ALPINE SKI WORLD CUP. It was another tough day for the usual favorites at Alta Badia ! Only one of them, Park City’s Ted Ligety, managed to perfectly tame the challenging and icy ‘Gran Risa’ run to celebrate his third consecutive win this season and his first ever here.

Ted Ligety of the United States passes a gate during the first run of an alpine ski men's World Cup giant slalom race, in Alta Badia, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 19, 2010. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

Switzerland’s Michael von Grünigen was the last specialist able to dominate all his rivals in the first three giant slalom races of a season fifteen years ago! Most of the other top guns struggled and ended sometimes far behind the podium as reigning Olympic Champion Carlo Janka, only 26th , Kjetil Jansrud 17th . Aksel Lund Svindal was close in 6th place while Benjamin Raich, Massimiliano Blardone, Romed Bauman or Kalle Palander didn’t manage to end their first run or to qualify.

France's Cyprien Richard passes a gate during the first run of an alpine ski men's World Cup giant slalom race, in Alta Badia, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 19, 2010. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Bode Miller of the United States passes a gate during the first run of an alpine ski men's World Cup giant slalom race, in Alta Badia, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 19, 2010. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

On the other hand, several racers starting with high numbers finished among the best 15 including Leif Kristian Haugen, who wore bib number 62 to end in 11th position a few hundredths of a second ahead of France’s Thomas Frey, 12th after starting the first leg in 57th position in the morning run.

Two athletes were particularly relieved after the end of the race – France’s Thomas Fanara, who reached his first World Cup podium ever after sustaining two serious injuries in a row, and Ondrej Bank, 5th with bib 23. The skier from the Czech Republic went also through very difficult moments in recent winters because of bad injuries after scoring a promising 3rd place in a Super-combined event at Beaver Creek in November 2007. Last week he had already showed part of his past form with his excellent 7th place in the slalom at Val d’Isère.

Fanara was ready to give up

Fanara, injured at his knee after crashes at Bad Kleinkirchheim, in Austria, in December 2007 and then at Beaver Creek a year ago, had a hard time controlling his emotion after the race.

“A year ago I was in my bed and wondering about the future of my career, it was so hard to be sidelined once more at the beginning of a new season,” explained the 29-year-old Frenchman who has scored a series of promising top-10 places in difficult races as Soelden, Adelboden or Kranjska Gora.

“I was ready to give up and I have to thank my family, my friends and the French trainers for supporting and encouraging me so much during my rehab period,” he also explained.

“To reach the podium here in that prestigious event is particularly rewarding for me. It’s once thing to feel able to fight for a top-3 result in a big race and another different to actually do it. I’m really proud of myself today. I’m really enjoying being able to race again after my last injury. I’m having such a great time just to be back on the tour with this strong French team. It’s so funny to be on the podium next to Cyprien because we talked about this not later than a month ago. “How great this would be” we told each other. Surely a dream came through for us today.”

Didier Cuche, who came in 4th six tenths of a second behind Fanara, warmly congratulated his happy colleague – obviously he didn’t mind too much losing his spot on the podium to him. He knows too well how hard it is to come back at the top after an injury!

Switzerland's Didier Cuche powers past a gate during the first run of an alpine ski men's World Cup giant slalom race, in Alta Badia, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 19, 2010. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

“Well done mate, you have done a great job, I’m happy for you,” told the smiling Swiss veteran to his rival. Didier was certainly also pleased by his GS form after having accomplished strong performances on the other side of the mountain at Val Gardena, finishing 3rd in downhill and 11th in Super-G. Last week he was a far 29th in Val d’Isère’s giant slalom after hurting his back at the end of the second run.

He is now in 3rd place in the overall World Cup standings just ahead of Svindal, Bauman and Janka! He could get back at the top with a good race next week at Bormio.

Ligety ready for some powder skiing

In the meantime, Ted Ligety will be resting at home at Park City, spending some time on his fat skis in Utah’s great powder snow or speeding in the nature with his skidoo. “It has been quite a hectic season start for me and I’m looking forward for a nice break now,” said the American after the race. “I reached a lot in the last three weeks and I’m so proud having won that great classic. It’s the dream of each giant slalom specialist to excel once here and I did it wearing the red leader bib, it’s awesome.”

“I have worked hard last summer to improve my condition but I don’t know how long I can remain on that level. I don’t think having a serious chance fighting for the overall title. I would just be happy to get more podiums under my belts and finally find back my best rhythm also in slalom. I was lucky today that Cyprien did that mistake during his second run, he was the fastest man on the slope today. He was amazing this morning but I felt very confident too. I knew I still had some reserves in me.”

After a short Christmas Break, the men’s tour will resume in a week at Bormio where the third downhill race of the season is scheduled on the treacherous ‘Stelvio’ course.

PkL
FISalpine.com
Sunday 19 December 2010