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The FIS Junior World Ski Championships (JWSC) concluded today with the final day of slalom. The women battled for a medal yesterday (March 5th), and the men threw down for the finale today (March 6th).
The crews for the JWSC in Tarvisio, Italy, have worked tirelessly to ensure that the series was successful and that the warm conditions did not hold the athletes back from competing in all events. Thus, the entire week has been filled with grit, thrills and massive highlights.
Norway and Sweden Achieve Victory
The racing concluded with Cornelia Öhlund of Sweden and Norwegian athlete, Theodor Braekken achieving gold.
Swedish rising star, Öhlund, has been crushing it on the World Cup circuit in slalom. Right before the Junior World Ski Championships, she achieved her first World Cup top 5 in Sestriere, Italy. She also achieved the bronze medal in the JWSC slalom the previous year. Thereby, the 19-year-old came into this race with beaming confidence.
Last season at the JWSC slalom in Avoriaz, France achieved bronze and has podiumed at two other Junior Worlds in the Team Parallel event. This marks her fourth medal at the World Champs.
Braekken of Norway has also been racing on the World Cup circuit in the discipline, achieving points in Kitzbühel slalom last season. This grand finale at Junior Worlds was a milestone for Braekken, as it marked his first medal at the event.
Better Together: Siblings Achieve Leaderboard Finishes
A distinctive feature that caught attention during the slalom races was the sight of sibling pairs finishing on the leaderboard together.
USA Moritz Twins
For the women, the 20-year-old Moritz twins of the Stifel US Ski Team finished as the top females for Team USA. Kjersti Moritz concluded the day in 8th place, and her sister, Liv Moritz, finished in 11th, three-tenths apart.
During the first run, Kjersti threw down a stellar performance, moving from bib 29 to 4th position, only +0.42 off of Öhlund’s lead and +0.05 off medaling position.
Unfortunately, she lost time on the second run and moved back. Nevertheless, this is a huge accomplishment for the athlete’s first appearance at Junior Worlds.
Kjersti stated on social media, “This was pretty cool. [My] first and last World Juniors.”
Her sister, Liv Moritz, has debuted in the World Cup and has competed in several Junior Worlds. A few days prior, Liv achieved her second Team Parallel medal at JWSC, earning a bronze. This marks her fifth top 15 at the event.
It’s clear that competing with each other has helped the Moritz twins become stronger skiers together. Their mother stated in an earlier interview this season, “They’re both better for it. It brings out the best in both of them.”
The British Brothers
The Carrick-Smith Brothers of Great Britain have been praised for assisting in putting the sport back on the map for the country. Today, they continued to do so with 19-year-old Luca Carrick-Smith and his younger brother, Freddy, achieving a podium result and a 7th-place finish.
Wearing bib 21, Luca succeeded in a solid first run, moving up to 4th position, +0.45 behind Braekken’s lead. The second run was set by his mother and coach, Emma Carrick-Smith, so he was ready to give it everything he had to achieve his first JWSC medal.
Luca was able to put down a solid second run, which earned him the bronze medal.
18-year-old Freddy was in 15th position after the first run and absolutely lit up on the course set by his mother, achieving the second fastest second run time. The second-run charge moved him up to 7th place and first amongst the U-18 athletes.
“I am super pleased with the slalom. Not so much in the first run, as I held back a little bit. But I did throw down the second run. It was an awesome second run, so I was super pleased with how it went,” Freddy stated.
He continued, “It has been amazing for me and also for my brother, Luca, who had an awesome slalom result. I have just been lucky with the slalom and GS.”
Achieving Medals
For the women, the Austrians went 2nd and 3rd on the podium with Leonie Raich achieving the silver (+0.18) and Natalie Falch in bronze (+0.30).
In the initial run, Öhlund, Raich, and Falch recorded the top three fastest times and maintained their standings with impressive performances in the second run.
This marked Raich’s first medal at the JWSC, while her teammate Falch had already secured a gold in the Team Combined event just a few days earlier. Team Austria certainly made a strong impression in the series.
Gustav Wissting of Sweden achieved the silver medal for the men. This season, Wissting made his World Cup circuit debut and scored his first points during the slalom in Madonna di Campiglio. This achievement also marked the 20-year-old’s first medal at the Junior World Championships.
Three Team USA Men on the Leaderboard
Team USA men also shined with a 12th place finish by Jeremy Nolting of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. The Stifel US Ski Team athletes Hunter Salani and Jevin Palmquist were hot on his heels, tying for 13th place just +0.03 behind Nolting’s time.
At the end of the 44th Junior World Ski Championships, Switzerland and Austria tied with seven medals, the most achieved in the 2025 series. Sweden earned the third-most medals with five.
About the Author: Ellie Hartman
