Bormio: Walchhofer wins training, Lanning out

Downhill standings leader Michael Walchhofer claimed the second and final training run for the Bormio downhill scheduled for Sunday.

The two-time World Cup downhill winner and Olympic silver medallist edged Italian Werner Heel for the training run by .04 of a second. Swiss Ambrosi Hoffmann was third .60 back with World Cup overall leader Aksel Svindal fourth and Canadian Erik Guay in fifth.Downhill standings leader Michael Walchhofer claimed the second and final training run for the Bormio downhill scheduled for Sunday.

The two-time World Cup downhill winner and Olympic silver medallist edged Italian Werner Heel for the training run by .04 of a second. Swiss Ambrosi Hoffmann was third .60 back with World Cup overall leader Aksel Svindal fourth and Canadian Erik Guay in fifth.

Manuel Osborne-Paradis was eighth, Bode Miller 10th, Scott Macartney 30th and Marco Sullivan 32nd. Robbie Dixon did not start and Steven Nyman and Bryon Friedman were disqualified for missing gates.

TJ Lanning was pulled from the race after a training crash yesterday. Team officials reported he sprained his right knee and bruised a rib in the crash. He had been scheduled to return to the U.S. after the race anyway, will adhere to the schedule and undergo a medical evaluation once home to determine if he will return for the next speed race Jan. 16-18 at Wengen, Switzerland.

Walchhofer won on this course in back-to-back races in 2006 and was second in both 2003 and 2004. He has found it more challenging than usual this season, but said he was making progress in training. “I’ve done it much better than yesterday,” he said. “… today I knew very well where there were the most insidious difficulties. I’ve made some line changes before the Carcentina track, which I think have worked. Of course, arriving up to the end of this slope course you feel really dead. But it’s OK. I like it.”

Miller said the demands of the tough course take their toll. “When you begin to see the finish. … and feel the legs burn. You have to find the compromise between the head and the legs: between what you would like to do and what you really can do.”

Tomorrow the runs count.

Did not start 1st run: BRAUER Jono (AUS), BRANCH Craig (AUS), DIXON Robbie (CAN)

Did not finish 1st run: CUCHE Didier (SUI)

Disqualified 1st run: SANDER Andreas (GER), FRIEDMAN Bryon (USA), FAYED Guillermo (FRA), NYMAN Steven (USA)