Liam Applegath of Kamloops is pictured in action on the weekend at the Whistler Cup, where he bettered competition from across the world and won gold in the under-14 men’s slalom event. Coast Mountain photography
Liam Applegath and head coach Montana Molyneux of the Sun Peaks Racers are pictured. Applegath is holding the award he won for being named the top Canadian in the male under-14 division at the Whistler Cup on the weekend. Submitted photo
Keep an eye out for Liam Applegath.
The Kamloops product, a member of the Sun Peaks Racers, was named the top Canadian in the under-14 male division on the weekend at the Whistler Cup, widely regarded the most prestigious competition on the planet for 12- to 15-year-old skiers in the slalom and giant-slalom disciplines.
“It’s a pretty big deal to come first,” Racers’ head coach Montana Molyneux said. “He’s a promising athlete and he’s definitely on the right path to progressing to the higher levels of ski racing.”
What might be most impressive about the South Kamloops secondary student’s performance is the manner in which he won.
His combined two-run time of 1:16.68 — 37.39 seconds in Run 1 and 39.29 seconds in Run 2, good enough for gold in both races — was more than two seconds faster than the second-place finisher, Nathan Romanin of Whistler, who posted a time of 1:18.97.
Considering ski races are often decided by milliseconds, two seconds is a lifetime.
“The first run was good and I was pretty nervous going into the second one,” said Liam, who also placed 12th in the giant-slalom event.
“There was a lot of terrain and changes to the course, so it’s easy to slip up, but it went well again.”
Applegath is a multi-sport athlete, playing basketball at South Kam and baseball with the bantam AAA Kamloops RiverDogs, but skiing is his favourite sport — and that love might come from his father, Daimion.
Liam’s dad, a former Canadian downhill skiing champion, had a chance to travel with the national team and compete at the World Cup level.
“I hope he gets the same opportunity to see Europe and South America and anywhere that he wants to go,” Daimion said.
“The Whistler Cup is the top international race for athletes that age. To come through with a performance like that, we’re happy parents, both Nikki and I.”
There are still plenty of gates for Liam to ski through before a spot on the national team becomes an option.
He will jump into the under-16 ranks next winter and compete on the B.C. Alpine Teck Open Series with the Sun Peaks club.
Liam placed first overall in the male division at the Teck U14 provincial championships, held from Feb. 26 to March 1 at Silver Star Mountain near Vernon.
If he continues to dominate provincially, there might be a spot for him on Team B.C., which races at national and international events.
The next step would be the national development team, the final hurdle before cracking the Alpine Canada team and gunning for the Olympics.
Skiing at the highest level is a long way off for any of the Racers so, rather than eyeing the finish line, Molyneux has her charges focused instead on the next turn — and Liam is not the only Racer on the cutting edge.
“Almost our whole team was at the Whistler Cup,” Molyneux said. “We had nine athletes there, including a U16 racer.
“They really showed a lot of promise.”
Liam’s love of skiing is still intact, unspoiled by the rigours of competition, and that is most important at this stage, said Daimion, who praised Molyneux, Sun Peaks Resort and its facilities, including the Nancy Greene International Race Centre.
“Being on the ski hill is pretty comfortable for me,” said Daimion, whose daughter, Brynn, 12, is also excelling with the Racers.
“Good days are great days and average days can still turn out to be pretty exceptional. The kids seem to have a love for the sport, the same as I do.”
Liam will turn his attention to the diamond for the summer, but he’ll be a threat when the snow starts falling again next winter.
“I’m just going to remember what I did on the slalom day and remember how it felt,” he said.
“I’m really just trying to go as far as I can.”
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