Canada's Guay in downhill surprise
Source: Agencies |
February 13, 2011, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
ERIK Guay tore down the Kandahar to secure a surprise victory in the men's downhill at the world skiing championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, yesterday and make it back-to-back titles for Canada in the blue riband event.
Didier Cuche, one of the top skiers of his generation who missed out by fourth hundredths of a second to Guay's compatriot John Kucera in 2009, had to settle for silver again, the Swiss this time finishing 0.32 seconds adrift.
Italian Christof Innerhofer followed up his win in the super-G by taking the bronze.
Guay, racing 10th in sunny conditions among the earlier, less-favored racers, clocked one minute 58.41 seconds and Cuche was the only one of the big names who could get near him.
Guay's first medal at either the world championships or Olympic Games surprised the 29-year-old as much as anyone else as he had been struggling with a back injury which forced him to miss a number of races during the season.
"The secret today was to be as relaxed as possible," said Guay. "I felt really well on the course.
"As we (Canada) already had the gold medal, I thought it would be as well to keep it."
The warm weather appeared to favor the early racers on the Kandahar course with Innerhofer, starting ninth, setting the early pace.
Guay was next to go and he bettered the Italian's time by 0.76 seconds.
Austrian Michael Walchhofer and Norwegian Aksel Lund Svindal, two of the early favorites to race, were always well off Guay's pace.
Cuche, who last month became the oldest man to win a World Cup race with his victory at Kitzbuehel, was a different story, leading by 0.11 seconds just after the halfway mark. However, the 36-year-old Swiss, who has never won a world or Olympic title in the downhill, lost time in the lower half.
Didier Cuche, one of the top skiers of his generation who missed out by fourth hundredths of a second to Guay's compatriot John Kucera in 2009, had to settle for silver again, the Swiss this time finishing 0.32 seconds adrift.
Italian Christof Innerhofer followed up his win in the super-G by taking the bronze.
Guay, racing 10th in sunny conditions among the earlier, less-favored racers, clocked one minute 58.41 seconds and Cuche was the only one of the big names who could get near him.
Guay's first medal at either the world championships or Olympic Games surprised the 29-year-old as much as anyone else as he had been struggling with a back injury which forced him to miss a number of races during the season.
"The secret today was to be as relaxed as possible," said Guay. "I felt really well on the course.
"As we (Canada) already had the gold medal, I thought it would be as well to keep it."
The warm weather appeared to favor the early racers on the Kandahar course with Innerhofer, starting ninth, setting the early pace.
Guay was next to go and he bettered the Italian's time by 0.76 seconds.
Austrian Michael Walchhofer and Norwegian Aksel Lund Svindal, two of the early favorites to race, were always well off Guay's pace.
Cuche, who last month became the oldest man to win a World Cup race with his victory at Kitzbuehel, was a different story, leading by 0.11 seconds just after the halfway mark. However, the 36-year-old Swiss, who has never won a world or Olympic title in the downhill, lost time in the lower half.
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