Featured Image: Logan Grosdidier skis to silver in the women’s Super-G. Photo: Kjetil Janson.
World Junior Championships open in Narvik with Super-G and Team Combined
The first events of the World Junior Championships in Narvik, Norway got underway this week as the women’s and men’s Super-G and Team Combined delivered the first medals of the 2026 FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships.
Top Results Snapshot — Narvik Junior World Championships
Women’s Super-G Podium
- 🥇 🇫🇷 Emy Charbonnier (FRA, 2005)
- 🥈 🇺🇸 Logan Grosdidier (USA, 2008)
- 🥉 🇦🇹 Pia Hauzenberger (AUT, 2005)
Men’s Super-G Podium
- 🥇 🇫🇷 Victor Haghighat (FRA, 2007)
- 🥈 🇨🇭 Sandro Manser (SUI, 2005, Atomic)
- 🥉 🇨🇦 Jake Kertesz-Knight (CAN, 2005)
After difficult conditions over the opening days of the championships, all downhill training runs and the official downhill races were canceled due to rain and warm temperatures.
Charbonnier wins first gold, Grosdidier takes silver
Women’s Super-G — Junior World Championships | Narvik
Top 5 Results
- 🥇 🇫🇷 Emy Charbonnier (FRA, 2005) — 47.96
- 🥈 🇺🇸 Logan Grosdidier (USA, 2008) — 48.37 (+0.41)
- 🥉 🇦🇹 Pia Hauzenberger (AUT, 2005) — 48.48 (+0.52)
- 4th 🇨🇭 Dania Allenbach (SUI, 2007) — 48.60 (+0.64)
- 5th 🇦🇹 Emma Aumann (AUT, 2005) — 48.64 (+0.68)
On March 8 the women’s Super-G was contested on a short but demanding course that required a blend of technical skiing and speed.
The race was won by 20-year-old French athlete Emy Charbonnier, who captured the first gold medal of the championships.
Charbonnier scored her first Europa Cup top-10 finish in Super-G earlier this season in St. Anton, and her victory in Narvik further established her as one of France’s emerging speed talents.
The silver medal went to 17-year-old American Logan Grosdidier of Wenatchee, Washington, a member of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team and Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club.
Starting with bib two, she set an early benchmark that held through much of the race as several contenders failed to match her time.
Grosdidier competed in the World Juniors for the first time last year in Tarvisio and after the race she told Ski Racing Media:
“Really excited with today’s result in the Super-G. I didn’t come into the race with huge expectations, but after inspection I felt like the course really suited a technical approach. I knew if I stayed composed and executed my plan, I could put together a strong run.
“The conditions made things challenging with a lot of rain and difficult weather, but the snow held up well and it was great that we were able to get the race in.
“Watching the rest of the top 30 come down while I was still sitting in second was a pretty special feeling. Realizing the result was going to hold was an awesome moment.”
Austria’s Pia Hauzenberger claimed the bronze medal. The 20-year-old finished just ahead of Switzerland’s Dania Allenbach, who missed the podium by 0.12 seconds.
France takes Team Combined gold
Women’s Team Combined — Junior World Championships | Narvik
Top 5 Results
- 🥇 🇫🇷 Emy Charbonnier (FRA, 2005) / Ilona Charbotel (FRA, 2007) — 1:28.76
- 🥈 🇮🇹 Ludovica Righi (ITA, 2006) / Anna Trocker (ITA, 2008) — 1:29.14 (+0.38)
- 🥉 🇦🇹 Pia Hauzenberger (AUT, 2005) / Leonie Raich (AUT, 2005) — 1:29.28 (+0.42)
- 4th 🇨🇭 Elena Stucki (SUI, 2005, Atomic) / Anna Flatscher (SUI, 2008) — 1:29.47 (+0.71)
- 5th 🇩🇪 Antonia Reischl (GER, 2006, Head) / Charlotte Grandinger (GER, 2007) — 1:29.62 (+0.86)
The Super-G served as the first run of the Team Combined event, giving the French pairing of Charbonnier and 18-year-old Ilona Charbotel the early advantage heading into the slalom.
