ALPINE:

Solomon, Roth rule GS at Georgian Peaks

March 9, 2011 — Alpine Canada  

COLLINGWOOD, Ontario — Andrew Solomon of Toronto and Julia Roth of Waterloo, Ont., won the men's and women's giant slalom races respectively on Tuesday to conclude the final stop on the GMC Cup alpine skiing circuit at Georgian Peaks.

In the men's giant slalom, Solomon clocked a two-run time of 1 minute, 38.07 seconds for his third medal this season on the circuit and first gold. Dylan Fisher McCarney of Toronto was second in 1:38.38 and William Schussler-Bédard of Sutton, Que., third in 1:38.97.

"The key to victory was just charging the course,'' said Solomon, 18, bouncing back from not finishing his first run in his previous two races. "My season has really picked up over the last three weeks. I've gained the confidence that I didn't have at the beginning of the season.''

Fisher McCarney enjoyed winning on his home hill.

"This was one of the best days of skiing ever at the Peaks,'' said Fisher McCarney, 18, with his second silver in less than a week. "So I felt really good about today even though the GS races have been giving me trouble the last couple of years.''

Schussler-Bédard made sure he was ready for the second run.

"I didn't have a good feeling about my second run yesterday, so today I practiced between runs to stay sharp,'' said Schussler-Bédard.

In the women's giant slalom, Roth collected her second gold this week clocking 1:38.86. Amelia Rowland of the U.S., was second in 1:39.32 and Katerine Lamoureux of Tremblant, Que., third in 1:39.42.

"It just felt awesome to get the win,'' said Roth, a world junior team member. "The races the last few days have been great for me because I've raced the way I know I can. It was tough coming back from Europe and there was a lot of pressure.''

Lamoureux was on the podium for the second straight day after winning Monday's giant slalom.

"I'm very pleased my runs went very well,'' she said. "The biggest thing I improved was my intensity.''

The GMC Cup series provides amateur skiers with essential competitive experience on the road to World Cup and Olympic success.