Men's alpine skiing World Cup competition continued today in Beaver Creek, Colorado as the Swiss team showed the world they are in control of the World Cup season with young gun Carlo Janka (1:43.49) taking the win and veteran Didier Cuche (1:43.51) pulling in second in the season's second downhill race. Norwegian Aksel Lund Svindal (1:43.53) took a great stride in his return from an October leg bruise, grabbing the third-place finish.

Conditions couldn't have been better on the acclaimed Birds of Prey Course as clear skies and cold temperatures made for quick times. A total of 61 racers from 16 nations were tested in the high-altitude of the American Rocky Mountains.

Janka is getting very comfortable on the Beaver Creek podium, as he won yesterday's Super Combined. Cuche is also feeling right at home in North America, winning the Lake Louise downhill only a week ago.

"I saw yesterday that I can be fast on the downhill," said Janka. "I'm happy with the run and now I'm on the podium again, on the top step and I'm really happy with that."

Double winner here last season, including the downhill, Svindal looked strong on a course he has dominated before. Svindal said his run had been very clean, with just "a small mistake at the bottom but it's a tight race so the time I lost there was too much."

Svindal, last season's overall World Cup title winner, said his recovery is coming along according to plan. "I started off not skiing at all, then I started really skiing in Lake Louise. The plan was to get into shape for Beaver Creek and it seems it worked out pretty good. Now I'm just going try to build on that."

"Right now it looks like a Swiss battle, but hopefully we can get some more color in there, some blue with the white and red," said Svindal of this seasons battle for the overall globe.

The Swiss, and Janka and Cuche in particular, have had an enviable set of early season races. The two went one-three in the opener in Soelden, an Oct. 25 GS, and matched the result in the Lake Louise downhill a weekend ago. In both of those races, though, it had been Cuche in front. At Beaver Creek the younger Janka has turned the tables, winning the combined on Friday and now edging Cuche in the downhill.

"I'm sure he doesn't need to learn something from me," said Cuche of Janka, who is twelve years his minor. "He has such an instinct, he has it in the blood. I told him in the finish I would like to go back ten years and have the same god's gift."

Thousands of U.S. Ski Team fans braved the cold to cheer on the home team, which started seven racers. American fans were out in droves, wearing "Believe in Steven" (Nyman) pins and "Marco Rocks" (Sullivan) hats.

Famed American "bad boy" Bode Miller (1:43.94), who fell in yesterday's Super Combined slalom run, gave the Beaver Creek crowd a lot to cheer about as he held the lead through two racers until Janka spoiled the party. He would end up finishing forth. "Mistakes," he said, "are acceptable if you are pushing it." Miller got a late start in training this summer after deciding to rejoin the U.S. Ski Team in September.

Fellow American Andrew Weibrecht (1:44.60) again skied well above his ranking, moving from the 47th start to finish 11th as the second best American. He said he got a great course report from teammate Marco Sullivan. "He said it was ripable," Weibrecht said. "I just had a good run, tried to ski solid, tried to ski within myself, and didn't have any major mistakes."

The winner of two of the training runs here, Michael Walchhofer (1:43.95) of Austria, could do no better than fifth.

Janka held the overall World Cup lead coming into today's race, then further cemented his perch at the top as he is now 41 points ahead of his teammate Cuche. "It think these two guys are the favorites and maybe I'll try to get it," said Janka of Cuche and Svindal's shot at the overall title. "I think it's too early for me, maybe in two or three years I'm ready for that."

Janka will have a shot at making it three wins tomorrow as World Cup action in Beaver Creek continues with a Giant Slalom.

Eric Williams and Hank McKee
Ski Racing Magazine
Saturday 5 December 2009