Alpine skiing: Romania, second place at FIS Children Trophy 2018

This year's edition of the FIS Children Trophy,organized for the first time in Romania, brought not only organizational success, but also a sporting one. Romania placed second in the nations’ ranking, according to the number of points, following the representatives of Austria, who won almost all the competitions.

Romanian Mountain Resort Poiana Braşov hosted last week the first International Skiing Competition for Youth in Romania. FIS Children Trophy gathered, on February 23-24, nearly 100 skiers from 10 countries who took part in two disciplines, slalom and giant slalom, on the Subteleferic slope in the Postăvaru Massif. Age categories were 12-14 year old and 14-16 year old, girls and boys.

In an ideal atmosphere for an alpine skiing competition, the young athletes who took the start at the FIS Children Trophy not only tried to compete with each other but also performed a real show at Poiana Braşov. Some hundred curious viewers could witness how athletes from Romania, Austria, Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, Georgia, Brazil, Argentina and Hungary appeared skiing down on the Subteleferic slope.

Young Romanian skiers have obtained encouraging results. The four Romanian skiers medalled at FIS Children Trophy were Cătălina Ioana Ambruş (2nd place at slalom girls under 14), Andra Maroșan (3rd place at slalom girls under 14), Isabell Leona Trifu (3rd place at giant slalom girls under 16 years) and Hunor Szoke (3rd place at giant slalom boys under 16).

"It was quite difficult because there were many competitors from different countries, but it was very nice", Ioana Ambruş said.

"I am very proud of this result. It was very interesting because this competition was organized in Romania and I hope there will be some more of the kind here. I felt very good", Szoke Hunor confessed.

"I liked it very much, especially because I could also compete with athletes from other countries. And I liked that this kind of contest was held in Romania", Leona Trifu concluded.

FIS Children Trophy - in Poiana Braşov until 2022

Former skier Ioan Gabriel Nan, one of the ambassadors of the competition, confessed that Romania has been praised even by the Austrians, whom everybody recognize for their impeccable ski resorts ave in their country. "We talked with the coach of the Austrian team. He told me that there are few resorts in Austria that organize competitions such as the one in Poiana Braşov", Nan said.

"The conditions were very good. The slope was very good, compact. The Austrians, who always have something to comment on, have told us that in their country, there are competitions that do not have such an organization", added Ioan Valeriu Achiriloaie, the other ambassador of the FIS Children Trophy.

Returning to the sporting side, "we should work, organize ourselves better, have specialized coaches, conditions, so that in the next 10-15 years, we have a participant in the Olympic Games who can finish among the top 30 at an alpine skiing discipline", said Ioan Gabriel Nan.

Born in Braşov, President of the Romanian Olympic and Sporting Committee Mihai Covaliu was present as a spectator at the FIS Children Trophy. "There are children who need these competitions, category age under 14 and under 16, children who need these challenges, they need to know their competition partners. We, the Romanians, need such competitions, otherwise we can not grow. This is the road we have to take, and the fact that FIS Children Trophy started here in Poiana Braşov is something extraordinary and I am absolutely convinced that some of these children will be the next Romanian representatives in winter sports", Mihai Covaliu said.

Poiana Braşov Mountain Resort will host FIS Children Trophy editions until 2022. The event is included in the calendar of the International Ski Federation (FIS).

FIS Children Trophy 2018 Results

Slalom - girls under 14 years of age

1. Amelie Stollinger (Austria; 1: 35.51)

2. Ioana Cătălina Ambruş (Romania; 1: 42.45)

3. Andra Maroşan (Romania, 1: 45.67)

Slalom - boys under 14 years of age

1. Paul Wagner (Austria; 1: 28.64)

2. Dimitar Pirishanchin (Bulgaria; 1: 34.34)

3. Krisztian Pal (Hungary; 1: 37.99)

Slalom - girls under 16 years of age

1. Julia Zlatkova (Bulgaria; 1: 33.18)

2. Anna Wechselberger (Austria; 1: 33.45)

3. Maria Niederndorfer (Austria; 1: 35.21)

Slalom - boys under 16 years of age

1. Alexander Oppeneder (Austria; 1: 27.41)

2. Pedro Paul (Argentina; 1: 29.56)

3. Christos Marmarellis (Greece; 1: 30.50)

Giant slalom - girls under 14 years old

1. Amelie Stollinger (Austria; 47.61)

2. Roxana Hamos (Hungary; 50.56)

3. Martina Lattanzio (Argentina; 52.65)

Giant slalom - boys under 14 years old

1. Paul Wagner (Austria; 47.04)

2. Nikolay Lechev (Bulgaria; 50.33)

3. Ivan Glavchev (Bulgaria; 50.77)

Giant slalom - girls under 16 years of age

1. Maria Niederndorfer (Austria; 1: 33.58)

2. Julia Zlatkova (Bulgaria; 1: 37.10)

3. Leona Isabelle Trifu (Romania; 1: 39.20)

Giant slalom - boys under 16 years old

1. Christ Mittersteiner (Austria; 1: 29.83)

2. Pedro Paul (Argentina; 1: 33.10)

3. Hunor Szoke (Romania; 1: 34.30)

Ranking by nation (by number of points)

1. Austria

2. Romania

3. Bulgaria

Source:RRA.Translated by Miruna Matei