VALMALENCO, Italy (March 24, 2015) – In a stacked field of competitors, Harrison Smith (Pittsford, NY) put down two clean jumps to take the win at the 2015 FIS Junior World Ski Championships in Valmalenco, Italy. Teammate Elle Gaudette (Maple Grove, MN) took bronze for the women.
With heavy, wet snow falling on the knoll, the conditions made it tough to put down a solid jump. But Smith was strong from the start, laying down a full double full and scoring a 97.3 in his first jump.
“I was really excited to put down my first jump and qualify first for the second round,” said Smith. “I had one more jump to go, I put down a pretty good one and ended up on top. I just tried to stay focused and put down my jumps.”
Smith’s second jump, a double full full, a triple-twisting double, scored a 95.16. With the two jump format, the scores were combined, putting Smith 0.35 points ahead of Russia’s Maxim Burov in second. Lloyd Wallace of Great Britain was third.
“It was a super tough field,” said aerial coach Joe Davies. “Harrison went out and absolutely laced one first round and put the pressure on the rest of the field. Conditions were really difficult and probably pretty mentally tough for a jumper. But he was super composed; he has been this entire trip. I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
Harrison Smith and Elle Gaudette celebrate with their coaches.
Smith, who is coming off of two Europa Cup podiums, had seven top-10 finishes on the NorAm tour this year. He placed 13th at last year’s Junior Worlds.
“This was the biggest event I’ve competed in this year,” said Smith. “It was my goal to win, so there was some pressure, but I’m really excited and it all worked out for the best.”
On the women’s side, Aliaksandra Ramanouskaya of Belarus took the win, with Kazakhstan’s Zhanbota Aldabergenova in second and Gaudette in third. Gaudette has also been making the round on the NorAm tour, with eight top-ten finishes, including four podiums, this season.
FIS Junior World Ski Championship action continues with moguls and dual moguls March 25-26.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Harrison Smith beat out a stacked field of competitors to take aerials gold at the 2015 FIS Junior World Ski Championships.
- Teammate Elle Gaudette took bronze for the women.
- Chris Lillis (Rochester, NY), Zach Surdell (Marcellus, MI) and Nick Novak (Stafford, VA) also jumped for the U.S., finishing fifth, 10th and 11th.
- Avery Driscoll (Rochester, MN), Winter Vinecki (Gaylord, MI) and Madison Varmette (Stafford, VA) finished sixth, seventh and 11th for the U.S. women.
QUOTES
Harrison Smith
I was really excited to put down my first jump and qualify first for the second round. I had one more jump to go, I put down a pretty good one and ended up on top. I just tried to stay focused and put down my jumps. This was the biggest event I’ve competed in this year and it was my goal to win, so there was some pressure, but I’m really excited and it all worked out for the best.
Joe Davies, Aerials Coach
It was a super tough field. Harrison went out and absolutely laced one first round and put the pressure on the rest of the field. Conditions were really difficult and probably pretty mentally tough for a jumper. But he was super composed, he has been this entire trip. I couldn’t be more proud of him. It was a difficult day, but he went up there and jumped as well as I’ve ever seen him. It was not an easy field to win in.
