Austria's Michael Walchhofer celebrates winning the men's World Cup downhill ski race in Lake Louise, Alberta on Saturday Nov. 27, 2010. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh)
. world ski news : Austrians dominate Lake Louise World Cup downhill - 27 November 2010 - 22:17
ALPINE SKI WORLD CUP. Friday’s Austrian domination of training run 3 at the Lake Louise Winterstart World Cup downhill translated into two top podium spots on Saturday.
Austria's Michael Walchhofer celebrates winning the men's World Cup downhill ski race in Lake Louise, Alberta on Saturday Nov. 27, 2010. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh)
Austrian skier Michael Walchhofer powers his way in the Men's Downhill of the FIS Ski World Cup in Lake Louise, Canada. Walchhofer won the first downhill of the season here on Saturday, the 16th World Cup victory of his career and his 12th in the prestige discipline. (AFP/Bill Halliwell)
Michael Walchhofer, skiing in his last season on the World Cup tour won the season’s maiden downhill in a time of 1 minute, 47.78 just 0.45 ahead of countryman Mario Scheiber and Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal who finished in a tie for second place.
Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal celebrates after finishing second in the men's World Cup downhill ski race in Lake Louise, Alberta on Saturday Nov. 27, 2010. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh)
Mario Scheiber of Austria, races down the course on his way to a third place finish in the men's World Cup downhill ski race in Lake Louise, Alberta on Saturday Nov. 27, 2010. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)
This is Walchhofer’s second victory at Lake Louise, the Austrian won here in 2003.
The victory ends a 630-day downhill drought for the Austrian speed squad. Klaus Kroell was the last Austrian to win a downhill race in Kvitfjell, Norway in March 2009. Kroell, who won the Friday's training run at Lake Louise finished in 6th place in a time of 1 minute, 48.89.
Both Walchhofer and Scheiber admitted the team had been under considerable pressure because of the downhill drought and a lackluster performance at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Whistler.
Bode Miller of the United States, races down the course on his way to an eight place finish in the men's World Cup downhill ski race in Lake Louise, Alberta on Saturday Nov. 27, 2010. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)
Didier Cuche of Switzerland, races down the course on his way to ninth place finish in the men's World Cup downhill ski race in Lake Louise, Alberta on Saturday Nov. 27, 2010. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)
“We had a lot of pressure on the whole team because the downhill is very popular in Austria and we didn’t have a victory in it for two years, so the press and Austrian ski fans missed those victories - that I can do this today it’s not just great for me its perfect for the whole team,” Walchhofer said after the race.
“We had no victories in downhill for a long time and no Olympic medals in Whistler. This is a good start with a victory in the first race of the season. It’s important for the whole team and the coaches,” Scheiber added.
FISalpine.com
Saturday 27 November 2010
Austrian day of redemption at Lake Louise
Redemption was the theme of the day at the Lake Louise Winterstart World Cup downhill race with the Austrian speed squad taking the top spot and a share of second place.
Austria's Michael Walchhofer (C), Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal (R) and Austria's Mario Scheiber celebrate on the winners' podium in the Men's Downhill of the FIS Ski World Cup in Lake Louise, Canada. Walchhofer won the race with a time of 1:47.78, as Scheiber and Svindal tied for second with a time of 1:48.33. (AFP/Emmanuel Dunand)
Michael Walchhofer’s victory in time of 1-minute, 47.78 seconds ends a 20-month downhill drought dating back to Klaus Kroell’s victory in Kvitfjell, Norway in March 2009.
Austria’s Mario Scheiber and Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal tied for 2nd place 0.45 seconds off the the top spot.
Walchhofer, who is retiring after the current World Cup season becomes the oldest winner of a World Cup downhill at the ripe old age of 35-years, 7-months and 30-days. The previous record holder in this category was Switzerland’s Didier Cuche who was 20 days younger when he won the downhill in Kvitfjell, Norway last March.
“Sometimes I feel old when I’m with the downhill team but at home I feel young because I’m the youngest sibling in my family,” Walchhofer joked after the race.
The victory puts an end to a stressful period of time for the Austrian downhill squad who have been suffering the slings and arrows of an uber-critical home press corps and millions of victory-starved ski fans who have been distressed over the team’s lack of downhill wins.
The win, is in some ways, a redemption for the entire team and a great relief for Austria’s national alpine skiing psyche.
