2019 Audi Fis Alpine World Championships – Feb. 15, 2019
Alpine Canada – Two Canadians in top-30 in the men’s GS at Worlds; Trevor Philp leads the charge with 18th-place finish
Are, SWE (Feb. 15, 2019) – Canada’s Trevor Philp (Calgary/Banff Alpine Racers) took advantage of a second-run course-set that featured very fast sections to climb six spots and lay down the leg’s second-fastest time and finish 18th in the men’s giant slalom at the 2019 Audi FIS Alpine World Championships in Are, Sweden, on Friday.
The 26-year-old admitted to preferring Friday’s second-run course as it rewards the racers who are able to push hard and take some risks in their approach.
“I had one goal – to push as hard as I can – knowing mistakes can happen when you push that hard, but the time (advantage gained) is worth it,” said Philp, who was 24th after the first run. “The first set, I wouldn’t say was turny, but it was more normal. In this (second run) you could pull the string and see what you could get away with in terms of the line.”
Philp’s 18th-place finish on Friday matches his previous best results in World Chamionships’ GS racing, as well as his result in the same discipline at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, Korea.
“I am definitely happy with that second run. It certainly wasn’t a flawless run, but I’m happy with my approach and how it went,” he said.
Philp was top-Canadian, recording a total time of two minutes, 22.72 seconds – 2.48 seconds off the pace in a race that saw even the fourth-place finisher nearly one second back.
In his World Championships’ debut, teammate Simon Fournier (Montreal, Que./Mont-Tremblant Ski Club) climbed from his 46th start position to 31st after the first run, and 30th after both legs were completed.
“It was a really great experience (to race at Worlds) because my main focus is the upcoming slalom event (and Friday’s race gave me) a feel of the snow,” said Fournier who got extra time on the course not normally awarded to racers on the World Cup circuit who don’t land within the top-30 after the first run. World Championships’ rules allow for an extended start list for the second run.
The first Canadian out of the start gate on Friday, Erik Read (Calgary/Banff Alpine Racers), saw an early end to his race-day, recording a DNF in the first run.
The Canadian trio will now turn their attention to the closing race of the World Championships, the men’s slalom, on Sunday. But first, the women will compete in their final event at the 2019 Worlds when they take on the ladies’ slalom on Saturday morning. All races are streamed live at CBCsports.ca.
Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen, the 2018 Olympic silver-medallist in the men’s GS, was crowned the 2019 Men’s Giant Slalom Champion, posting a total time of 2:20.24. Austria’s Marcel Hirscher won silver, while France’s Alexis Pinturault was unable to hold his first-run lead and settled for bronze.
Full race results can be found at FIS-SKI.com.
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