Svindal gets home win and SG title
Aksel Lund Svindal stepped up his already formidable game to record his first win on Norwegian snow by a half a second and ice his fourth – and second consecutive – World Cup super G title. With one race remaining on the Cup super G schedule he has yet to finish worse than second.
His run at Kvitfjell on Sunday (March 3) was more masterful than most, generating speed on a line that left no room for error. He took command of a race that had been dominated by the Austrians and Italians who filled the rest of the top 10. Svindal has had success at Kvitfjell with seven podiums over the last few seasons. Today he joined Kjetil Andre Aamodt, Lasse Kjus and Kjetil Jansrud as Norwegians who have won on the Olympiabakken course and matched Aamodt’s Norwegian Cup win mark at 21.
The Austrian team surged toward the top of the finish with an incredible six skiers among the top nine. Georg Streitberger added second place on the Kvitfjell track five seasons after he got his first career win here. Hannes Reichelt was fourth, Joachim Puchner fifth, Max Franz Seventh, Matthias Mayer eighth and Klaus Kroell ninth.
Italy filled out the remaining top 10 spots with Werner Heel on the podium in third, Matteo Marsaglia in sixth and Siegmar Klotz tenth.
Jan Hudec was top Canadian in 16th while Ted Ligety arrived in time to score a tie in 18th with US teammate Andrew Weibrecht.
Streitberger was happy with second saying losing by five tenths was less painful than losing by five hundredths. “There were a few little things that I would do better. I lost the bottom part easily and do not know exactly why.”
“It was a good day,” said Svindal. “I won today, more was not possible. It was a great race on a great track. Just before the finish I was a bit on the limit, but it is better to attack and make small mistakes than to be careful.”
Svindals sites can now be set on Marcel Hirscher and the overall World Cup title. He trails the Austrian tech whiz by 29pts, but the schedule favors the Austrian. “I’ll try anything,” Svindal said, “to build some pressure. No matter who gets the big ball, we both have had great seasons.”
Gepa photo
The SCOOP
by Hank McKee
Men’s World Cup super G, Kvitfjell, Norway, March 3, 2013.
Equipment
Skier, skis/boots/bindings
1 Svindal, Head/Head/Head
2 Streitberger, Head/Head/Head
3 Heel, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
4 Reichelt, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon
5 Puchner, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
6 Marsaglia, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol7 Franz, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
8 Mayer, Head/Head/Head
9 Kroell, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon
10 Klotz, Nordica/Nordica/Marker
Men’s World Cup super G, Kvitfjell, Norway, March 3, 2013. … It is the 30th race of the men’s 2013 World Cup season and the fifth of six scheduled super G’s. … Six races remain to be contested, four at finals in Lenzerheide and two at Kranjska Gora.
It is the 21st career World Cup win for Aksel Lund Svindal matching him with Kjetil Andre Aamodt for most all time by a Norwegian. … It is his tenth super G win moving him into a tie with Pirmin Zurbriggen for second all time among men. … It is his fifth Cup win of the season and fourth in five super Gs. … It is his first win at Kvitfjell and eighth podium.
It is the sixth career World Cup podium placing for Georg Streitberger, fifth in super G and second in super G at Kvitfjell. … It is his second podium of the season the other also a second place finish in downhill at Garmisch Feb. 23.
It is the ninth career World Cup podium placing for Werner Heel. … his fifth in super g. … It is his second podium at Kvitfjell. … and his second of the season. … He has seven top ten finishes on the 2013 Cup season.
It is the fourth time this season Jan Hudec has scored in two races at the same site. … It is the tenth best career super G Cup score for Ted Ligety. … It is the best result of the season for Andrew Weibrecht.
