Herbst wins Alta Badia slalom, Cochran ninth

Reinfret Herbst gained his seventh career World Cup slalom win on Italy’s premier GS hill in Alta Badia Monday (Dec. 21) with a tough come from behind second run effort.

The Austrians, shut off the podium in Sunday’s GS, nabbed two of the three spots with  first run leader Manfred Pranger holding on for third while Swiss Silvan Zurbriggen squeezed between for claim the second place finish.

The Italians were poised to strike but couldn’t quite power past first run time deficits that all approached or exceeded a full second. Despite pushing three skiers into the top eight and four in the first 11, the best the hosts could muster was Manfred Moelgg in fourth.

Canadian Michael Janyk got his best result since 2007 in fifth place and the Americans got a nice effort from Jimmy Cochran in ninth, one of five top 10 finishes for his World Cup career. Ted Ligety ran into difficulty in the first run and failed to qualify and Bode Miller sat out the race as his ankle swelled after exertion in Sunday’s GS and he couldn’t get into his slalom boot.

For Cochran the placing was “awesome. I felt really comfortable and confident. I’ll take it, a top 10, that’s really good for me.”

He said the second course was tighter and more rhythmical than the first which helped. “It suited me a little more,” and, he said, he was able to take a little more risk.

“I feel like I can build and that I have a little more speed in me,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to Zagreb and Adelboden (the next slaloms).”

The son of Bob Cochran who won races as part of the Cochran family that powered the U.S. Ski Teams when the World Cup was formed, he said “My Dad’s probably not holding his breath,” until he gets on a Cup podium. “It’s a crazy sport and just to be in the same conversation with my Dad and his sisters is, to me, big because they were my heroes growing up. … and still are.”

“He did a fantastic job,” said head U.S. Men’s Coach Sasha Rearick, “and, well, Merry Christmas.”

It was also a fine warm up for the holidays for the Canadian group as a whole. Not only was
Janyk fifth, but he was joined by three teammates in scoring positions.
Brad Spence was a career best 12th, Julien Cousineau was 17th, his
second best result in six years and Patrick Biggs was 21st.

“This
is my third best World Cup result so it feels that I am exactly where I
should be,” said Janyk. He said in his two better results “I felt a
little bit like I was skiing beyond myself, but this time is different.”

It was the second slalom win in two races for Herbst putting him in firm control of the slalom standings, 98 points in front of Zurbriggen.

“The course was very tough and this hard snow – ice. … so fighting was important,” Herbst said, adding he had battled “the whole run,” for the win. Having another Austrian join him on the podium would “make for a nice break for Christmas.”

After the first run Austrians held the top three positions but Benjamin Raich misfired while working his way down the final stretch and exited the course. Herbst, it seemed, actually got ahead of the course for a moment, then settled himself down and snuck ahead of Zurbriggen.

Herbst photo by GEPA

The SCOOP
By Hank McKee

Equipment
Men’s slalom Alta Badia, Italy, Dec. 21, 2009
Skier, skis/boots/bindings
1 Herbst, Blizzard/Tecnica/Marker
2 Zurbriggen, Rossignol/Lange/Rossignol
3 Pranger, Volkl, Tecnica, Marker
4 Moelgg, Fischer, Fischer, Fischer
5 Janyk, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
6 Razzoli, Nordica/Nordica/Nordica
7 Lizeroux, Dynastar/Lange/Look
8 Rocca, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon
9 Cochran, Volkl/Tecnica/Marker
10 Baeck, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol

Men’s Slalom, Alta Badia, Italy, Dec. 21, 2009. … It is the 14th race of the men’s 35 race 2009-2010 World Cup schedule. … The second of nine scheduled slaloms. … There are six men’s slaloms in January. … It is the 29th Cup race hosted at Alta Badia, all of them held in December. … It is just the fourth slalom, the remaining races having been GS’s. … first being held Alta Badia slalom was held Dec. 18, 2006. … Last season’s race was won by Ivica Kostelic who will not compete while rehabbing a knee injury. … 2007’s race was won by Jean-Baptiste Grange who is also treating an injury.

It is the seventh career World Cup win for Reinfried Herbst. … all in slalom. … It is his second win this season. … It was the first win at Alta Badia for an Austrian since 1997 when
Christian Mayer won the GS. … And just the fourth Austrian win ever
on the hill.

It is the sixth career World cup podium for Silvan Zurbriggen. … his second in slalom with the others all coming in combined.

It is the third career World Cup podium for Manfred Pranger. … all in slalom.

It is the fourth best career result for Michael Janyk. … and his best since 2007. … It is the fourth best career result for Jimmy Cochran. … His best since January 2008. … He was one placing better at Alta Badia in the 2007 slalom. … It is a career best World Cup result for Brad Spence, his best previous a 13th at Kranjska Gora  last March. … It is the fifth best career result for Julian Cousineau. … His only better result since 2004 coming last season at Wengen. … The result matches the seventh best of Patrick Biggs career.  … The Canadians last put four men in scoring slots in a World Cup slalom in 2006.

Benjamin (DNF in race) leads the overall World Cup standings 565-553 over Carlo Janka (DNF in race). … Aksel Lund Svindal (22nd in race) is third with 443pts. … Ted Ligety (DNQ in race) is the top American in sixth at 317pts. … Manuel Osborne-Paradis (did not race) leads all Canadians overall in 9th place and 242pts. …  Herbst leads the slalom standings 200-102 over Zurbriggen with Pranger third at 98. … Janyk leads all North Americans in seventh with 63pts. … Cochran is the top American in 13th with 41pts.