Last year at Palisades Tahoe, AJ Ginnis was on the verge of claiming his first World Cup win – but then the Greek was disqualified due to a string.
Whether AJ actually prepared Ginnis cannot be determined with certainty from television images. In any case, it was decided to disqualify the Greek, depriving him of his first World Cup win. However, Genis returned to Palisades-Tahoe feeling good. The traveler, who was born in Greece, grew up in Austria and then moved to the USA, has the support of friends and family in California. That's why he talks about the “home run.”
When he looks back on last year's race, it is a “bittersweet situation” for Guinness. Although he missed the win, he gave a strong performance. “I want to reach a level where I can win World Cup races. “It's good to know I can do it,” the 29-year-old said.
Guinness didn't let the exclusion bother him. Instead, she offered extra motivation: “When you work hard in the gym in the summer, you think about it and work a little harder.” That's why he doesn't feel sad about the victory. If he has to end his career without winning a World Cup, it could be even more difficult. But for now, this is just extra incentive.
I found consistency
Guinness had a difficult start to the current season. There were three retirements from the first four races. However, he has recently finished in the top 15 three times in a row, a consistency the Greek has never seen before in his career. In 2023, he occasionally had outliers, such as World Cup silver in Courchevel or his first World Cup podium in Chamonix. But he was unable to perform continuously. “Last year I achieved some good results, but I did not have stability in the results. This is very important for my self-confidence.”
Thanks to his improved form, the Greek is expected to achieve a strong result again on Sunday evening. Maybe thanks to extra sessions at the gym he'll return to Palisades, Tahoe of all places. With his second World Cup podium – or even his first win.
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