GRP Skiers Podium at New Zealand Winter Games

Ida Sargent (L) on the podium in the freestyle sprint

Ben Lustgarten (R) skiing in the men's freestyle final heat

Last Updated: 05.Sep.2018

In the first FIS races of the 2018-2019 season, Green Racing Project skiers had great results, with a handful of podiums among them. The New Zealand Winter Games occur every September, with the cross country portion at the Snow Farm in Cardrona, NZ. The GRP skiers are currently down at the Snow Farm for a training camp, and used the races to build in some nice intensity during their camp.

On Tuesday, September 4, the Games kicked off with a 5/10k individual start freestyle race. In the men's race, Ben Lustgarten had the top GRP result, taking 3rd, with Adam Martin close behind in 4th, and Akeo Maifield-Carucci in 6th. In the women's 5k, Caitlin Patterson also hit the podium in 3rd, Ida Sargent took 4th, and Corey Stock was 7th.

Wednesday brought a freestyle sprint, with small but very competitive fields. In the men's qualifier, Lustgarten took 3rd, Martin 7th, and Maifield-Carucci 9th. Lustgarten raced well through the rounds to finish 4th in the final, and Martin and Maifield-Carucci made it to the semis, with final places of 7th and 8th, respectively. In the women's race, Sargent qualified in 2nd and then went on to finish 2nd in the final behind her US Ski Team teammate Sophie Caldwell. Patterson qualified 5th and finished 5th in the heats, while Stock qualified 6th and finished 7th. 

The final day was a 10/15k mass start classic race. While the GRP only had four skiers overall in both races, all four made the podium in their respective events. In the women's 10k, Patterson took 2nd to Jessie Diggins in a close finish, and Sargent was close behind in 3rd. In the 15k an hour later, Martin took 2nd and Lustgarten 3rd.

Full results from the weekend are available on the New Zealand Winter Games website. Thanks for following along!