Kostelic wins Wengen slalom, Ligety, Janyk top 10

Ivica Kostelic got his first win of the season weeks after knee surgery claiming the Lauberhorn slalom title at Wengen, Switzerland Sunday (Jan. 17).  After winning the first run the Croatian calmly mastered the second run and overtook Swede Andre Myhrer to claim the premier slalom race the Swiss host for the second time, having won Wengen eight years ago. Slalom standings leader Reinfried Herbst was third.

North Americans claimed critical scoring positions as skiers eye earning Olympic starting slots on national squads limited to four. Ted Ligety was eighth using two strong runs but finishing more than a second off the pace of Kostelic and behind skiers willing to take more risk.

Canadian Michael Janyk won the second run to continue what is developing into his best career season with a top 10 result.

Jimmy Cochran, also on a career best seasonal path, was 12th, Julian Cousineau 14th and Brad Spence 19th. Trevor White, tenth in the first run was disqualified in the second.

The battle for the World Cup overall title tightened up with fourth finishing Benjamin Raich of Austria making up ground on Carlo Janka who skipped the race. Kostelic jumped into the top 10 overall just behind Ligety.

“I was nervous,” Kostelic told reporters,” because I have never lost a race I was leading.”

Anxious to keep that streak alive, he said he was concentrated on victory from the start. Although he has won the Wengen slalom before, it was back in 2002 and, he said, the times have changed.

“It’s always getting faster,” he said. “The slalom field is much stronger today than it was then. Today we have many more contenders for victory than we had.”

The slalom hill at Wengen, Maennlichen/Jungfrau, has seen many contenders come and go, and it is a favorite of many World Cup racers. “In my mind it’s the coolest slalom hill on the Cup tour,” said Ligety. “The farm house (barn actually) in the middle of the course and it has a lot of terrain, with a lot of flow to the terrain. It has a lot of personality to it.”

Ligety said he was as impressed as anyone with Kostelic particularly as the Croate had had knee surgery just five weeks previous. “It is amazing how quickly he recovers,” said Ligety, who knows something about recovery himself having had surgery himself at the end of last season.

“I felt I had a good weekend,” Ligety said. “I’ve been struggling to get to the bottom in slalom so I felt this was a major step iin the right direction. Eighth place is not my goal for every race, but it was definitely a good stepping stone.”

With more slaloms on the immediate horizon his progress might be timed pretty well. “This is a crazy month,” he said. “Here, then Kitzbuehel, Schladming and then Kranjska Gora. I feel mentally in a good position. My skiing is where it needs to be.”

Coach Sasha Rearick agreed, saying “Ted is not focused on the result. He’s focused on what he needs to do to get better tomorrow and the next day.”

Ligety will definitely make the U.S Olympic team, others are battling within the U.S. squad to get there and time is running short. “Next week is a big one,” said Rearick. It’s the last chance to qualify in downhill super G and slalom.” And combined.

Jaynk is in the midst of a career best season and while he said he was happy with his race, at least with the second run, which he won.

“My first run didn’t got well,” he said, “my legs felt tired and I didn’t give everything I could. I made a few mistakes and it cost me a lot of time. I’m really happy about my second run and I won it, so I know I have what it takes to win.”

While some sections of the course made Cochran feel “like I could be the fastest guy,” other sections kept him a bit off balance. “It’s so varied from section to section,” Cochran said of the Wengen hill. “But I felt solid.”

Cousineau has long been a big fan of Wengen’s slalom. Three of his top four World Cup results have come at Wengen and having the event on his 29th birthday just made it all the more special.

“It’s my favorite track,” he said. “It’s a very special place and it really brings us back to the origins of skiing with the train that brings you to the top of the mountain. You don’t see that too often anymore.”

photos of Kostelic, Ligety and Cousineau by GEPA

The SCOOP
By Hank McKee
Equipment

Men’s slalom, Wengen, Switzerland, Jan. 17, 2010
Skier, skis/boots/bindings
1 Kostelic, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer
2 Myhrer, Nordica/Nordica/
3 Herbst, Blizzard/Tecnica/Marker
4 Raich, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
5 Lizeroux, Dynastar/Lange/Look
6 Zurbriggen, Rossignol/Lange/Rossignol
7 Hirscher, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
8 Ligety, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
9 Pranger, Volkl/Tecnica/Marker
10 Janyk, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol

Men’s slalom, Wengen, Switzerland, Jan. 17, 2010. … The final race of the 80th Lauberhorn. … It is the 20th race of the men’s 35 race 2010 World Cup scheduled. … It is the fifth of nine scheduled slaloms. … the third of six scheduled in January. … It is the 89th World Cup race held (at least in part) at Wengen and the 30th slalom.

It is the tenth career World Cup victory for Ivica Kostelic. … His ninth in slalom. … It is his second career slalom win at Wengen, the first coming in 2002. … It is his first win and third podium of the season. … All of them coming in slalom.

It is the fourth career World Cup podium for Andre Myhrer and his first since December of 2006 when he scored his only win, in slalom, at Beaver Creek. … It is his second score of the season following an 11th place result at Levi Nov. 15.

It is the 12th career World Cup podium for Reinfreid Herbst, all in slalom. … It is his second at Wengen. … It is his third podium and fourth result of the season. … He won two slaloms before the end of December (Levi and Alta Badia).

It is the 57th time Ted Ligety has been in the top 10 of a World Cup race. … 46th time in the top eight. … The 19th time in the top 10 of a World Cup slalom. … He matches his seventh best result of the season but scores his best slalom result of the season. … It is his second best result of the weekend having placed fifth in Wengen’s combined on Friday. … It is the 18th career Cup top 10 for Michael Janyk, all of them coming in slalom. … It is his second best of four scoring results this season. … Jimmy Cochran matches his sixth best career score and it is the third best of four scoring results this season. … It is the fifth best career result for Julien Cousineau, and his fourth best career mark at Wengen where he made the top 10 in 2003, 2004 and last season. … It is his best of four scoring results this season. … It is the third best of four career Cup scoring results for Brad Spence and the second best of three this season all in slalom.

Carlo Janka (did not race) maintains the lead of the World Cup overall standings 757-739 over Benjamin Raich (4th in race). … Didier Cuche (did not race) holds third at 526. … Ligety is the top American in seventh with 394pts and Manuel Osborne-Paradis (did not race) tenth with 348pts to lead the Canadians. … Herbst leads the slalom standings 305-286 over Julian Lizeroux (5th in race). … Kostelic moves to third with 240pts. … Janyk sits tenth with 129pts and Cochran 18th for the U.S. with 69pts. … Austria leads the men’s Nat
ions Cup 2950-2722 over the Swiss with Italy third at 1905. … The U.S. is fifth at 1072 and Canada sixth at 1050.