Queenstown, New Zealand – American ski racer Warner Nickerson was first across the finish line in Friday’s men’s giant slalom Australia New Zealand Cup (ANC) races at Coronet Peak near Queenstown, with a time of 1:52.80.nSweden’s Tim Lindgren and Jon Olsson placed second and third, respectively, with times of 1:53.46 and 1:53.78. In the women’s event Veronica Zuzulova of Slovakia took top honors with a winning time of 1:54.81. Norway’s Lotte Smiseth Sejersted placed second with a time of 1:54.93 and Nadja Vogel of Switzerland rounded out the podium with a time of 1:55.62.

The top placing New Zealander to finish in the men’s event was Ben Griffin in fifth place with a time of 1:54.80. Teammate Sarah Jarvis was the highest placing New Zealander in the women’s race, placing 14th with a time of 1:59.93.

Snow Sports New Zealand (SSNZ) Alpine Manager James Lazor once again expressed his gratitude to the team at Coronet Peak for assisting the ANC series and staging a world-class event.

“We’d never be able to have the quality races we have without the support of Coronet Peak,” said Lazor. “The whole team has once again done a great job. A huge thank you to all the volunteers for today and all their support throughout the season.”

The racing continues on Monday at Mt. Hutt near Methven for the NZ National Alpine Championship super G followed by the ANC finals from Tuesday through Friday, also at Mt. Hutt.