Feuz takes standings lead in Super G tie with Kroell
After a mile and a half churning through 41 gates down a mountain side at over 70mph, the top five racers of the men’s World Cup super G at Kvitfjell, Norway were less than two tenths of a second apart.
Swiss Beat Feuz and Austrian Klaus Kroell tied for first with local skier Kjetil Jansrud just .03 back in third place. Didier Cuche was fourth and Aksel Lund Svindal fifth all within .17, or about a half a ski length.
The race for the season long super G title packed in a little tighter. Svindal’s lead is down to two points over Cuche and Feuz sits third 25points back. Feuz also snuck past Marcel Hirscher and Ivica Kostelic – neither of who raced – into the lead of the World Cup overall standings by five points over Hirscher and 97 over Kostelic.
The start of the race was delayed an hour by a strong cold wind, but that was a welcome change from the warm conditions the skiers have been facing of late. The wind dried out the snow and iced over the track providing some of the best racing conditions of the season on a bright sunny day on the fjords.
“The track set up beautifully,” Canadian Jan Hudec told Eurosport after he had skied to a 13th place finish. “We had to change tactics. It was a drag race. You have to take every single risk.” Hudec said the middle of the course, where it had the most turns, was the critical part of the Olympiabakken run.
The guys on the top of the ladder also found a way to generate speed in the lower section. Both Svindal and Cuche led most of the way down their runs until the final 100 meters where the top three guys managed to find more speed.
Third finishing Jansrud was happy with the placing, but not the slimness of his margin. “I think I skied pretty well at the bottom. There were a couple of small things in the middle part I could have done better,” he said. But after winning both of the downhill training runs when he had never been first previously, had left him wanting more. “I’m happy, but not so happy about three hundredths.”
Not only did Kroell and Feuz tie, it was also the fifth win for both men, as well as the second super G win for each. Neither man really expected to win, though Kroell has had success at Kvitfjell in the past.
“If I had lost four hundredths I would not even stand on the podium,” Kroell said, his math not exact.
Feuz said he had not known what to expect with his knee still sore from Sochi and last weekend’s thick soft snow. “It’s a big surprise but it’s a great one.”
He is now in the thick of the battle for three World Cup titles, overall, downhill and super G.
Gepa photo
The SCOOP
by Hank McKee
Men’s World Cup super G, Kvitfjell, Norway, March 2, 2012
Equipment
Skier, skis/boots/bindings
1 Feuz, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon
1 Kroell, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon
3 Jansrud, Head/Head/Head
4 Cuche, Head/Head/Head
5 Svindal, Head/Head/Head
6 Mayer, Head/Head/Head
7 Puchner, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
8 Janka, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
9 Guay, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
10 Franz, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
Men’s World Cup super G, Kvitfjell, Norway, March 2, 2012. … It is the 36th race of the men’s 44 race 2012 World Cup schedule. … the sixth of eight scheduled SG’s. … It is a make-up race from one lost at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany Jan 29 by fog. … It is the 47th Cup race hosted at Kvitfjell. … the 18th super G. … It is the first of a three race set at Kvitfjell. … Start is delayed by wind.
It is the fifth career World Cup victory for Beat Feuz. … his second in super G. … It is his second win at Kvitfjell having claimed the DH March 11, 2011. … It is his fourth win of the season.
It is the fifth career World Cup victory for Klaus Kroell. … his second in super G. … It is his second win at Kvitfjell having claimed the DH victory March 7, 2009. … It is his second win of the season after the Chamonix DH Feb. 3.
It is the eighth career World Cup podium placing for Kjetil Jansrud and the second in SG. … the others all coming in GS. … It is his third podium of the season, all third place finishes, and his first since mid-December.
North Americans: It is the 56th career World Cup top 10 for Erik Guay. … his 25th in SG. … It is his eighth top 10 of the season and his tenth scored at Kvitfjell. … It is the 10th best of 15th scoring result of the season for Jan Hudec. … He matches his second best (of seven) Cup scoring results at Kvitfjell. … It is the first Cup scoring result ever at Kvitfjell for Andrew Weibrecht.
