Fernie’s Emily Brydon was named British Columbia’s top female Junior Athlete of the Year on Mar. 15 at a banquet held at the Hyatt Regency in Vancouver.
In her rookie season on the World Cup circuit as a member of Canada’s alpine team, Brydon earned a number of top ten and top 15 finishes, and won a bronze medal in the downhill at St. Moritz, Switzerland. She competed in every big mountain event , including downhill, super-G and G.S., and was never far out of the running. In the combined even at the World Championships in Austria, she finished in seventh place.
Her season ended prematurely with three torn ligaments and a damaged meniscus after crashing in a downhill at the Championships.
The 20 year old has undergone surgery, and plans to be back next season for the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.
In other news, Whistler’s Britt Janyk will miss the rest of the competitive season with a separated shoulder and sprained knee, sustained on Mar. 15, in the Nor-Am downhill at Snowbasin, Utah. The 20 year old crashed into the safety netting during a training run.
"She crashed after catching and edge and went into the nets," said Canadian coach Hugues Ansermoz. "She’ll be okay."
Quebec’s Melanie Turgeon, an emerging World Cup champion, almost lost control in the same area, but managed to recover and finish the day in fifth. The race went to Picabo Street of the U.S., who has been perfect on the Nor-Am circuit after returning from her own knee injury.
Michaela Dorfmeister of Austria was second, and Gerg Hilde of Germany third.
