Macuga wins bronze, men’s DH postponed at world juniors

Junior World Ski Championships kicked off Thursday at Panorama Resort in British Columbia. Lauren Macuga of the U.S. Ski Team skied into third place in the opening downhill race. Macuga had been inching her way through the NorAm rankings in downhill, grabbing her first podium finishes at Lake Louise earlier this year. 

“To open junior worlds at Panorama Resort with a third is incredible,” said Macuga. “I knew I could put one down, but to see it in the results with all the best juniors in the world is the craziest feeling ever.”

The Development Team member finished 0.25 seconds behind winner Magadalena Egger of Austria, who finished with a time of 1:28:33. Germany’s Emma Aicher was the last racer to kick out the gate wearing bib 26 and moved into second, 0.13 seconds behind Egger. 

Egger came into the nine-day competition a strong contender for multiple medals after finishing third in last year’s junior world super-G. Egger has since chased the Europa Cup circuit and finished consistently in the top 20 across four disciplines. After her 2020 performance in Narvik, Norway, today’s win marks a total of four Junior World Championship golds. 

“I was very nervous at the start,” said Egger. “I’m brutally glad that it worked out.” 

Macuga’s teammate Ava Sunshine Jemison was the only other U.S. athlete on the start list. Jemison was caught at the start after long race interruptions, one due to heavy fog. She finished 20th. 

Despite competing on a familiar home hill, Canada did not have any females participate in the downhill. Regular NorAm super-G contenders Sarah Bennett and Britt Richardson will race against a field of 52 athletes in the discipline tomorrow. 

The men’s downhill was underway with the first 10 racers before a weather delay due to fog. The race was later postponed for the next day. The men will recommence the downhill early Friday before the women ski super-G on the same hill in the afternoon.

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