Marcel Hirscher (did not race) maintains the lead of the World Cup overall standings 1215-1186 over Aksel Lund Svindal. … Ted Ligety is third with 809pts. … Erik Guay is top Canadian 18th with 378pts. … Svindal leads the super G standings 480-249 over Matteo Marsaglia (sixth in race) and cannot be overtaken for the title. … Matthias Mayer (eighth in race) is third with 228pts. … Ligety is top American in seventh with 159pts. … Guay top Canadian in 11th with 111pts. … Austria leads the men’s Nations Cup 5234-3528 over Italy. … France is third with 2802pts. … The US is sixth at 1435 and Canada eighth with 880pts.
Kvitfjell (NOR)
FIS World Cup
Men’s Super G
March 3, 2013
| Rank | Bib | FIS Code | Name | Year | Nation | Total Time | FIS Points |
| 1 | 22 | 421328 | SVINDAL Aksel Lund | 1982 | NOR | 1:29.79 | 0.00 |
| 2 | 13 | 50858 | STREITBERGER Georg | 1981 | AUT | 1:30.31 | 6.08 |
| 3 | 11 | 292514 | HEEL Werner | 1982 | ITA | 1:30.36 | 6.67 |
| 4 | 18 | 50742 | REICHELT Hannes | 1980 | AUT | 1:30.48 | 8.07 |
| 5 | 15 | 51327 | PUCHNER Joachim | 1987 | AUT | 1:30.68 | 10.41 |
| 6 | 19 | 293550 | MARSAGLIA Matteo | 1985 | ITA | 1:30.92 | 13.21 |
| 7 | 6 | 53817 | FRANZ Max | 1989 | AUT | 1:30.95 | 13.56 |
| 8 | 17 | 53902 | MAYER Matthias | 1990 | AUT | 1:31.07 | 14.97 |
| 9 | 10 | 50753 | KROELL Klaus | 1980 | AUT | 1:31.20 | 16.49 |
| 10 | 24 | 294277 | KLOTZ Siegmar | 1987 | ITA | 1:31.24 | 16.96 |
| 11 | 16 | 192746 | THEAUX Adrien | 1984 | FRA | 1:31.29 | 17.54 |
| 12 | 32 | 291459 | PARIS Dominik | 1989 | ITA | 1:31.33 | 18.01 |
| 13 | 5 | 51215 | BAUMANN Romed | 1986 | AUT | 1:31.39 | 18.71 |
| 14 | 7 | 510727 | DEFAGO Didier | 1977 | SUI | 1:31.50 | 20.00 |
| 15 | 4 | 511313 | JANKA Carlo | 1986 | SUI | 1:31.55 | 20.58 |
| 16 | 14 | 102271 | HUDEC Jan | 1981 | CAN | 1:31.57 | 20.82 |
| 17 | 42 | 421650 | BJERKESTRAND Iver | 1987 | NOR | 1:31.66 | 21.87 |
| 18 | 20 | 534562 | LIGETY Ted | 1984 | USA | 1:31.68 | 22.10 |
| 18 | 2 | 530939 | WEIBRECHT Andrew | 1986 | USA | 1:31.68 | 22.10 |
| 20 | 1 | 511352 | VILETTA Sandro | 1986 | SUI | 1:31.73 | 22.69 |
| 21 | 12 | 191746 | DE TESSIERES Gauthier | 1981 | FRA | 1:31.80 | 23.50 |
| 22 | 28 | 511139 | KUENG Patrick | 1984 | SUI | 1:31.90 | 24.67 |
| 23 | 43 | 560447 | SPORN Andrej | 1981 | SLO | 1:31.91 | 24.79 |
| 24 | 25 | 51332 | SCHEIBER Florian | 1987 | AUT | 1:31.94 | 25.14 |
| 25 | 37 | 561216 | KLINE Bostjan | 1991 | SLO | 1:31.98 | 25.61 |
