place and Gerg’s team-mate Maria Riesch in third.
Owens second training run earlier in the week had been promising, the Sydney skier finishing 2.70 seconds behind fastest skier Anja Paerson, and only .41 out of the top 30.
Paerson, a technical skier tackling her first downhill, had surprised everyone by posting the fastest training time, then had the fastest intermediate times down most of the course on race day, but missed a gate towards the end of the course and was disqualified.
St Moritz will host a super G race tomorrow (Sunday night AEST).
In the men’s downhill in Val Gardena, Craig Branch failed to finish, going off the course after negotiating two thirds of the journey down the Saslong run.
The event was won by French skier Antoine Deneriaz from Austrians Michael Walchhofer and Hans Knauss.
Walchhofer leads the downhill World Cup standings from team-mate Hermann Maier, the Herminator maintaining his lead on the overall standings ahead of Knauss.
The next men’s downhill is in Bormio on December 28.