VAL GARDENA, Italy (AP) — Werner Heel of Italy took advantage of an early start number to win a windy World Cup super-G Friday that opened a weekend of four World Cup races in the Italian Dolomites.

Producing the best super-G result of his career, Heel covered the Saslong course in 1 minute, 35.04 seconds. Didier Defago of Switzerland finished second, 0.43 seconds behind, and Patrik Jaerbyn of Sweden was another 0.02 seconds back in third.

The results were affected by a headwind that slowed down the later starters, including several pre-race favorites. Austria's Hermann Maier was ninth and retained his lead in the super-G standings, while Switzerland's Didier Cuche was 10th and American Bode Miller 17th.

"Skiing is a strange sport, every day and every race is different. There are so many factors involved," said the blonde-haired Heel, who comes from Alto Adige, a predominantly German-speaking area in northern Italy.

"Before the race I didn't even think I would finish in the top 20. I had some luck today but the course layout also helped me since there weren't that many turns and the wind really affected the speed of the later starters."

The 26-year-old Heel won his first World Cup race in a downhill in Kvitjfell, Norway, at the end of last season but had never finished higher than seventh in super-G.

He became the first Italian to win a super-G since Alessandro Fattori at Kvitjfell in 2002.

"Last year when I won in Kvitjfell I was the first Italian to win a downhill since (Kristian) Ghedina seven years earlier," he added. "It's nice to create these records."

The wind picked up after the first six starters or so, and at one point the banner hanging over the finish line was billowing up toward the slope.

Heel started third, and the other first five starters also finished within the top six.

Defago, who won the super-G here in 2002 and was 17th out of the gate, was the only later starter to produce a top result.

The 39-year-old Jaerbyn improved his record as the oldest skier to finish on a World Cup podium. It was only the third top-three finish of the Swede's lengthy career.

"I'm sure it was luck too, but at the same time if I don't take advantage of the luck given me it doesn't matter," Jaerbyn said. "I feel like I took advantage of my start number."

Jaerbyn also won a bronze medal in the downhill in Are, Sweden, in 2007 to become the oldest skier to medal at a world championship.

The Swede thanked the U.S. Ski Team for letting him train with them during the summer in Chile. Jaerbyn lives in Edwards, Colorado, with his wife and two children.

He will skip the forthcoming downhill in Bormio and return to the U.S. for the holidays so he can get some more rehab on a sore knee.

Marco Sullivan of Tahoe City, California, started fifth and finished fifth for the top American result, matching his career best in super-G from the opening race this season in Lake Louise, Alberta. Sullivan was even with Heel at the last time interval but made a slight mistake that likely cost him a podium spot.

Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal finished 28th and held onto the overall World Cup lead with a 398 points, ahead of Switzerland's Carlo Janka, who has 315 after taking 11th place in the standings. Austrian Benjamin Raich slipped to third with 297.

The wind died down again late in the race and TJ Lanning with the No. 56 bib was only 0.18 behind Heel at the last interval before the Park City, Utah, resident took a turn too wide near the bottom and crossed 16th, 1.09 behind.

"I waited to the last starter and he for sure was the last dangerous skier to come down," said Jaerbyn, who was in danger of being knocked off the podium. "Nothing against him, but he was the one who made the mistake."

The classic Val Gardena downhill is scheduled for Saturday before the circuit moves to nearby Alta Badia for a giant slalom and slalom Sunday and Monday.

The Associated Press
19.12.2008, 17:52