Garmisch: Second run takes Moelgg over the top
After officials canceled a men’s World Cup downhill yesterday in Garmisch, Germany due to fog, it was off to the races today with a slalom. Italians Manfred Moelgg and Giorgio Rocca finished one and two, followed by first-run leader and last year’s winner on the same hill, Austrian Reinfried Herbst in third.
The win was the first podium of the season for Moelgg, the defending World Cup slalom champion, and his second career World Cup victory. The 28-year-old’s first career win, also a slalom, came last March in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. He is now in fifth in the World Cup slalom standings.
After officials canceled a men’s World Cup downhill yesterday in Garmisch, Germany due to fog, it was off to the races today with a slalom. Italians Manfred Moelgg and Giorgio Rocca finished one and two, followed by first-run leader and last year’s winner on the same hill, Austrian Reinfried Herbst in third.
The win was the first podium of the season for Moelgg, the defending World Cup slalom champion, and his second career World Cup victory. The 26-year-old’s first career win, also a slalom, came last March in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. He is now in fifth in the World Cup slalom standings.
“I had been waiting for this for a long time now. Not that I had been bad this season but I needed a little bit of pace and to get accustomed to my new skis,” Moelgg told reporters.
On his second run Moelgg threw down the second fastest run of the day to overtake Rocca and Herbst. The result was Rocca’s first podium of the season, and the 22nd of the 33-year-old’s career. Moelgg told reporters he was happy to share the podium with his teammate, who has been in a bit of a slump since his remarkable 2006 success, when he won five slaloms in a row. Today’s podium is only his second since the record year.
Austrian Manfred Pranger and Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Grange tied for fourth. American Bode Miller finished sixth, while fellow American Ted Ligety finished 16th. Teammate Jimmy Cochran just made it in the points in 29th place. The only American slalom podium of the season thus far was a second-place finish for Miller in mid-November at Levi, Finland.
“The first course was very tactically challenging, I’m pleased with how the men skied the first run,” U.S. men’s alpine head coach Sasha Rearick said. “From a tactical point of view Jimmy and Ted did a good job.”
“It was fun to see the Italians do so well and for Rocca to be back on the podium after so long was exciting to see,” Rearick said. “Those guys have had their struggles this year so to see them overcome that was great.”
After seven slaloms Grange retains his lead in the slalom standings, and claims the second spot in the overall points race, only 36 points behind leader Ivica Kostelic of Croatia.
All eyes now turn to the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships next week in Val d’Isere, France. The two-week event kicks off Tuesday Feb. 3, with a women’s super G. The men get going with a super G of their own Feb. 4. Watch all the action of the World Champs live on UniversalSports.com.
Watch Moelgg’s winning run on our home page.
The SCOOP
By Hank McKee
Equipment
Men’s Slalom, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, Feb. 2, 2009
Skier, skis/boots/bindings
1 Moelgg, Rossignol/Lange/Rossignol
2 Rocca, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon
3 Herbst, Blizzard/Tecnica/Marker
4 Pranger, Volkl/Tecnica/Marker
4 Grange, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
6 Miller, Head/Head/Tyrolia
7 Lizeroux, Dynastar/Lange/Look
8 Razzoli, Nordica/Nordica/
9 Matt, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer
10 Hargin, Nordica/Nordica/
Men’s slalom, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, Feb. 1, 2009. … It is the 26th race of the men’s 38 race 2009 World Cup schedule. … It is the eighth of 11 scheduled slaloms and the fourth slalom of the last five men’s races held. … It is the men’s final race both at Garmisch this season and before the 2009 FIS World Ski Championships. … It is the 82nd Cup race held at Garmisch and the 18th slalom. … and the 13th for men.
It is the second World Cup career win for Manfred Moelgg, the previous also in slalom at Kranjska Gora, March 9, 2008. … It is his first podium of the season, though he was fourth twice, both in night slaloms and both in January – Zagreb Jan. 6 and Schladming Jan. 27. … He is the fourth Italian to win a men’s slalom at Garmisch. … Alberto Tomba won three times in the 1990’s and two others, Piero Gros and Fausto Ridici in 1975 and ’76 respectively.
It is the 22nd career World Cup podium for Giorgio Rocca. … But his first of the season. … He was fourth at Alta Badia. … Italian men have not gone one-two in a slalom since Alberto Tomba and Richard Pramotton turned the trick at Kranjska Gora Dec. 20, 1987.
It is the ninth career World Cup podium for Reinfried Herbst. … His fifth this season. … And fourth since Jan. 11.
It is the 24th career World Cup slalom top six for Bode Miller. … and second of the season. … Ted Ligety has scored in seven slaloms this season. … It is the third time since Jan. 18 Trevor White has made the first run cut and completed a second run both for this season and for his career. … It is the sixth slalom scoring result of the season for Michael Janyk. … Jimmy Cochran finishes his third slalom of the season. … But he does not score points.
Ivica Kostelic (24th in race) Maintains the lead of the men’s overall World Cup standings 742-706 from Jean-Baptiste Grange (fourth in race – tie). … Benjamin Raich (13th in race) is third at 680. … Bode Miller (sixth in race) is the top American on the overall list in eighth with 167pts. … Grange leads the slalom standings 479-408 over Kostelic…. Reinfreid Herbst is third with 376pts. … Miller, in 12th, is the top American at 167.
