LAKE LOUISE, Canada (AFP) - Reigning world downhill champion Michael Walchhofer took advantage of an early starting spot and a break in the weather to capture the season-opening World Cup men's downhill race here.

 Michael Walchhofer

The 28-year-old Austrian charged down the 3,136-metre Whitehorn Mountain course in 1 min, 51.16 secs to finish .69 of a second ahead of Canada's Erik Guay.

"My run was very good," said Walchhofer. "I skied well from the start to the finish."

Guay, 22, posted a personal-best finish, cracking the top three for the first time in just his second full-time season on the World Cup circuit.

Antoine Deneriaz, 27, finished third in 1:51.90. The Frenchman reached the podium for the first time here.

Walchhofer won the downhill at February's world championships in St. Moritz. Walchhofer was sixth in last year's Lake Louise downhill and ninth last year in the overall men's World Cup standings.

Walchhofer, who started sixth, benefitted from a heavy snowfall which dumped 30 cm on the course in the past few days, wiping out Thursday's final training run.

"The snow base was soft so to start in the number six position was good," said Walchhofer. "The turns got bumpy for the later skiers so I liked my starting spot."
Walchhofer, in his second full-time downhill season after switching from a slalom specialty, picked up 23,000 US dollars while Guay grabbed 15,000 dollars and Deneriaz won 11,500 dollars.

 Erik Guay

Guay is the first Canuck to finish in the top three in three years. He said there was extra pressure Saturday to do well in front of family and friends.

"I am really pleased. Second place is beyond expectations. Being in Canada makes it a little tougher but by the time the race starts I put all that aside," said Guay, who was coached by his father until age 17.

Deneriaz has two World Cup downhill triumphs, winning last year at Val Gardena and Lillehammer.

"My confidence has been building," said Deneriaz. "I won two times last year and my goal this year is to win again and finish not too far from the overall World Cup title."

Austrian skiers took five of the top 10 spots, including a ninth-place finish by two-time Olympic champion Hermann Maier.

"It was a so, so run for me," Maier said. "I need more training."

Reigning World Cup overall champion Stephan Eberharter was a disappointing 22nd in 1:52.81. Eberharter, who started 27th, said his run was hampered by poor visibility as fog moved across the course as he entered the starting gate.

"There was no chance for me," Eberharter said. "The fog came in and I couldn't see the first gate."

Erik Guay, Michael Walchhofer and Antoine Deneriaz

AFP, 29.11.2003

Guay first-ever Canadian to reach World Cup podium at Lake Louise

LAKE LOUISE, Alta. (CP) - Erik Guay made Canadian skiing history Saturday, finishing second in the men's World Cup downhill season opener to become the first Canadian to ever reach the podium at Lake Louise.

And the beaming 22-year-old from Mont Tremblant, Que., made it clear that there's a lot more to come.

"It's not done yet, I've got another race tomorrow," Guay said, adding he has no plans to relax until he's atop the podium.

Guay finished behind Michael Walchhofer of Austria, the defending world champion downhiller, who won the race in one minute 51.16 seconds. But the youngster, in his second season on the World Cup circuit, actually beat the veteran at the bottom of the course on Mount Whitehorn, to the cheers of the large crowd that included his parents, brothers and even a neighbour from his home town.

Antoine Deneriaz of France was third in 1:51.90.

Jan Hudec of Banff, Alta., finished 38th with a time of 1:53.58. Jeff Hume of Whistler, B.C. was 52nd in 1:54.47, Calgary's Darin McBeath was 54th (1:54.55), Vincent Lavoie of Quebec City was 57th (1:54.80) and Brad Spence of Calgary was 63rd (1:55.54).

Guay said celebrating wasn't on Saturday night's agenda, noting he needs to study his run of 1.51.85 to see where he can make up that seven-tenths of a second before Sunday's super G race. That's music to the ears of Ken Read, the president of Alpine Canada who has been trying to rebuild the Canadian ski program.

"I knew he had the capability, but Erik just keeps surprising me," a beaming Read said at the finish line.

"What's Erik's demonstrating to me is a maturity, even though he's young he's got the skill to be a leader," said Read, who picked up five World Cup downhill victories in his career with the Crazy Canucks. "He leads by example: he just goes out and does the job."

Austrian favourite Stephan Eberharter, the reigning overall World Cup champion, was well off the pace at 1:52.81, placing 22nd in the field. Eberharter said fog swept in just after American Bode Miller left the start gate and didn't dissipate before the Austrian had to start.

"There was no chance for me today," said Eberharter, who won both races at Lake Louise in 2002.

Miller, runner-up for the overall crown last season, was also way behind in 30th place, at 1:53.03.

Guay turned heads at the World Championships in February when he placed sixth in both the downhill and the super G. He recorded his first career top-10 finish in the super G at the final World Cup race in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, last season.

Guay was modest when asked if he was ready to assume the leadership mantle. But he's prepared to carve out his spot and has commented that the new breed of Canadian skiers are more "conservative" than the legendary Crazy Canucks whose exploits are imbedded in national memories.

"It's the way we are - we study the course properly, don't do anything silly," he shrugged. "There's no use trying to cut the line and try to go straighter when you're not able to, you'll just end up in the fence."

Steve Podborski, another member of the Crazy Canucks watching the race, was thrilled with Guay's performance and his determination to aim higher.

"He knows No.1 is the place to be and he's got the proper attitude for that," said Podborski, whose eight downhill wins on the World Cup circuit stands as a Canadian record. "You get to the top by making his steps up there, and he can."

Podborski said performances like Guay's are important to help build public excitement for the Canadian team.

"People measure success in very simple ways: did you win or not? So the podium works for me. It's vital for the team," he said.

"When we look forward to 2010 and the opportunities for a gold medal there, it's just a wonderful, wonderful thing. They're on home soil."

JUDY MONCHUK, Canadian Press, 29.11.2003