FREESTYLE SKI. The FIS Freestyle Junior World Ski Championships concluded in Valmalenco on Saturday. In stunning weather with bright sunshine and bluebird skies, the ten title competitions delivered great memories for all the participants. The well-shaped facilities provided the riders the perfect conditions to throw down their best tricks and runs. In the end, twelve of the participating 27 nations returned home with medals of at least one color. Team USA led the medals table with six medals, of which three were golden, followed by China with 3 (2/0/1), and Sweden (1/2/1) and Switzerland (1/1/2) each with four.
 
The prestigious Marc Hodler Trophy for the best nation overall was won by the USA as well, with 95 points. Russia took 2nd while Sweden finished 3rd with 66 and 55 points, respectively.
 
Two athletes managed to win two medals: 19-year-old Julia Galysheva from Kazahkstan not only defended her gold medal in moguls from last year's Junior Worlds in Jyväskylä (FIN) but also added a bronze medal in dual moguls to her collection. Similarly, 19-year-old Maria Pertakhiya of Russia, who took gold in dual moguls and silver in moguls in 2011, now won bronze in moguls and silver in dual moguls.
 
In aerials, both of the titles went to China with Huilin Quang and Zhining Zhang. Meanwhile the USA athletes topped the podium in moguls as Ali Kariotis won the ladies dual moguls and Bradley Wilson the men's moguls, as well as in the ladies' slopestyle where Devin Logan won. Swiss Kai Mahler was best in the men's slopestyle. The remaining titles were split between Japan's Rikuya Tanaka in men's dual moguls, Sweden's John Eklund in the men's ski cross and Germany's Julia Eichinger in the ladies' ski cross.
 
For more information visit www.freeski.downdays.eu/news/23/03/2012/fis-junior-world-champs

FIS news
28/03/2012

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