Walchhofer, Worley sparkle
Source: Agencies |
December 13, 2009, Sunday
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Print Edition
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MICHAEL Walchhofer tamed a tricky slope to win a men's World Cup super-G yesterday and offer a resurgent Austrian team a further morale boost.
The 34-year-old Walchhofer used his vast experience in difficult conditions with poor visibility to hand his Alpine nation its second victory in as many days in the French Alps resort of Val d'Isere after Benjamin Raich's super-combined win on Friday.
"This is unexpected but great," Walchhofer, who had said on Friday he would be happy with a top-10 placing, said after posting his 15th World Cup win in a tough race many competitors failed to finish.
"It was very steep and I couldn't see a thing," he added. "It's definitely not my kind of slope but I concentrated on trying to make as few mistakes as possible and it paid off."
A downhill specialist, Walchhofer had won just one super-G before, in December 2004 at Val Gardena, Italy.
The seasoned Austrian clocked a winning time of one minute 20.78 seconds with American Ted Ligety and Italy's Werner Heel placing second and third, 0.28 and 0.75 seconds off the pace, respectively.
Carlo Janka, who won three events last week at Beaver Creek, Colorado, was one of many skiers to struggle down the steep, icy Bellevarde piste.
The 23-year-old Swiss lost his balance on the upper part of the course, narrowly avoided a crash and went out.
Flat light, making it difficult to see the track, and snowfalls made a real nightmare of a course that is treacherous enough in clear weather.
"It was scary," said Raich, who finished fifth. "I just tried not to hurt myself. It was really difficult."
Austria, often outclassed by arch-rival Switzerland since the start of a winter that includes the Vancouver Olympics in February, is recovering in style here.
It will have on more chance to shine in today's giant slalom that completes the weekend program in the village that hosted the world championships last February.
In Are, Sweden, France's Tessa Worley bridged a one-year gap when she won a giant slalom to record the second World Cup victory of her career.
The diminutive skier from Le Grand Bornand shocked the ski world when she came from nowhere to win her first giant slalom in Aspen, Colorado, just over a year ago at the age of 19.
Since then, Worley, whose father is Australian, has failed to make it back on a World Cup podium. She compensated yesterday with a combined time of 2:23.22.
Slovenia's Tina Maze, who had won last season's final giant slalom in the Swedish resort, was second, 0.57 seconds back.
Austria's Kathrin Zettel was third for her third top three spot in succession in the discipline.
A giant slalom jinx continued for World Cup leader Lindsey Vonn, who crashed after only a few gates in the morning run and failed to complete the course.
The American, winner of two downhills a week ago in Lake Louise, has never managed a medal placing in a World Cup giant slalom despite winning races in every other discipline. Vonn was lucky to retain her overall World Cup lead, which looked in serious jeopardy until arch-rival Maria Riesch of Germany, fourth in the morning run, crashed close to the finish of the second leg and failed to score points.
Overall Vonn still leads on 389 points, ahead of her close friend Riesch on 361. Zettel is third on 280 points.
The skiing weekend in Are continues with a slalom today.
The 34-year-old Walchhofer used his vast experience in difficult conditions with poor visibility to hand his Alpine nation its second victory in as many days in the French Alps resort of Val d'Isere after Benjamin Raich's super-combined win on Friday.
"This is unexpected but great," Walchhofer, who had said on Friday he would be happy with a top-10 placing, said after posting his 15th World Cup win in a tough race many competitors failed to finish.
"It was very steep and I couldn't see a thing," he added. "It's definitely not my kind of slope but I concentrated on trying to make as few mistakes as possible and it paid off."
A downhill specialist, Walchhofer had won just one super-G before, in December 2004 at Val Gardena, Italy.
The seasoned Austrian clocked a winning time of one minute 20.78 seconds with American Ted Ligety and Italy's Werner Heel placing second and third, 0.28 and 0.75 seconds off the pace, respectively.
Carlo Janka, who won three events last week at Beaver Creek, Colorado, was one of many skiers to struggle down the steep, icy Bellevarde piste.
The 23-year-old Swiss lost his balance on the upper part of the course, narrowly avoided a crash and went out.
Flat light, making it difficult to see the track, and snowfalls made a real nightmare of a course that is treacherous enough in clear weather.
"It was scary," said Raich, who finished fifth. "I just tried not to hurt myself. It was really difficult."
Austria, often outclassed by arch-rival Switzerland since the start of a winter that includes the Vancouver Olympics in February, is recovering in style here.
It will have on more chance to shine in today's giant slalom that completes the weekend program in the village that hosted the world championships last February.
In Are, Sweden, France's Tessa Worley bridged a one-year gap when she won a giant slalom to record the second World Cup victory of her career.
The diminutive skier from Le Grand Bornand shocked the ski world when she came from nowhere to win her first giant slalom in Aspen, Colorado, just over a year ago at the age of 19.
Since then, Worley, whose father is Australian, has failed to make it back on a World Cup podium. She compensated yesterday with a combined time of 2:23.22.
Slovenia's Tina Maze, who had won last season's final giant slalom in the Swedish resort, was second, 0.57 seconds back.
Austria's Kathrin Zettel was third for her third top three spot in succession in the discipline.
A giant slalom jinx continued for World Cup leader Lindsey Vonn, who crashed after only a few gates in the morning run and failed to complete the course.
The American, winner of two downhills a week ago in Lake Louise, has never managed a medal placing in a World Cup giant slalom despite winning races in every other discipline. Vonn was lucky to retain her overall World Cup lead, which looked in serious jeopardy until arch-rival Maria Riesch of Germany, fourth in the morning run, crashed close to the finish of the second leg and failed to score points.
Overall Vonn still leads on 389 points, ahead of her close friend Riesch on 361. Zettel is third on 280 points.
The skiing weekend in Are continues with a slalom today.
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