JWSC St Anton GS finish: Photo Helen Olsson

The medal counts are rolling in, and the American team isn’t yet on the board. 

St. Anton, Austria, Jan. 22, 2023 — In St. Anton today, the fastest junior ski racers from 56 nations came together to battle it out in Giant Slalom on the resort’s World Cup venue. In the men’s GS at the 2023 FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships (JWSC), Alban Elezi Cannaferina from France took gold, Eduard Hallberg of Finland finished in silver medal position (+.32), and Andreas Oscar Sandvik from Norway took bronze (+.43). It was a rough day for the American team. Six men started the race. Only two finished. 

A Challenging Day

Jay Poulter—a member of the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team (USST), Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, and Stratton Mountain School—was the top American finisher, coming in 31st (+4.82). “I was trying to focus on putting down a cleaner run, and the second run was definitely cleaner than the first round,” he said from the finish corral in the afternoon.

In the first run, Park City-based USST racer Justin Bigatel started in 61st position in a field of 140 racers. “The first run was really bumpy, and I was just fighting the whole way down,” Bigatel said. “The second course was a little more swingy, and my head was clearer. I didn’t make the flip, so I just tried to do my thing and have fun.” He landed in the 39th position (+6.31) for the day. 

Difficult course to finish for US

Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club and USST racer Cooper Puckett, who hasn’t trained much GS this season due to an MCL injury, finished the first run in the 20th position. “The run was tough. I don’t have much confidence in GS because I basically haven’t trained it much this season,” he said. In the second run, Puckett DNFd spectacularly, crashing straight through a panel and double ejecting in the process. “I was sending through the middle, then got late, squashed in a compression—then I ate it,” Puckett said.

USST athlete Camden Palmquist, who has raced with Buck Hill and Team Summit, lost a ski today in the first run. “I threw them a little sideways and hit a bump,” he said from the finish. Palmquist is setting his sights on the Team Parallel and Slalom events and staying positive. “Junior Worlds being here right after a World Cup…it’s been amazing. They put on a great show. Even when you go out, it’s great to be here and cheering on my teammates.” 

Ryder Sarchett (USST and Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation) hipped out early in the course on the first run, while University of Utah racer Oliver Parazette went out just five gates from the finish. “In inspection, I saw it as release—just go as straight as you can to the finish. It was a bigger turn than I thought,” Parazette said from the finish corral. “It was unfortunate, but I was happy with the rest of the run.”

U.S. Goes into Junior Worlds with a Strong Team

The 2023 Junior Worlds squad comprises Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes from the B, C, and Development teams and top racers from U.S. Ski & Snowboard clubs across the nation. While the U.S. has posted strong results at the JWCs in past years, this week in St. Anton, the podium has eluded the American team. Last year, at the Junior Worlds in Panorama, B.C., Isaiah Nelson took home gold in Super G, Ava Sunshine took silver in Super G, and Lauren Macuga brought home a bronze in Downhill.

This season, many of the 17 athletes representing the U.S. at the Junior Worlds have been having successful seasons on the World Cup, Europa Cup and NorAm levels. On the men’s side, Cooper Puckett took first and Jay Poulter took third in slalom at a NorAm in early January. On the women’s side, Ava Sunshine and Zoe Zimmerman have scored slalom World Cup points, while Stella Johansson took second in a Europa Cup GS.   

For the American Team, the JWSC Podium Has Been Elusive

Over the last four days, the 2023  JWSC competition has staged Downhill, Super G, Team Alpine Combined, and Giant Slalom events for both men and women. With just the Team Parallel and the Slalom events left, Switzerland is at the top of the leaderboard with seven medals; Italy has four; and Albania, Germany, France, Austria, and Norway each have two. The medal count for the U.S. stands at nil. “Our team is really good, and eventually, it’s going to work out,” Puckett said of the dry spell. “I think it’s just a matter of it happening on a day.” Maybe that day will be tomorrow. 

Livestream of the event is available at y-ournextstep.at/en/watch-live/