| 26 | 38 | 201606 | KEPPLER Stephan | 1983 | GER | 1:31.99 | 25.73 |
| 27 | 45 | 191964 | POISSON David | 1982 | FRA | 1:32.01 | 25.96 |
| 28 | 44 | 561067 | PERKO Rok | 1985 | SLO | 1:32.05 | 26.43 |
| 29 | 31 | 380260 | KOSTELIC Ivica | 1979 | CRO | 1:32.07 | 26.66 |
| 30 | 26 | 192504 | MERMILLOD BLONDIN Thomas | 1984 | FRA | 1:32.12 | 27.25 |
| 31 | 35 | 103512 | FRISCH Jeffrey | 1984 | CAN | 1:32.16 | 27.71 |
| 32 | 36 | 54005 | STRIEDINGER Otmar | 1991 | AUT | 1:32.19 | 28.07 |
| 33 | 34 | 202059 | FERSTL Josef | 1988 | GER | 1:32.40 | 30.52 |
| 34 | 56 | 501439 | HEDIN Douglas | 1990 | SWE | 1:32.41 | 30.64 |
| 35 | 58 | 533866 | NYMAN Steven | 1982 | USA | 1:32.43 | 30.87 |
| 36 | 30 | 191591 | BERTRAND Yannick | 1980 | FRA | 1:32.52 | 31.92 |
| 37 | 57 | 530874 | GANONG Travis | 1988 | USA | 1:32.68 | 33.80 |
| 38 | 41 | 103271 | THOMSEN Benjamin | 1987 | CAN | 1:32.86 | 35.90 |
| 39 | 47 | 561217 | KOSI Klemen | 1991 | SLO | 1:32.94 | 36.84 |
| 40 | 3 | 510890 | ZURBRIGGEN Silvan | 1981 | SUI | 1:32.95 | 36.95 |
| 41 | 39 | 193034 | BOUILLOT Alexandre | 1985 | FRA | 1:32.99 | 37.42 |
| 42 | 23 | 531452 | BIESEMEYER Thomas | 1989 | USA | 1:33.02 | 37.77 |
| 43 | 48 | 501230 | ERICSSON Daniel | 1987 | SWE | 1:33.03 | 37.89 |
| 44 | 55 | 930024 | MAPLE Wiley | 1990 | USA | 1:33.21 | 39.99 |
| 45 | 29 | 102873 | KUCERA John | 1984 | CAN | 1:33.23 | 40.23 |
| 46 | 52 | 511981 | WEBER Ralph | 1993 | SUI | 1:33.38 | 41.98 |
| 47 | 40 | 934518 | DANIELS Nick | 1991 | USA | 1:33.39 | 42.10 |
| 48 | 33 | 934643 | GOLDBERG Jared | 1991 | USA | 1:33.47 | 43.03 |
| 49 | 50 | 511808 | SCHMED Fernando | 1991 | SUI | 1:33.66 | 45.26 |
| 50 | 59 | 501324 | OLSSON Matts | 1988 | SWE | 1:33.86 | 47.59 |
| 51 | 62 | 380341 | ULLRICH Max | 1994 | CRO | 1:36.87 | 82.79 |
| Did not start 1st run | |||||||
| 61 | 180534 | SANDELL Marcus | 1987 | FIN | |||
| Did not finish 1st run | |||||||
| 60 | 400281 | VAN HEEK Marvin | 1991 | NED | |||
| 54 | 194190 | ROGER Brice | 1990 | FRA | |||
| 53 | 533131 | SULLIVAN Marco | 1980 | USA | |||
| 51 | 102899 | OSBORNE-PARADIS Manuel | 1984 | CAN | |||
| 49 | 53968 | BERTHOLD Frederic | 1991 | AUT | |||
| 46 | 293141 | VARETTONI Silvano | 1984 | ITA | |||
| 27 | 180570 | ROMAR Andreas | 1989 | FIN | |||
| 21 | 293006 | INNERHOFER Christof | 1984 | ITA | |||
| 9 | 292455 | FILL Peter | 1982 | ITA | |||
| 8 | 102263 | GUAY Erik | 1981 | CAN | |||
About the Author: Hank McKee
