Freddy Carrick-Smith keeps the Carrick-Smith brothers’ streak alive: first ANC victory for the Briton and Amelia Smart

The ANC got back underway after the August races at Mount Hutt and the cancellations of the previous two days at Coronet Peak.

Despite still-tough weather conditions at the New Zealand resort, the only two slaloms remaining on the circuit’s schedule were successfully held (four giant slaloms will take place on Monday and Tuesday), marking the first victory for a talent such as Freddy Carrick-Smith. He had already won a European Cup giant slalom last December in Valloire.

The 2007-born Briton, who is also the reigning junior world silver medallist in the slalom, had finished third four days ago in the FIS slalom behind brothers Luca and Zak. Today, however, he dominated the race, building a substantial lead in the first run before retaining a 48-hundredths advantage over Austria’s Christoph Meissl. His fellow 2007-born racer Storm Andre Hagen was third, 1”35 behind, after the very young Norwegian had won a giant slalom here at Coronet Peak at the start of the week.

Estonian Laine followed him, ahead of the other Norwegian, Amdahl. American Rowers took sixth, while Brazilian Soevik was seventh. Giovanni Ceccarelli finished 18th, more than six seconds back, and was the only Italian to reach the finish, as Francesco Riccardo Zucchini went out in the second run.

There was also a first career victory in the Australian New Zealand Cup for the women’s winner, although in this case it was an experienced specialist in Amelia Smart. The 28-year-old Canadian, who finished last season strongly with 20th place in the World Cup at Åre and the national title at Panorama, beat Australia’s Madison Hoffman by 31 hundredths. Molly Butler was on the podium once again, finishing third at 0”74 ahead of Elisabeth Bocock, fourth at 1”19, by two hundredths. Another Briton, Victoria Palla, followed in fifth. Eleri Smart took sixth, ahead of the top two Swiss racers, the familiar Buff and Klopfenstein, while youngster Matilde Rava failed to complete the first run.