Standings: Feuz moves into the lead of the World Cup overall standings 1140-1135 over Marcel Hirscher (did not race). … Ivica Kostelic (did not race) is third with 1043pts. … Ted Ligety (did not race) is the top US skier overall in ninth with 674. … Bode Miller (did not race) is 10th with 612. … Hudec is the top Canadian overall in 16th with 479pts and Guay is 17th with 466pts. … Aksel Lund Svindal (fifth in race) maintains the lead of the super G standings 333-331 over Didier Cuche (fourth in race). … Feuz is third with 308pts. … Guay is top Canadian in 11th with 145pts and Miller top American in 12th with 119pts. … Austrian leads the mens Nations Cup 6296-3810 over Switzerland. … Italy is third with 3087. … The US is fifth with 1854pts and Canada seventh with 1467pts.
Kvitfjell (NOR)
FIS World Cup
Men’s Super G
| Rank | Bib | FIS Code | Name | Year | Nation | Total Time | FIS Points |
| 1 | 20 | 511383 | FEUZ Beat | 1987 | SUI | 1:32.35 | 0.00 |
| 1 | 16 | 50753 | KROELL Klaus | 1980 | AUT | 1:32.35 | 0.00 |
| 3 | 14 | 421483 | JANSRUD Kjetil | 1985 | NOR | 1:32.38 | 0.34 |
| 4 | 22 | 510030 | CUCHE Didier | 1974 | SUI | 1:32.45 | 1.15 |
| 5 | 21 | 421328 | SVINDAL Aksel Lund | 1982 | NOR | 1:32.52 | 1.95 |
| 6 | 4 | 53902 | MAYER Matthias | 1990 | AUT | 1:32.84 | 5.62 |
| 7 | 11 | 51327 | PUCHNER Joachim | 1987 | AUT | 1:32.93 | 6.66 |
| 8 | 26 | 511313 | JANKA Carlo | 1986 | SUI | 1:32.94 | 6.77 |
| 9 | 13 | 102263 | GUAY Erik | 1981 | CAN | 1:32.97 | 7.12 |
| 10 | 5 | 53817 | FRANZ Max | 1989 | AUT | 1:32.98 | 7.23 |
| 11 | 9 | 50858 | STREITBERGER Georg | 1981 | AUT | 1:33.06 | 8.15 |
| 12 | 25 | 180570 | ROMAR Andreas | 1989 | FIN | 1:33.07 | 8.26 |
| 13 | 10 | 102271 | HUDEC Jan | 1981 | CAN | 1:33.21 | 9.87 |
| 14 | 7 | 191591 | BERTRAND Yannick | 1980 | FRA | 1:33.31 | 11.02 |
| 15 | 29 | 191740 | CLAREY Johan | 1981 | FRA | 1:33.37 | 11.71 |
| 16 | 18 | 50742 | REICHELT Hannes | 1980 | AUT | 1:33.40 | 12.05 |
| 17 | 12 | 293006 | INNERHOFER Christof | 1984 | ITA | 1:33.52 | 13.43 |
| 18 | 57 | 560447 | SPORN Andrej | 1981 | SLO | 1:33.60 | 14.35 |
| 19 | 43 | 193034 | BOUILLOT Alexandre | 1985 | FRA | 1:33.93 | 18.14 |
| 20 | 23 | 501076 | OLSSON Hans | 1984 | SWE | 1:33.94 | 18.25 |
| 21 | 17 | 192746 | THEAUX Adrien | 1984 | FRA | 1:33.99 | 18.82 |
| 22 | 35 | 51332 | SCHEIBER Florian | 1987 | AUT | 1:34.04 | 19.40 |
| 23 | 2 | 292514 | HEEL Werner | 1982 | ITA | 1:34.07 | 19.74 |
| 24 | 30 | 510727 | DEFAGO Didier | 1977 | SUI | 1:34.10 | 20.09 |
| 25 | 47 | 561067 | PERKO Rok | 1985 | SLO | 1:34.12 | 20.32 |
| 26 | 62 | 291459 | PARIS Dominik | 1989 | ITA | 1:34.13 | 20.43 |
| 27 | 49 | 53968 | BERTHOLD Frederic | 1991 | AUT | 1:34.16 | 20.78 |