Italy’s 17-year-old Anna Trocker delivered a strong slalom run to move herself and teammate Ludovica Righi into silver-medal position.
Austria maintained the bronze medal with the pairing of Hauzenberger and slalom specialist Leonie Raich.
France ultimately secured the gold as Charbotel delivered a decisive slalom run to win by nearly four tenths of a second.
The slalom took place under difficult afternoon conditions as fog settled across the Fjellheimløypa course, but the race was completed successfully to conclude the opening day of competition.
Logan Grosdidier and teammate Katie Rowekamp — a Regional Development Team athlete from Girdwood, Alaska, skiing with Burke Mountain Academy — finished eighth in the Team Combined.
Another American pair, Mari Renick of Ski & Snowboard Club Vail and Viktoria Zaytseva of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team and Ski & Snowboard Club Vail, finished 11th after Zaytseva posted the fastest slalom run of the race.
Haghighat steps up in Super-G
Men’s Super-G — Junior World Championships | Narvik
Top 5 Results
- 🥇 🇫🇷 Victor Haghighat (FRA, 2007) — 40.36
- 🥈 🇨🇭 Sandro Manser (SUI, 2005, Atomic) — 40.39 (+0.03)
- 🥉 🇨🇦 Jake Kertesz-Knight (CAN, 2005) — 40.57 (+0.21)
- 4th 🇺🇸 Jeremy Nolting (USA, 2005) — 40.69 (+0.33)
- 5th 🇺🇸 Aksel Lindenmeyr (USA, 2005) — 40.89 (+0.53)
On March 9 the men contested their Super-G on a similar course set the day before for the women, but in improved conditions.
After minor schedule adjustments due to weather, the race began with Jake Kertesz-Knight, the only Canadian competing in the event, setting the early pace from bib one.
Kertesz-Knight became the first Canadian male medalist at the Junior World Championships since Sam Mulligan won downhill silver in 2018 behind Marco Odermatt.
France’s Victor Haghighat, an 18-year-old from Val Thorens, delivered the winning run, edging Manser by 0.03 seconds to claim the gold medal.
American Jeremy Nolting, a member of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team from Steamboat Springs, Colorado, skiing with Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, finished fourth.
Aksel Lindenmeyr, of Crested Butte, Colorado, representing the U.S. Regional Development Team and Apex 2100, rounded out the top five.
Photo: Marius Gulliksrud
France claims Team Combined gold, USA takes silver
Men’s Team Combined — Junior World Championships | Narvik
Top 5 Results
- 🥇 🇫🇷 Victor Haghighat (FRA, 2007) / Nash Huot-Marchand (FRA, 2006) — 1:17.26
- 🥈 🇺🇸 Aksel Lindenmeyr (USA, 2005) / Jevin Palmquist (USA, 2007, Atomic) — 1:17.43 (+0.17)
- 🥉 🇳🇴 Sebastian Espen Bengtson (NOR, 2005) / Rasmus Bakkevig (NOR, 2005, Atomic) — 1:17.47 (+0.21)
The slalom portion of the Team Combined produced dramatic movement in the standings.
The Spanish pairing of Roger Barceló Castellet and Aleix Aubert Serracanta surged up 24 positions after posting the fastest slalom run, narrowly missing the podium.
Norway secured bronze with Sebastian Espen Bengtson and Rasmus Bakkevig, the duo skiing together since their early years at Heming Ski Club.
The Americans stepped up as well.
Jevin Palmquist, of Eagan, Minnesota, skiing for the U.S. Regional Development Team and Team Summit, backed up Aksel Lindenmeyr’s strong Super-G to secure the silver medal for USA 3.
Ultimately, the French team prevailed once again.
After finishing 14th in the Super-G, Nash Huot-Marchand delivered a decisive slalom run to secure victory for France.
The result gave France four gold medals from the opening four events of the championships.
More action ahead in Narvik
This marked the fourth edition of the Team Combined at the Junior World Championships, and early feedback from athletes and coaches suggests the format is likely here to stay.
There is much more racing ahead this week in Narvik, with the technical disciplines still to come as the 2026 FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships continue.
About the Author: Matt Garcka
