It was another big day for Canadian downhill on Friday in Vallnord, Andorra. 13 Canucks qualified for Saturday’s World Cup finals. That includes five elite men, led by Finn Iles in fourth, two junior women and six junior men. Jackson Goldstone, Tegan Cruz and Bhodi Kuhn qualified an incredible 1, 2 and 5 in jr. men, too, setting up a big finals day for the Canadians.
Junior men and women
Gracey Hemstreet, seeds third 8.5 seconds behind Phoebe Gale (Canyon Cllctv). Joy Atalla of Fernie, B.C. seeds 13th.
Jackson Goldstone (Syndicate) and Tegan Cruz (RockShox Trek) qualify 1-2 in the junior men’s race. Bodhi Kuhn of Rossland, B.C. was close behind in 5th. A total of six Canadian junior men qualify for finals, with Wei Tien Ho 10th, Tristan Lemire 13th, and Elijah Barron qualifies in 20th. Just missing out are Coen Skrypnek, 32nd and just one second out of finals, and Cole Stinson 44th.
Elite men and women
After conceding the Lenzerheide round to a resurgent Myriam Nicole (Commencal/Muc-Off), Camille Balanche (Dorval AM) looks to be right back to the top of her game. Balanche qualified fastest on Friday, with Nina Hoffmann (Syndicate) second ahead of Nicole. Times are tight though, so anything can happen in finals.
Finn Iles (Specialized) led the Canadian elite men again in qualifying, putting in the fourth-fastest time in Vallnord on Friday. But it was Loris Vergier (Trek Factory Racing) leading a trio of French riders at the top of the leader board. Amaury Pierron (Comencal/Muc-Off) and Loic Bruni (Specialized) followed, all three within the same second.
After Iles, Seth Sherlock (Intense Factory Racing) was the next Canadian across the line in 29th. Mark Wallace (Canyon Cllctv) followed in 37th, his teammate Jakob Jewett in 56th and, just making it into the final spot for finals, Elliot Jamieson (Norco Factory Team) in 60th. That mean’s Jamieson’s teammates, Lucas Cruz and Henry Fitzgerald, miss out. Finishing 63rd and 65th, both were within a second of making finals.
Qualifying results: 2022 World Cup DH #5 – Vallnord, Andorra
Junior Women (seeding)
Junior Men
Elite Women
Elite Men
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