J4 Rocky/Central JOs: Aspen racer wins two GS events

Julia Mueller-Ristine from the Aspen Valley Ski Club took a narrow win over super G champion Elizabeth Rolfs of Holy Hill in the morning GS race, then rolled to victory in the second GS on the tricky Meadows/Hughes race course Friday at the J4 Rocky/Central Junior Olympics at Winter Park, Colo.
Julia Mueller-Ristine from the Aspen Valley Ski Club took a narrow win over super G champion Elizabeth Rolfs of Holy Hill in the morning GS race, then rolled to victory in the second GS on the tricky Meadows/Hughes race course Friday at the J4 Rocky/Central Junior Olympics at Winter Park, Colo.
    Nicolas Veth emerged on top of a very tight leaderboard to take gold for the boys in the morning race. Devon Cardamone of Aspen came back in the afternoon race for his second Junior Olympic gold medal.
    Mueller-Ristine’s first race victory came in a time of 1 minute, 0.41 seconds, just ahead of Rolfs who had set the pace just before her in 1:00.65. Steamboat racer Samantha Stamp took the bronze with a time of 1:01.82. In the afternoon race, Mueller-Ristine widened the gap between second place with a time of 1:00.82. Kendall Vanhee, from Ski Club Vail, came back from a crash in the first run to earn the silver in 1:01.55. Rolfs earned her third medal of the Junior Olympics, taking third in 1:02.52.
    In the boys’ races, Veth was clean and smooth en route to his winning time of 59.88 seconds in the morning race. Ski Club Vail’s Alex Leever was just behind with a time of 59.95. Taylor Lindy of Sports Hut finished in third place with a 59.98. The top eight racers all finished within a second of each other.
    The afternoon race was turny and technical, and with both races coming down the Norwegian pitch strong skiing all the way to the bottom was a must to be in the front of the field. Cardamone found his groove and earned his second gold medal of the Junior Olympics with a time of 1:02.74. Nicholas Mitchell, from Welch Village, was a close second in 1:02.93. The Aspen Valley Ski Club’s Colby Lane took third in 1:03.31, making a repeat of the super G podium in the afternoon giant slalom.