ALPINE:

Janyk savors fun slalom tuneup in Moscow

Nov. 23, 2009 - Alpine Canada      ► Photos: Moscow slalom action (Agence Zoom)

Michael Janyk is back in Canada preparing to resume the World Cup season after finishing third Saturday in the FIS Alpine Ski Champions Cup in Moscow.

Janyk, racing in front of thousands of spectators in the exhibition single-pole parallel slalom event, won his first two races before being knocked out of contention by France's Steve Missillier in the semifinal.

"It was pretty cool. It was totally different from anything that I have experienced before," said Janyk, who picked up $10,000 U.S. for finishing third. "The course was built on this massive, massive scaffolding. It was crazy."

The FIS-sanctioned event used a 2,500-ton steel construction stand that was equipped with two elevators and boasted 5,000 cubic metres of snow. The races were covered live on national TV in Russia as well as other European countries.

This was the second straight year the event was held in Russia, but Janyk was the first Canadian to participate. The total prize money was $315,000 U.S. with first-place winners in men's and women’s competition receiving $30,000 U.S. each.

Janyk said it was a great experience to compete in such a unique atmosphere against the world's best slalom skiers.

"It was totally fun and joking around beforehand but once it got time to race, there was a lot of money on the line, and we are all really competitive, so we wanted to win," he said.

"That being said, it was still a total fun atmosphere and the guys were having a great time," added Janyk, the reigning GMC Canadian slalom champion.

Men's team head coach Paul Kristofic, who was also onsite, said the event was a boost for ski racing's global appeal.

"I thought it was a great race. It was very exciting to watch and there were a lot of spectators. It was a glitzy event and a lot of fun as well as being very competitive," Kristofic said.

Austria's Marcel Hirscher finished atop the 16-person men's field, while Therese Borssen of Sweden took top prize among the field of eight women.

As for Janyk, he has returned to Canada and expects to do some forerunning in Lake Louise before heading to Beaver Creek, Colorado, for World Cup competition in early December.  SRC