Darlo and Simbo in Ramsau
NSW XC Nth Campaign Report #4 2001 to 2002, 19 December
(Report 1)
(Report 2)
(Report 3)
NSW Junior out-performs all other Aussies
Ben Sim and Chris Darlington both performed strongly in their first races for the season, their results promising fantastic outcomes from their campaign.
Camille Melvey also had strong results however unfortunately she is still a long way from achieving the standards required for Olympic selection. .... Read on....
If you wish to wish any of the athletes luck see their links below, similarly if you would like to support any of the NSWIS, Team or individual sponsors please contact them using the links below. If you did not receive the first 3 reports please contact Tim Greville and he can forward it to you.
CAMILLE MELVEY'S OLYMPIC GAMES SELECTION CAMPAIGN
Cold temperatures (-17Co) and a new race format (5km Classic followed without break- apart from equipment change by 5km Skate) provided both motivation and challenge for Camille:
Saturday 15th December 2001, Continental 5/5km Classical/Skate, Ramsau, AUSTRIA, For Full results click here. FIS points 141.46:
* 1st Yvonne, Zeibig, Germany , 32:14.9
* 39th Camille Melvey, Australia, 37:15.9, 15.6%
Sunday 16th December 2001, 2 person teams, 3 legs each of 1.2 km Sprint Relay, Skate, Ramsau, AUSTRIA For results click here. FIS points NA:
* 1st Yvonne Zeibig/Ramona Roth, Germany, 22:35.4
* 15th Camille Melvey/Katie Calder, Australia, 25:39.4, 13.6%
Camille skiied both races very strongly. Unfortunately Camille has had a week of very unsettled sleep leaving her feeling flat and resulting in a loss of concentration and a fall at the start (mass Start) of Saturdays race. Camille worked hard to regain places in the field but this left her empty to keep accelerating through the into the skate leg.
The sprint relay on Sunday was a very strong performance for Camille and her teammate, Katie Calder.
Camille now has a couple of weeks off from competition to consolidate and recover before she travels to Campra to compete, her last chance at World Cup selection on December the 28th. It now seems like Camille's chances for Olympic selection have passed, it is time to consider other options. At present Camille is planning on competing in the FIS Marathon Cup, a series of long distance (42km +) events, however a final decision will be made after the race in Campra.
NSW TEAM CAMPAIGN
Ben Sim has had an outstanding start to his Northern Hemisphere Campaign, in preparation for the World Junior Championships. Ben outperformed all other Aussies on Saturday. Chris skiied strongly but had ski grip wax problems.
Saturday 15th December 2001, Continental 5/5km Classical/Skate, Ramsau, AUSTRIA, For results click here. FIS points TBA:
* 1st, Toni Lang, Germany , 32:14.9
* 23rd, Ben Sim, Australia, 37:15.9, 10.4%
* 39th, Chris Darlington, Australia, caught with 5 laps completed/ 1
to go
Sunday 16th December 2001, 2 person teams, 5 legs each of 1.2 km
Sprint Relay, Skate, Ramsau, AUSTRIA For results click here. FIS points NA:
* 1st Schlickenreider/Klessen, Germany
* 31st Ben Sim/Chris Darlington, Australia, caught with 6 laps
completed/ 4 to go
Ben and Chris skiied very strongly against a very tough field: with 14 nations and Italian and German world champions competing and many athletes preparing for the W0rld Junior Championships in Schonach, Germany.
Ben Sim started the race strongly, coming into the change over after the classic section in 34th place. Chris did not have skis suited for such extreme cold conditions and came in to change in 39th place. Ben and Chris were both quick in the change over (changing skis and poles) and skied strongly in the 2nd section of the race (skate). Unfortunately the leader caught Chris on his 2nd last lap and therefore according to the rules he was eliminated. Ben had a better position and feeling good, started to overtake competitors ahead of him finishing strongly.
The sprint relay on Sunday was a mixed Senior/ Junior competition, with some of the world's best senior sprinters racing. Chris and Ben held on strongly to be eliminated after 8 of the 10 laps. The German team won the event (Schlickenreider is ranked 4th in the world for sprints).
These were the first races for the Junior Team and with 5 weeks of preparation still to go before the World Junior Championships there is a lot of promise for these athletes. The team is now in Slovakia, Jake Roarty and Ewan Watson joined them in Vienna on the way to Slovakia. More hard training is in store for the athletes leading up to Christmas.
ATHLETES ON DRY GROUND
NSWIS athlete Matt O'Rourke has been training very consistently and reports to be very happy with his progress.
Tim Greville
Jindabyne Winter Sports Academy
Cross Country Ski
Development Officer
Programs co-ordinator
CONTACT
* Tel: 02 64562242
* Mob: 0417 263836
* Fax: 02 64562917
* e-mail: tgreville@dsr.nsw.gov.au
* Post: PO Box 514 Jindabyne NSW 2627