Skiing: Griffin and Jarvis blaze to top at Coronet Peak

Ben Griffin finished equal fourth in the Men's Giant Slalom race. Photo / Michael Thomas

North Island pair Ben Griffin and Sarah Jarvis yesterday won the giant slalom titles at the national ski championships at Coronet Peak, Queenstown.

Winter Olympian Griffin, of Ohakune, finished an impressive equal fourth in a race won by Swede Jon Olsson in 1min 46.59s, with Norway's Espen Lysdahl second and American David Chodunsky third.

However, Griffin, as first New Zealander, took the title, recording 1:47.53, exactly the same as Canadian Patrick Biggs.

The same situation applied to Jarvis. The Whakapapa skier finished in 15th place, in 1:55.12, behind Swede Jessica Lindell-Vikarby, who won in 1:50.67, with Slovakia's Veronika Zuzulova second and Lotte Smiseth Sejersted of Norway winning the bronze.

The national slalom titles will be decided at the same venue today.

Finnish pair Enni Rukajarvi and Petja Piiroinen won the women's and men's junior world snowboard big air titles on the final day of the championships at Cardrona, near Wanaka, yesterday.

Piiroinen won the men's title for the second consecutive year.

Russia won the Marc Hodler trophy as the most successful snowboard nation at the championships.