“We had a lot of pressure on the whole team because the downhill is very popular in Austria and we didn’t have a victory in it for two years, so the press and Austrian ski fans missed those victories - that I can do this today it’s not just great for me its perfect for the whole team,” Walchhofer said after the race.
“We had no victories in downhill for a long time and no Olympic medals in Whistler. This is a good start with a victory in the first race of the season. It’s important for the whole team and the coaches,” Scheiber added.
Pressure, however, was not on the mind of the man who tied Scheiber for 2nd place.
When asked if he felt any performance pressure due to new ski and headgear sponsors, Lund Svindal said he didn’t and confessed he’d done a lot of ski testing over the summer was extremely happy and confident with his new equipment set-up.
On the topic of pressure the Austrians have been feeling over the last year and a half - Lund Svindal was both understanding and sympathetic.
“They had a lot of bad luck last year I would say and it’s also sort of unfair because some of the stuff they did in the 90s was unbelievable. You can’t really expect a team to dominate like that, but the home crowd in Austria are used to a lot of podiums. They’re still the strongest downhill team in the world but give them credit even if they can’t dominate like they once did.”
Redemption was also on the menu for one of the friendliest and most talented racers on the World Cup tour - and it was a meal best served with a warm heart in front of a hometown crowd.
For nearby Banff, Alberta’s Jan Hudec, 2007 World Championship downhill silver medalist, and winner of the Lake Louise downhill in 2008, an 11th place finish was a reminder that he can still run fast with the best in the world.
Plagued by knee and back injuries his entire career, Hudec proved to himself, his coaches and the entire world that he’s still got what it takes to perform at the highest level on the World Cup tour.
After an emotional address to entire crowd, with his young son Oakland in his arms, Hudec admitted he didn’t even know if he was going to be able to ski until the very last minute.
“I’d need probably a million words to describe what happened today. I knew I had to have an inspired run. Thank God that I could even ski today because my back has been bugging me. I had to make a decision, I showed up to the hill late, I just went up to inspection and decided after inspection whether I was going to ski or not. I was feeling it. This is my home hill and even though I was in pain I knew if I had a good run and trusted my skis, my serviceman and my staff I could go down and have a good run. I’m a race day kind of guy so I knew I could turn it up a little bit. I’m just so blessed to be in that position right now.”
By Michael Mastarciyan
FISalpine.com
Sunday 28 November 2010
Place Lake Louise (CAN) Discipline Downhill
Date 27.11.2010 Category FIS World Cup
Race codex 0252 Gender M
Valid for FIS Points YES TD Name Lund Per (NOR)
Rank Bib FIS Code Name Year Nation Total Time FIS Points
1 20 50041 WALCHHOFER Michael 1975 AUT 1:47.78 0.00
2 19 51005 SCHEIBER Mario 1983 AUT 1:48.33 6.79
2 18 421328 SVINDAL Aksel Lund 1982 NOR 1:48.33 6.79
4 31 510890 ZURBRIGGEN Silvan 1981 SUI 1:48.42 7.90
5 6 191740 CLAREY Johan 1981 FRA 1:48.51 9.01