Rank | Bib | FIS Code | Name | Year | Nation | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total Time | FIS Points |
1 | 5 | 292491 | MOELGG Manfred | 1982 | ITA | 54.57 | 52.20 | 1:46.77 | 0.00 |
2 | 9 | 290478 | ROCCA Giorgio | 1975 | ITA | 54.60 | 52.46 | 1:47.06 | 1.63 |
3 | 2 | 50605 | HERBST Reinfried | 1978 | AUT | 54.49 | 52.88 | 1:47.37 | 3.37 |
4 | 3 | 50624 | PRANGER Manfred | 1978 | AUT | 54.61 | 52.99 | 1:47.60 | 4.66 |
4 | 1 | 192665 | GRANGE Jean-Baptiste | 1984 | FRA | 55.13 | 52.47 | 1:47.60 | 4.66 |
6 | 17 | 532431 | MILLER Bode | 1977 | USA | 55.15 | 52.48 | 1:47.63 | 4.83 |
7 | 7 | 191459 | LIZEROUX Julien | 1979 | FRA | 55.14 | 52.71 | 1:47.85 | 6.07 |
8 | 24 | 293098 | RAZZOLI Giuliano | 1984 | ITA | 55.93 | 52.14 | 1:48.07 | 7.31 |
9 | 13 | 50707 | MATT Mario | 1979 | AUT | 55.51 | 52.69 | 1:48.20 | 8.04 |
10 | 19 | 501111 | HARGIN Mattias | 1985 | SWE | 55.24 | 53.09 | 1:48.33 | 8.77 |
11 | 12 | 560425 | VAJDIC Bernard | 1980 | SLO | 56.05 | 52.92 | 1:48.97 | 12.36 |
12 | 28 | 192506 | MISSILLIER Steve | 1984 | FRA | 55.73 | 53.30 | 1:49.03 | 12.70 |
13 | 6 | 50625 | RAICH Benjamin | 1978 | AUT | 55.88 | 53.24 | 1:49.12 | 13.21 |
14 | 26 | 511127 | GINI Marc | 1984 | SUI | 56.39 | 52.75 | 1:49.14 | 13.32 |
15 | 25 | 560355 | VALENCIC Mitja | 1978 | SLO | 56.45 | 52.77 | 1:49.22 | 13.77 |
16 | 11 | 534562 | LIGETY Ted | 1984 | USA | 55.69 | 53.67 | 1:49.36 | 14.55 |
17 | 23 | 560371 | DRAGSIC Mitja | 1979 | SLO | 56.59 | 52.81 | 1:49.40 | 14.78 |
18 | 50 | 910000 | IMBODEN Urs | 1975 | MDA | 55.92 | 53.63 | 1:49.55 | 15.62 |
19 | 29 | 50931 | BECHTER Patrick | 1982 | AUT | 56.37 | 53.35 | 1:49.72 | 16.58 |
20 | 32 | 102922 | WHITE Trevor | 1984 | CAN | 56.84 | 53.08 | 1:49.92 | 17.70 |
21 | 54 | 180292 | LEINO Jukka | 1978 | FIN | 56.37 | 53.72 | 1:50.09 | 18.66 |
22 | 53 | 50997 | OMMINGER Andreas | 1983 | AUT | 56.71 | 53.39 | 1:50.10 | 18.71 |
23 | 33 | 421400 | MYHRE Lars Elton | 1984 | NOR | 56.61 | 53.55 | 1:50.16 | 19.05 |
24 | 4 | 380260 | KOSTELIC Ivica | 1979 | CRO | 56.74 | 53.50 | 1:50.24 | 19.50 |
25 | 62 | 293797 | GROSS Stefano | 1986 | ITA | 56.64 | 53.73 | 1:50.37 | 20.23 |
25 | 36 | 191640 | ANSELMET Alexandre | 1980 | FRA | 56.77 | 53.60 | 1:50.37 | 20.23 |
27 | 8 | 501017 | MYHRER Andre | 1983 | SWE | 56.10 | 54.51 | 1:50.61 | 21.58 |
28 | 22 | 102435 | JANYK Michael | 1982 | CAN | 56.50 | 55.46 | 1:51.96 | 29.17 |
29 | 35 | 534040 | COCHRAN Jimmy | 1981 | USA | 56.54 | 1:04.78 | 2:01.32 | 81.76 |
Did not finish 1st run :
BERNDT Ondrej (CZE), ABRAMASHVILI Iason (GEO), LINDH Calle (SWE), MINAGAWA Kentaro (JPN), OBERT Anthony (FRA), LAHDENPERAE Anton (SWE), JANSRUD Kjetil (NOR), MARSHALL Cody (USA), ANDERSSON Oscar (SWE), VILETTA Sandro (SUI), BIGGS Patrick (CAN), COUSINEAU Julien (CAN), JITLOFF Tim (USA), KOGLER Stefan (GER), SVINDAL Aksel Lund (NOR), HOERL Wolfgang (AUT), BYGGMARK Jens (SWE), THALER Patrick (ITA), BROLENIUS Johan (SWE), NEUREUTHER Felix (GER), HIRSCHER Marcel (AUT)
Did not finish 2nd run :
ZURBRIGGEN Silvan (SUI)
Disqualified 1st run :
HOROSHILOV Alexandr (RUS)
Did not qualify 1st run :
ALAERTS Kai (BEL), ZRNCIC-DIM Natko (CRO), FISCHER Daniel (GER), DOPFER Fritz (GER), PAQUIN Pierre (FRA), ALBRECHT Kilian (BUL), STUTZ Paul (CAN), KOLL Alexander (AUT), VOGEL Markus (SUI), MERMILLOD BLONDIN Thomas (FRA), YUASA Naoki (JPN), KRYZL Krystof (CZE), SASAKI Akira (JPN), TISSOT Stephane (FRA), GRANDI Thomas (CAN), DEVILLE Cristian (ITA)