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Canadians cracking top-30 on World Cup

Janyk wins back to back FIS races Last weekend was busy for the Canadian Alpine Ski Team, with World Cup, Europa Cup and European FIS races on the calendar, and athletes competing in Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Austria.

Janyk wins back to back FIS races

Last weekend was busy for the Canadian Alpine Ski Team, with World Cup, Europa Cup and European FIS races on the calendar, and athletes competing in Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Austria.

Eighteen-year-old Sophie Splawinski of Montreal got the ball rolling last Thursday with a sixth place finish in the Europa Cup giant slalom at Abetone, Italy. It was her third Europa Cup result in the top-seven in the past four days.

Gail Kelly of Ste-Agnes de Beauce, Quebec, who has been racing with the World Cup team, was 12 th , while Emilie Desforges of Dorval, Quebec was 51 st . Anna Prchal and Anna Goodman failed to qualify for a second run.

Splawinski raced in another GS on Friday, this time finishing second, earning the first Europa Cup podium of her career. She finished just three one-hundredths of a second back of Damara Krzyzynska of Poland.

In this race, Kelly was 27 th , Desforges 44 th , and Prchal 61 st .

Splawinski also raced on Monday in Bardonecchia Italy, finishing 19 th in a super G.

Whistler Mountain Ski Club alumnus Manuel Osborne-Paradis of Vancouver was 10 th in the men's giant slalom race on the same day.

In the men's Europa Cup GS at St. Moritz, Switzerland, Francois Bourque, 19, of New Richmond, Quebec, was ninth in a strong field of World Cup competitors.

It was a good showing for Bourque, who will lead the 13-member Canadian contingent to the World Junior Championships at Maribor, Slovenia this weekend.

Julien Cousineau of Lachute, Quebec was 14 th at St. Moritz. Ryan Semple of Ottawa was 40 th and Brad Spence of Calgary 44 th . Jean-Philippe Roy of Ste-Flavie, Quebec did not start his second run due to a muscle strain. David Anderson of Rossland didn't finish the first run and Whistler's Michael Janyk did not finish his second run.

In the third GS, on Saturday, Cousineau and Anderson cracked the top-30, finishing 21 st and 25 th respectively. Mike Janyk was 38 th .

The men's World Cup speed team - consisting of just Vincent Lavoie with his other teammates sidelined with injuries - was at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany for a downhill on Friday.

After finishing 28 th in training the day before, the 26-year-old from Cap Rouge, Quebec hit the course aggressively and lost a ski 20 seconds into the race on a steep section of the race course. He tumbled into the safety netting, but managed to walk away, to the relief of coaches.

"I was in my downhill tuck and then all of a sudden there was a hole I didn't see. I lose a ski and then I simply tried to survive," said Lavoie.

"I'm very disappointed. I had big ambitions today. Yesterday I had a really good time even starting behind the others with the snow falling and poor conditions, so I was expecting a lot. But it happens. I have to be happy that I'm not injured."

Erik Guay and Jan Hudec are out with injuries, and may not return this season. Whistler's Jeff Hume is still recovering from a bruised chest and a concussion he sustained on the Kitzbuehel downhill course the week before.

Lavoie returned to action the next day on the same course, and managed to finish 25 th in the race to earn points. He was nervous after the crash, he said, and he made a few mistakes.

"It's hard to be satisfied with 25 th when you are aiming higher," said Lavoie. "But putting things into perspective, that's three out of four downhills that I've scored points. So it's not a bad result."

The women's World Cup speed team was at Haus im Ennstal, Austria for a downhill competition. Emily Brydon of Fernie led the way with a 14 th place finish, just 0.20 seconds out of the top-10.

Brydon has not finished outside of the top-25 in any speed events this season.

Anne-Marie Lefrancois of Charlesbourg, Quebec also managed to crack the top-20 with a 19 th place finish.

Genevieve Simard of Val-Morin, Quebec finished just out of the points in 36 th - her first race since she crashed on the women's super G course at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy on Jan. 16.

In the second downhill the following day, Brydon put in another strong performance to finish sixth, and just 0.13 seconds off the podium.

"It was pretty darn close," said the 23-year-old.

"I lost the race in the second-to-last gate - I took a chance, and it didn't work, but that's racing.

"I'm still looking for more."

On Sunday, Brydon cracked the top-30 once again, this time in a super-G. She was 24 th overall, once again earning points.

The top Canadian was Simard, who finished in 14 th place - her best result since she bruised her tibia in a crash two weeks before.

The men were back in action on Sunday with a World Cup super-G in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.

Francois Bourque and Dave Anderson made their first World Cup points of the season, despite starting the day in the back of the pack and having to contend with choppy conditions. Bourque, starting 38 th , finished 23 rd . Anderson was 27 th , and Vincent Lavoie finished in 28 th place to give Canada three in the top-30.

In FIS racing, Whistler's Britt Janyk won back-to-back slalom events at Ostin, Germany, getting back on track after a knee injury in November. Another Whistler racer, Anastasia Skryabina was 48 th and 49 th in the two races.

Moving on to Austria on Monday, Simard, Brydon, Janyk and Kelly finished second through fifth respectively in a GS.