Finnigan Donley, SVSEF FIS Team athlete, is on top of the world as the 2023 U18 Junior World Downhill Champion. Donley won the downhill on Thursday, Jan. 19 in St. Anton am Arlberg, Austria, where he finished first among U18 athletes and 29th overall. The next day, Donley won silver in the U18 Junior World Super G Championship event, placing second among U18s and 13th overall.

This is Donley’s first year as a member of Team USA’s Junior World Championship Team. “I had a great experience in St Anton,” said Donley. “It was an incredible experience to see the level of ski racing from all the top countries at World Juniors. I learned a lot from my older teammates and I can’t wait to go back in the coming years and fight for U21 podiums!”

“Finn has done an amazing job of keeping things in perspective and enjoying the journey that he is on,” said Will Brandenburg, SVSEF Alpine Program Director. “Just making World Juniors at his age is something I’ve never seen before. To win the U18 gold there shows that this moment was never too big for him. It’s been a blast to support his journey and there are a lot of fun things in front of him.”

SVSEF Alpine Alumni, Dasha Romanov, and Ryder Sarchett are also in St. Anton competing as members of Team USA’s Junior World Championship Team. Romanov was the top American, placing 13th overall in Saturday’s Women’s Giant Slalom.