OLYMPICS, ALPINE SKIING. WHISTLER, B.C. - After becoming the world junior super G champion, it was 14 years later that 32-year-old Didier Defago landed his next significant gold medal.

Didier Defago of Switzerland takes a curve during the Men's Downhill, at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, Monday, Feb. 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Charlie Krupa)

"It is one of the most beautiful days of my life," the Swiss veteran said Monday, after collecting the hard-earned gold medal in the men's Olympic downhill race in Whistler.

It wasn't until last season that Defago finally won a World Cup downhill, and he made that count, too. He had two consecutive victories on the circuit's most daunting courses, Wengen and Kitzbuehel.

Monday's course wasn't any walk in the park either.

World Cup overall champion Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway took the silver, just 0.07 seconds behind Defago and Bode Miller, who hadn't won an Olympic medal since 2002 and who's only had two downhill podiums in the last two seasons (second in Wengen this January and second in Va Gardena in December 2008) put it together for the bronze on Monday, 0.09 seconds off the winning pace .

Bode Miller of the United States speeds down the course during the Men's Downhill, at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, Monday, Feb.15, 2010 (AP Photo/Charlie Krupa)

After days of weather delays and training cancelations, the downhill course was a different animal Monday than it was in the men's only official training on Thursday (run on a shortened course to the slalom start).

"It has changed a lot since training, but the conditions were perfect for me," Defago said. "I knew I would do well, but I never expected to do this well. I had a great year with Wengen and Kitzbuhel. A medal had to come eventually for me."

The first freezing overnight temperatures in several days rendered the Dave Murray downhill course rock-hard and so fast that the top 15 guys all finished within the same second.

Solid as it was, smooth it was not. From Bear Cub, the first technical section of the course, racers' skis resembled popcorn kernels in hot oil as they rattled over the rollers and the bumps and ruts threw several racers outside and off-kilter around the big left turn called Carousel to the last two rollers (Boyd's Bump and Murr's Jump) before the finish line.

As for the snow consistency, racers knew it would be vastly different than what they ran on last week, but the bumps took everyone by surprise ... especially starter No. 1, Patrik Jaerbyn from Sweden, who felt he was the guinea pig on Monday.

"I got to inspection and saw they injected the whole upper part and there goes the advantage with No. 1. Now I'm suddenly the test pilot," said Jaerbyn, who, at 40 is one of the oldest racers in Olympic history. "I had a good feeling from the training run and I felt like before the icing it was an advantage to be No. 1, then suddenly it was a disadvantage. it's the way it is.

From the second gate all the way down to the tunnel exiting the Weasel was all used with the water. It's totally different course to run on."

The silver medal finish was big for Svindal, who entered the season with a bruised leg sustained in a pre-season training crash. He put his mark down at Beaver Creek, with thirds in the downhill and GS, but otherwise hasn't been on the podium this season other than his big super G win in December in Val Gardena, which was followed by a powerful bout of illness and then a handful of top 10s.

"I felt good all the way from the top," Svindal said Monday. "I was a little extra nervous because it is the Olympics."

Though it was his fourth Olympic Games, even Miller, who with three Olympic medals (two silvers in combined and GS in 2002) is now the most decorated American alpine skier of all time, had the jitters.

"There's a difference when you execute and do your job and you're the best in the world. Compare that to the Olympics, you get the chills and you're nervous and you get a little scared," he said. "You go through the emotional roller coaster of what it is to compete to get a medal and you let that run through your whole body. You let yourself get built up about it then you go out and give all you've actually got."

by Shauna Farnell
FISalpine.com
Tuesday 16 February 2010

Switzerland's Didier Cuche speeds down the course during the Men's Downhill, at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, Monday, Feb. 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

Bode Miller of the United States reacts after completing the Men's downhill at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, Monday, Feb. 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)

Switzerland's Didier Defago reacts after setting the fastest time to win the gold medal in the Men's downhill at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, Monday, Feb. 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Gero Breloer)

Switzerland's Didier Defago reacts after completing the Men's downhill at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, Monday, Feb. 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)

A course slider who fell over and lost a ski is assisted by a colleague to leave the course during the Men's downhill at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, Monday, Feb. 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)

A course slider who fell over and lost a ski is assisted by a colleague to leave the course during the Men's downhill at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, Monday, Feb. 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)

Australia's Craig Branch skis past a course slider who fell over and lost a ski during the Men's downhill at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, Monday, Feb. 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)

Switzerland's Didier Cuche reacts after finishing the Men's downhill at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, Monday, Feb. 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Gero Breloer)