| 28 | 28 | 530939 | WEIBRECHT Andrew | 1986 | USA | 1:34.18 | 21.00 |
| 29 | 37 | 191746 | DE TESSIERES Gauthier | 1981 | FRA | 1:34.21 | 21.35 |
| 29 | 6 | 292455 | FILL Peter | 1982 | ITA | 1:34.21 | 21.35 |
| 31 | 8 | 51215 | BAUMANN Romed | 1986 | AUT | 1:34.25 | 21.81 |
| 32 | 40 | 561216 | KLINE Bostjan | 1991 | SLO | 1:34.28 | 22.15 |
| 33 | 24 | 201606 | KEPPLER Stephan | 1983 | GER | 1:34.30 | 22.38 |
| 34 | 59 | 510767 | HOFFMANN Ambrosi | 1977 | SUI | 1:34.48 | 24.45 |
| 35 | 41 | 561087 | MARKIC Gasper | 1986 | SLO | 1:34.63 | 26.17 |
| 36 | 15 | 510890 | ZURBRIGGEN Silvan | 1981 | SUI | 1:34.66 | 26.51 |
| 37 | 61 | 511142 | LUEOEND Vitus | 1984 | SUI | 1:34.68 | 26.74 |
| 38 | 34 | 533131 | SULLIVAN Marco | 1980 | USA | 1:34.82 | 28.35 |
| 39 | 27 | 510747 | GRUENENFELDER Tobias | 1977 | SUI | 1:34.96 | 29.96 |
| 40 | 63 | 103271 | THOMSEN Benjamin | 1987 | CAN | 1:35.00 | 30.42 |
| 41 | 50 | 100558 | COOK Dustin | 1989 | CAN | 1:35.08 | 31.34 |
| 41 | 38 | 380292 | ZRNCIC-DIM Natko | 1986 | CRO | 1:35.08 | 31.34 |
| 41 | 3 | 531799 | FORD Tommy | 1989 | USA | 1:35.08 | 31.34 |
| 44 | 56 | 201811 | STECHERT Tobias | 1985 | GER | 1:35.09 | 31.45 |
| 45 | 32 | 192504 | MERMILLOD BLONDIN Thomas | 1984 | FRA | 1:35.10 | 31.56 |
| 46 | 45 | 500150 | JAERBYN Patrik | 1969 | SWE | 1:35.12 | 31.79 |
| 47 | 54 | 421650 | BJERKESTRAND Iver | 1987 | NOR | 1:35.19 | 32.60 |
| 48 | 39 | 531452 | BIESEMEYER Thomas | 1989 | USA | 1:35.22 | 32.94 |
| 49 | 52 | 290998 | STAUDACHER Patrick | 1980 | ITA | 1:35.24 | 33.17 |
| 50 | 44 | 511634 | SPESCHA Christian | 1989 | SUI | 1:35.30 | 33.86 |
| 51 | 65 | 501324 | OLSSON Matts | 1988 | SWE | 1:35.36 | 34.55 |
| 52 | 42 | 200379 | SANDER Andreas | 1989 | GER | 1:35.70 | 38.45 |
| 53 | 51 | 202059 | FERSTL Josef | 1988 | GER | 1:35.74 | 38.91 |
| 54 | 53 | 501230 | ERICSSON Daniel | 1987 | SWE | 1:37.06 | 54.06 |
| 55 | 69 | 550022 | RODE Roberts | 1987 | LAT | 1:41.67 | 106.98 |
| Did not start 1st run | |||||||
| 67 | 660021 | DANILOCHKIN Yuri | 1991 | BLR | |||
| Did not finish 1st run | |||||||
| 68 | 170131 | FAARUP Christoffer | 1992 | DAN | |||
| 66 | 400281 | HEEK, VAN Marvin | 1991 | NED | |||
| 64 | 191964 | POISSON David | 1982 | FRA | |||
| 60 | 561199 | SOVIC Tomaz | 1990 | SLO | |||
| 58 | 294277 | KLOTZ Siegmar | 1987 | ITA | |||
| 55 | 534939 | FISHER Erik | 1985 | USA | |||
| 48 | 530874 | GANONG Travis | 1988 | USA | |||
| 46 | 103090 | HELIE Louis-Pierre | 1986 | CAN | |||
| 36 | 103512 | FRISCH Jeffrey | 1984 | CAN | |||
| 33 | 51401 | GRAF Bernhard | 1988 | AUT | |||
| 31 | 102961 | DIXON Robbie | 1985 | CAN | |||
| 19 | 50625 | RAICH Benjamin | 1978 | AUT | |||
| 1 | 293550 | MARSAGLIA Matteo | 1985 | ITA | |||
About the Author: Hank McKee
