British speed skiers Jan Farrell, running for the first time in S1 category, and Marc Poncin finish in the Top 20 at the FIS Speed Ski World Championships
Marc Poncin, 2008 Speed Downhill World Champion, came back this season to compete in the the S1 category, and ended up finishing in 14th place at the FIS Speed Ski World Championships in Andorra. Poncin said: "First race back in S1 after 8 years out of the sport and I finish in the top 15 in 14th place, feeling happy with that result. My target this year is the Speed Masters in Vars to achieve high speeds"
After three full seasons in the category SDH, where he finished ninth in 2012, fifth in 2013 and Champion of the World Cup FIS 2014, Jan Farrell made his debut in the top category S1 this weekend at Grandvalira, where he competed against skiers like Simone Origone, Ivan Origone and Klaus Schrottshammer, who ended shared the 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in both tests.
Jan Farrell finished 19th place at the World Championships with a speed of 175,41kph, and achieved a credible 13th place in the first World Cup of the season the next day. Farrell's teammate Benja Hedley achieved 30th place in the World Championships.
The World Championships were four tough days, with unpopular cancellations by the FIS jury, gusty winds and hard track conditions. "I am rather disappointed with the results and with my entry into in S1”, says Jan Farrell, “During the World Championship semifinals quite a strong headwind hit me, and I had problems during the run". The cancellation of the final meant that the semifinal results became the definitive marker, making it impossible for Farrell to improve on his 19th position.
The next day, the semifinals of the first World Cup run took place, but the final was canceled again. Jan says: "I had good track conditions and wind, but a technical error at the start cost me about 3kph. Bearing this and the cancellation of the final in mind, my 13th placing is a good result, and gives me strength to face the upcoming World Cup knowing I have room for improvement. The track in Canada has always suited me well, and I’ll be fighting to reach a top 5 place".
The next World Cup events will take Farrell to Sun Peaks in Canada (11 to 14 March) and Idre Fjaell in Sweden (21 to 22 March).