A Swiss supporter watches the flower ceremony for the Men's downhill at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, Monday, Feb. 15, 2010. Switzerland's Didier Defago won the race. (AP Photo/Gero Breloer)

Spectators crowd the finish area to watch the Men's downhill at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, Monday, Feb. 15, 2010. The race was won by Switzerland's Didier Defago. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Switzerland's Didier Defago, the gold medalist celebrates during the flower ceremony for the Men's downhill at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, Monday, Feb. 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Switzerland's Didier Defago, the gold medalist, is flanked at left by Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal, silver, and at right by Bode Miller of the United States, bronze, during the flower ceremony for the Men's downhill at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, Monday, Feb. 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

First gold medal for Didier Defago

A year after his thrilling double win in the two foremost ‘Classics' in Alpine Ski Racing - Wengen and Kitzbühel - Didier Defago again eclipsed all famous rivals today at Whistler Mountain to win the showcase men's Olympic Alpine skiing downhill. He finished just ahead of Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal and USA's Bode Miller.

He became the first Swiss to win a men's Olympic Alpine title since Pirmin Zurbriggen in Calgary in 1988 - also on Canadian snow. It's Didier Defago's first medal since clinching gold at the juniors World Championships in 1996. He has already been racing in two Olympics and five FIS World Championships, finishing 4th in Super-combined at Are in 2007.

"This morning I knew that the course would suit me well. I have been looking for a podium in a medal race for a long time," said Didier Defago over the clanking of cowbells from the slopeside crowd. "It was my main goal coming here - fly back home with a medal in my bag, I was really determined to get it here," he also told the press afterwards. "I was not thinking about the gold medal yet. This is really amazing. It hasn't sunk in yet. You had to really fight on that piste, it was pretty bouncy. It was really a beautiful run," added the 32-year-old after seizing his first Olympic medal in his third Games.

Defago is now the oldest Olympic champion in Alpine racing - yet he has not planned to end his career yet. The skier from Morgins, a father of two kids, felt confident and determined prior the race after qualifying for the Olympic team last week after the second training run. On Saturday, after the race was cancelled, he attended the jumping event and saw his colleague Simon Amman taking gold on the small jump. "It was great being there, I felt a lot of emotion and I even told myself how great it would be for me if I could imitate him."

"Since day 1 I was in racing mood, very focused and resolute, and of course very pleased to have made the team at the end," also explained the Swiss veteran, who captured two 2nd places this season including one at Bormio. "I was happy to get two days off last weekend to recuperate and be fully ready for the race. I knew that the course would suit my style with his numerous technical parts. "

"The conditions have changed a lot since training, but they were perfect for me," also commented Defago. "I knew I would do well, but I never expected to do this well. I had a great year with Wengen and Kitzbuhela last winter. A medal had to come eventually for me. It is one of the most beautiful days of my life."

"I didn't make any major error on my way down. My line was fine and my skis very fast. My equipment was particularly efficient today. The course was harder and very bumpy too especially in the middle part. I really skied well there. "

As the skiers finishing just behind him, Defago has not won a downhill this season yet as Svindal and Miller, downhill World Champions in 2007 and 2005, he belonged somehow to the group of pre-race favorites.

"People may now say that I'm the surprise but as Bode, I have been very consistent throughout the winter even though I didn't win a race recently. And Aksel, he is Norwegian, and it's logical to find him excelling here today. The Norwegian are always ready for the big race. In reality, there are 15 to 20 people able to reach a podium on a given day in downhill. Look at the margins - the top 10 are ranked within six tenths of a second, this means a lot. "

"This is a great moment in my career. I already had some exciting ones in past years, for instance when I was a junior or more recently with my wins at Wengen and Kitzbühel. Each racer dreamed to capture those mythical events. But I was also very happy when I won my first ever World Cup race at Val Gardena a few years ago. It definitely was a special moment. On a personal point of view I also felt much emotion in other occasions, for example when my two children were born."

"In principle I'm racing the super combined tomorrow but I think my next chance for a good result will come with the super G. I have reached more than what I have been expecting so I have nothing to loose. What ever is coming next is just a bonus. "

PkL
FISalpine.com
Tuesday 16 February 2010

Didier Defago of Switzerland reacts after receiving the gold medal during the medal ceremony for the men's downhill competition at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, Monday, Feb. 15, 2010.at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, Monday, Feb. 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Jin-man Lee)

Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway shows his silver medal during the medal ceremony for the men's downhill competition at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, Monday, Feb. 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Jin-man Lee)

Bode Miller of the United States reacts after receiving the bronze medal of the Men's Downhill competition during the medal ceremony at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, Monday, Feb. 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)