American Ryder Sarchett Clinches Gold at Junior World GS Championship in France

Photo credit: Agence Zoom

Portes du Soleil, France, Feb. 3, 2024 — American ski racer Ryder Sarchett took home the men’s giant slalom gold medal and the Junior World GS Champion title. The competition was held on the Esserailloux race course at St. Jean d’Aulps resort, a challenging track that saw only 57 finishers out of a field of 152 entered. 

In third place after the first run—and in podium contention—Sarchett knifed the second run, edging out France’s Alban Elezi Cannaferina by a narrow six-hundredths of a second margin and Fabian Ax Swartz of Sweden (+.10). It was the American team’s second medal during the weeklong Junior World Championships (the U.S. took bronze in the Team Parallel event at Les Gets). 

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The win signals good things to come for Sarchett, a freshman who skis for the University of Colorado Boulder ski team. Previous Junior World Champions include world champion Paula Moltzan, Olympic silver medalist Ryan Cochran-Siegle, and World Cup winner Steven Nyman. 

Sarchett is the fourth US athlete to become the Men’s FIS World Junior GS champion. He joins the exclusive club alongside River Radamus, Jeff Harison and Jeremy Nobis.

“It was a good run. I didn’t expect to win. I just went full send. I was charging,” Sarchett said. “My CU coaches Ian Lochhead and Chad Wolk helped me make a plan to just focus on my skiing. I tried to hit the right line and trust my skiing. I think it worked out.” Sarchett, a Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation athlete hailing from Ketchum Valley, Idaho, is the first American Junior World GS champion since River Radamus took home the title in 2019.

The Junior World GS title will undoubtedly open doors for Sarchett. For one, the title earns the racer his first World Cup start, which will be at the FIS World Cup Finals in Saalbach Hinterglemm in late March. 

Women’s Slalom 

A slalom race staged on the Tête aux Boeufs stadium at Avoriaz, France, closed out the Junior World champs for the women racers. Dženifera Ģērmane made history today by taking the first-ever title for Latvia at the Junior World Ski Championships. Ģērmane won the run by a huge (-1.42) over Switzerland’s Inuk Braendli (silver). Sweden’s Cornelia Oehlund took the bronze medal (+1.59).

Starting the Flachau World Cup night SL wearing bib 50, the 20-year-old Latvian skier placed 8th in January, making her the favorite to win the Junior World Slalom title. Her finish in Flachau was the first top-ten for a Latvian skier in a World Cup race. 

US athletes

For the Americans, Elisabeth Bocock, starting with bib 38, posted the top finish with 14th place. Liv Moritz placed 19th, and Tatum Grosdidier finished in 22nd. Mia Hunt finished 33 in the first run, but DNFd on the second.