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Turgeon leads team with a fifth

Canadian skiers get mixed results at World Cup finals The World Cup finals wrapped up in Lillehammer, Norway last Sunday, crowning world tour champions and setting the stage for next season.

Canadian skiers get mixed results at World Cup finals

The World Cup finals wrapped up in Lillehammer, Norway last Sunday, crowning world tour champions and setting the stage for next season.

All things considered, the Canadian team has a lot to look forward to with strong finishes in Norway, and respectable rankings in the overall standings.

Melanie Turgeon of Quebec City led the way for the Canadian team with a fifth place finish in the downhill on March 12, just 23 hundredths of a second back of the podium.

Turgeon, who had not been able to train coming into the finals because of weather conditions in Europe, made the most of her last downhill of the season.

"When we arrived here, there was fog. We’d wanted to train after Innsbruck (Austria) to help rebuild my confidence a bit, but we weren’t able to because of the conditions. My morale sank even more. So this morning, I told myself to put on a smile and I had to finish the season right," said the 26-year-old, who won the downhill title at the world championships in Switzerland last month.

Her goal this season was to finish in the top five on the World Cup downhill tour; she ended up eighth. She also finished 24 th overall in the final World Cup standings.

"I wanted to have a good race, but I made a rookie mistake – I cut the line in a turn where I knew I couldn’t do that. But I gave it my all."

Renate Goetschl of Austria won the downhill at Lillehammer, followed by Ingrid Jacquemod of France and Kirsten Clark of the U.S.

Antoine Deneriaz of France took the men’s downhill. Austria’s Stephan Eberharter was second and Daron Rahlves of the U.S. won bronze.

Eberharter had his revenge in the super G on the following day, blowing away the competition. Lasse Kjus of Norway finished with the silver, and the bronze went to Hannes Reichel of Austria.

The three Canadian women who qualified for the super G finals finished well back of the leaders. Genevieve Simard of Val-Morin, Quebec, was 16 th , Turgeon took 17 th and Emily Brydon of Fernie was 19 th .

In the slalom, Thomas Grandi of Canmore finished 13 th , and ended the season in 16 th place.

"I had a good feeling in the second run, but near the end I completely lost my rhythm. I couldn’t do anything to make up the speed on the flat," said a disappointed Grandi, 30.

"In summary, I think my season was pretty good. I can’t say it’s better than what I’d hoped – I was aiming for more in GS this year, and I ended up with a better slalom ranking."

The men’s slalom went to Giorgio Rocca of Italy, followed by Kalle Palander of Finland and Manfred Pranger of Austria.

None of the Canadian women qualified for the slalom finals.

The women’s team was back on track for the giant slalom on March 16, with Allison Forsyth of Nanaimo finishing the day in ninth place.

"I’m happy to be in the top-10 in the final race of the season," said Forsyth. "I’m leaving the World Cup on a positive note. I need a break, but it’s hard because I’m just starting to ski well (again) since the World Championships, and I almost wish the season was a bit longer."

Whistler’s Britt Janyk finished 17 th after making a mistake in her second run.

"In the first run, I didn’t attack enough. I skied really well, but not as fast as I could have. In the second run, I skied very fast, but unfortunately I made a mistake in the middle. But that happens, and I know I’m skiing well. I’m amazingly happy with my season," said Janyk, 22.

This season Janyk has nine top-20 results, including a fifth and a sixth in the giant slalom.

"I know that I still have a lot more to go, but I learned a lot," said Janyk.

The gold medal went to Karen Putzer of Italy, followed by teammate Denise Karbon and Nicole Hosp of Austria.

In the men’s GS, Grandi was the lone Canadian to qualify, finishing in 22 nd place overall. Gold and silver went to Hans Knauss and Benjamin Raich of Austria. Michael Von Gruenigen of Switzerland was third.

The Canadian skiers finish their racing season in Whistler this week at the Pontiac GMC Canadian Championships.

World Cup Champions

Women

Overall World Cup

1. Janica Kostelic, Croatia – 1,570 points

2. Karen Putzer, Italy – 1,100

3. Anja Paerson, Sweden – 1,042

24. Melanie Turgeon, Quebec City QC – 312

Downhill

1. Michaela Dorfmeister, Austria – 372

2. Renate Goetschl, Austria – 368

3. Kirsten L. Clark, USA – 316

8. Melanie Turgeon, Quebec City QC – 149

Slalom

1. Janica Kostelic, Croatia – 710

2. Anja Paerson, Sweden – 498

3. Tanja Poutiainen, Finland – 367

29. Britt Janyk, Whistler – 50

Giant Slalom

1. Anja Paerson, Sweden – 514

2. Karen Putzer, Italy – 513

3. Janica Kostelic, Croatia – 343

17. Britt Janyk, Whistler – 155

19. Allison Forsyth, Nanaimo – 146

23. Genevieve Simard, Val-Morin QC – 105

Super G

1. Carole Montillet, France – 493

2. Renate Goetschl, Austria – 458

3. Karen Putzer, Italy – 394

14. Melanie Turgeon, Quebec City QC– 163

22. Emily Brydon, Fernie – 77

Men

Overall World Cup

1. Stephan Eberharter, Austria – 1,333

2. Bode Miller, USA – 1,100

3. Kjetil Andre Aamodt, Norway – 940

34. Thomas Grandi, Canmore AB – 265

Downhill

1. Stephan Eberharter, Austria – 790

2. Daron Rahlves, USA – 593

3. Michael Walchhofer, Austria – 430

37. Erik Guay, Tremblant QC – 30

Slalom

1. Kalle Palander, Finland – 658

2. Ivica Kostelic, Croatia – 580

3. Rainer Schoenfelder, Austria – 542

16. Thomas Grandi, Canmore AB – 154

Giant Slalom

1. Michael Von Gruenigen, Switzerland – 542

2. Bode Miller, USA – 425

3. Hans Knauss, Austria – 365

18. Thomas Grandi, Canmore AB – 111

Super G

1. Stephan Eberharter, Austria – 356

2. Marco Buechel, Liechtenstein – 280

3. Didier Cuche, Switzerland – 270

32. Erik Guay, Tremblant QC – 30