Garmisch: Second run takes Moelgg over the top

By Published On: February 1st, 2009Comments Off on 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)


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