Anchorage's Kieffer Christianson delivered his best career performance at the U.S. Alpine Championships on Thursday, finishing fourth in the men's giant slalom, just .09 seconds off a podium finish in Squaw Valley, Calif.
The result for Christianson, 20, who was the top junior finisher in the field, marks his first top 10 finish at nationals.
The Dartmouth College student, who has represented the U.S. at the World Junior Championships several times, on Thursday generated a two-run time of 1 minute, 46.06 seconds. Tim Jitloff won in 1:44.81, defending champ Robby Kelley was runner-up in 1:45.69 and Seppi Stiegler finished third in 1:45.97.
Christianson posted the sixth-fastest time in each of the two runs.
Earlier this season, Christianson finished third in the giant slalom standings in the Nor-Am Cup, a circuit below the World Cup, the level that features the best skiers in the world. The top two finishers in the Nor-Am earn automatic World Cup starts. He also finished 13th in the Nor-Am super-G standings and took 10th overall on the circuit.
"I had a great season in GS,'' Christianson said in a U.S. Ski Team press release. "This is a nice finish to it, for sure.''
Christianson last year finished ninth in the giant slalom at the World Junior Championships.
Anchorage Daily News