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Sean Beale/Winter Games NZ
Alice Robinson competes in the FIS Australian New Zealand Cup (ANC) Giant Slalom at the Winter Games.
Kiwi Winter Olympian Alice Robinson was narrowly pipped for gold as she pushed some top American skiers to the limit at Coronet Peak on Monday.
Robinson finished second to AJ Hurt in the first of two FIS Australian New Zealand Cup (ANC) giant slalom events as Winter Games NZ got under way in Queenstown.
Just 0.3sec separated the top-three women on the podium as Hurt beat Robinson and Nina O’Brien, another Beijing Winter Olympian.
Queenstown-based Robinson finished just 0.05sec behind Hurt, following a hotly contested second run.
Said Hurt: “There wasn’t much breathing room between me and Alice, she is one of the best in the world so just to be anywhere near her is an honour. I love skiing with her – it was a close race.”
Robinson was satisfied with her performance.
“I felt solid today, I had two decent runs. There is definitely some room for improvement, but this is a great pre-season race for me, and it was good to get out there.
“It’s awesome having the World Cup athletes here at home, it’s a really strong field and it’s good to go through the motions and push myself on the racecourse to get ready for the upcoming World Cup season.”
Contested over two runs with the combined times determining the final placings, the giant slalom is a technical event which requires strength and precision.
Monday’s course was set on The Hurdle, with its steep, rolling terrain making for a fast and challenging course.
The field was strong, with 24 nations represented and over 130 athletes on the start list.
The men’s podium was a nailbiter. Going into run two there was less than 1sec separating the fastest seven athletes, before Christian Borgnaes of Denmark emerged on top.
Borgnaes said: “It feels amazing, I finished last season with a win and now I am starting this season with a win, so what more could I ask for!
“The course was fairly difficult today, we race all over Europe and this slope competes with the hardest slopes over there, especially the top pitch. It was a pleasure to ski here on a blue bird day at Coronet Peak.”
Louis Muhlen-Schulte of Australia was second and Adam Zampa of Slovakia third.
Willis Feasey was the top performing Kiwi male, finishing 12th after winning the 2023 New Zealand giant slalom title on the same course last weekend.
Feasey said: “My race wasn’t too bad; I was a wee bit slow in my second run, but I am happy, It’s a fun course here on The Hurdle. The quality of the field is high and there are some fantastic skiers here, I am looking forward to racing again tomorrow.”
Winter Games NZ is the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest snow sports event, featuring 11 events across alpine, freeride and park and pipe disciplines until September 13.
Racing continues on Tuesday at Coronet Peak with a second giant slalom race.
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