6 14 50753 KROELL Klaus 1980 AUT 1:48.89 13.70
7 16 511313 JANKA Carlo 1986 SUI 1:48.92 14.07
8 12 532431 MILLER Bode 1977 USA 1:49.04 15.55
9 21 510030 CUCHE Didier 1974 SUI 1:49.05 15.67
10 7 511139 KUENG Patrick 1984 SUI 1:49.13 16.66
11 42 102271 HUDEC Jan 1981 CAN 1:49.31 18.88
11 28 380260 KOSTELIC Ivica 1979 CRO 1:49.31 18.88
13 17 102899 OSBORNE-PARADIS Manuel 1984 CAN 1:49.33 19.13
14 53 50858 STREITBERGER Georg 1981 AUT 1:49.35 19.37
14 9 560447 SPORN Andrej 1981 SLO 1:49.35 19.37
16 11 292455 FILL Peter 1982 ITA 1:49.41 20.11
17 10 50833 GRUGGER Hans 1981 AUT 1:49.48 20.98
18 49 511383 FEUZ Beat 1987 SUI 1:49.50 21.22
19 41 191591 BERTRAND Yannick 1980 FRA 1:49.65 23.08
20 39 511529 GISIN Marc 1988 SUI 1:49.66 23.20
21 23 192746 THEAUX Adrien 1984 FRA 1:49.90 26.16
22 33 50625 RAICH Benjamin 1978 AUT 1:49.96 26.90
23 29 293006 INNERHOFER Christof 1984 ITA 1:49.99 27.27
24 15 102263 GUAY Erik 1981 CAN 1:50.00 27.39
25 59 201987 STRODL Andreas 1987 GER 1:50.01 27.52
25 36 51327 PUCHNER Joachim 1987 AUT 1:50.01 27.52
27 8 560332 JERMAN Andrej 1978 SLO 1:50.04 27.89
28 4 510747 GRUENENFELDER Tobias 1977 SUI 1:50.20 29.86
29 58 201606 KEPPLER Stephan 1983 GER 1:50.22 30.11
29 34 291459 PARIS Dominik 1989 ITA 1:50.22 30.11
31 27 102961 DIXON Robbie 1985 CAN 1:50.26 30.60
32 5 191964 POISSON David 1982 FRA 1:50.31 31.22
33 61 150398 BANK Ondrej 1980 CZE 1:50.43 32.70
34 22 292514 HEEL Werner 1982 ITA 1:50.48 33.32
35 38 533866 NYMAN Steven 1982 USA 1:50.57 34.43
36 37 530874 GANONG Travis 1988 USA 1:50.59 34.68
37 3 530939 WEIBRECHT Andrew 1986 USA 1:50.60 34.80
38 51 192932 FAYED Guillermo 1985 FRA 1:50.62 35.05
39 35 294277 KLOTZ Siegmar 1987 ITA 1:50.64 35.29
40 26 51215 BAUMANN Romed 1986 AUT 1:50.72 36.28
41 45 561087 MARKIC Gasper 1986 SLO 1:50.74 36.53
42 25 380292 ZRNCIC-DIM Natko 1986 CRO 1:50.90 38.50
43 72 531452 BIESEMEYER Thomas 1989 USA 1:51.13 41.34
44 63 103271 THOMSEN Benjamin 1987 CAN 1:51.14 41.46
45 65 511352 VILETTA Sandro 1986 SUI 1:51.15 41.59
46 55 293550 MARSAGLIA Matteo 1985 ITA 1:51.18 41.96
47 60 103090 HELIE Louis-Pierre 1986 CAN 1:51.29 43.31
48 40 290998 STAUDACHER Patrick 1980 ITA 1:51.30 43.44
49 13 501076 OLSSON Hans 1984 SWE 1:51.38 44.42
50 47 292291 THANEI Stefan 1981 ITA 1:51.45 45.29
51 68 491129 TERRA Ferran 1987 SPA 1:51.46 45.41
52 52 180570 ROMAR Andreas 1989 FIN 1:51.70 48.37
53 62 561216 KLINE Bostjan 1991 SLO 1:51.78 49.36
54 43 150421 ZAHROBSKY Petr 1980 CZE 1:51.86 50.35
54 2 533131 SULLIVAN Marco 1980 USA 1:51.86 50.35
56 44 53817 FRANZ Max 1989 AUT 1:51.88 50.59
57 48 511405 OREILLER Ami 1987 SUI 1:51.93 51.21
58 57 193560 PASQUIER Alexandre 1987 FRA 1:52.03 52.44
59 71 191746 DE TESSIERES Gauthier 1981 FRA 1:52.36 56.52
60 64 100558 COOK Dustin 1989 CAN 1:52.64 59.97
61 70 380298 SIROKI Tin 1987 CRO 1:52.98 64.17
62 69 220656 DRAKE Ed 1986 GBR 1:53.12 65.90
63 54 530165 BRANDENBURG Will 1987 USA 1:53.16 66.39
64 1 500150 JAERBYN Patrik 1969 SWE 2:06.15 226.68
Disqualified 1st run
46 511634 SPESCHA Christian 1989 SUI
Did not start 1st run
32 421483 JANSRUD Kjetil 1985 NOR
30 510767 HOFFMANN Ambrosi 1977 SUI
Did not finish 1st run
67 421954 LYSDAHL Espen 1990 NOR
66 501230 ERICSSON Daniel 1987 SWE
56 534939 FISHER Erik 1985 USA
50 294911 PATSCHEIDER Hagen 1988 ITA
24 561067 PERKO Rok 1985 SLO