Svindal overpowers field for another win
As if to make his point, Aksel Lund Svindal went back-to-back Saturday on the Birds of Prey course at Beaver Creek that cost him all of last season. Svindal followed up his downhill win of Friday with an equally impressive super G run, holding off the all-time super G winner Hermann Maier by nearly a half second, (.45).
Austria made up some lost prestige from the downhill with two on the super G podium as Michael Walchhofer notched third.
As usual, this magnificent course played a major role. With a relatively tight set off the steep pitch on the top of the 8,606 meter (9411 yards) course, the course opened up enough that Svindal’s winning time was nearly six seconds faster than a season ago and three seconds faster than the World Cup record from 1997.
As if to make his point, Aksel Lund Svindal went back-to-back Saturday on the Birds of Prey course at Beaver Creek that cost him all of last season. Svindal followed up his downhill win of Friday with an equally impressive super G run, holding off the all-time super G winner Hermann Maier by nearly a half second, (.45).
Austria made up some lost prestige from the downhill with two on the super G podium as Michael Walchhofer notched third.
As usual, this magnificent course played a major role. With a relatively tight set off the steep pitch on the top of the 8,606 meter (9411 yards) course, the course opened up enough that Svindal’s winning time was nearly six seconds faster than a season ago and three seconds faster than the World Cup record from 1997.
The trick was figuring out where to be aggressive and where to be patient.
“The key up top is to be aggressive,” says Svindal. “It’s turny and there¹s a lot of terrain. It’s pretty steep, so you want to ski aggressively.” He said the midsection was, “A little more tactical I think.”
Be it the speed, the slickness of the wet snow, the course set or all of the above, the Birds of Prey claimed plenty of competitors, and created some amazing recoveries.
Bode Miller got off line and touched to a hip high on the course, sliding some long meters down the course before somehow regaining his feet and completing the course. Any hope of gaining his first super G win here was dashed, but gaining points after an error of that magnitude is phenomenal in itself.
“I got caught and on this snow you can’t really make up a whole lot,” Miller says. “When you make a mistake, it usually takes you out.”
Several other skiers also found themselves way off the optimal line. Canadian John Kucera held the lead right through to the final pitch, then got swept wide and dropped like a stone down the result sheet ending up sixth. Didier Cuche got pushed low and could not finish his run.
While Svindal’s run was far and away the best of the day, American Ted Ligety, starting 32nd, put down an excellent run to finish in a seventh place tie with Benjamin Raich.
“I had some sketchy air,” Ligety laughed. “I’m sure my parents were a little nervous watching than. I made it to the finish in one piece, so that was good.”
Italian Christoph Innerhofer overcame more than the course for his remarkable fourth place finish. He was sick to his stomach just before his start. He has been sick most the week and only managed to eat a small quanity of rice last night. “Yesterday I was so tired, so today I’m a little bit better in the legs, but I feel really bad in the stomach.”
“The top was much easier last year. Not so much turns,” he says.
It was certainly Svindal’s day, though, and the irony was not lost on him, or on Maier.
“The last time I was second here,” says Maier, “it was another Norwegian to beat me.” That was Lasse Kjus during the 1999 World Championship super G, but actually the two tied for the only gold medal tie in World Championship history.
The U.S. put six guys into the top 30 for scoring positions, which is likely a record. Ligety in seventh, Miller in 14th, Marco Sullivan in 22nd, Scott Macartney 24th, Steven Nyman 25th and TJ Lanning in 26th.
Macartney started 46th and Lanning 52nd making the trip into Cup points all the more difficult.
“I¹m pretty psyched about it,” says Macartney. “not many guys were able to come back from the 40¹s and really score. So I wanted to move up and for confidence, just being in the top 30 is really necessary. it¹s good to score some points.”
The Scoop
Equipment
Men’s super G, Beaver Creek, Colo., Dec. 6, 2008
1 Svindal, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
2 Maier, Head/Head/Head
3 Walchhofer, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
4 Innerhofer, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
6 Kucera, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
7 Ligety, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
9 Gorza, Fischer/Lange/
10 Reichelt, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer
Men’s super G, Beaver Creek, Colo., Dec. 6, 2008. … It is the sixth race of the men’s 38 race 2008-09 World Cup schedule. … the second of six scheduled super G’s. … It is the 35th World Cup held at Beaver Creek. … the tenth super G, all of them men’s. … The last two super G’s at Beaver Creek coming into the race had been won by Austrian Hannes Reichelt. … It is the second of four races scheduled at Beaver Creek this season to be held, with the combined having been moved to Val d’Isere Dec. 12.
It is the 11th career World Cup win for Aksel Svindal, and second in two days. … It is his fourth super G win. … It is his third win at Beaver Creek, including a combined win Nov. 30, 2006 and the DH win yesterday.
It is the 96th career World Cup podium for Hermann Maier. … His 38th in super G. … It is his tenth Cup podium at Beaver Creek. … He also won two World Championships at Beaver Creek in 1999. … It is his second podium of the season, both in super G.
It is the 35th career Cup podium for Michael Walchhofer, just his fifth in super G. … It is this fourth podium at Beaver Creek.
Sixth matches John Kucera’s eighth best career Cup result, and also matches his best result ever at Beaver Creek, in the 2007 GS. … It is his second result of the season, both in super G. … It is a career best super G result for Ted Ligety. … His previous best had been 23rd also at Beaver Creek but a year ago. … It is his second best result of the season having placed third in the October GS at Soelden. … It is the third best career result for Erik Guay at Beaver Creek, and his second best super G finish at the site. … It is the third best career SG result at Beaver Creek for Bode Miller. … It is the sixth best career SG result for Marco Sullivan. … His second best of three results this season. … Scott Macartney matches his 20th best World Cup result. … His sixth best in SG, but it is a career best result at Beaver Creek in SG. … It is Steven Nyman’s 10th career SG scoring result. … It is the seventh career Cup scoring result for TJ Lanning, and his third of the current season.
Svindal strengthens his overall standings lead to 285-216 over Maier. … Daniel Albrecht (DNF) holds third at 185 while Walchhofer climbs to fourth at 175. … Erik Guay is the top North American in eighth with 142 and Bode Miller the U.S. skier in ninth at 139. … Maier maintains the red bib for leading the super G standings 180-129 over Svindal. … Kucera is third at 120 and Walchhofer fourth at 110.
| Rank | Bib | FIS Code | Name | Year | Nation | Total Time | FIS Points |
| 1 | 16 | 421328 | SVINDAL Aksel Lund | 1982 | NOR | 1:13.05 | 0.00 |
| 2 | 19 | 50423 | MAIER Hermann | 1972 | AUT | 1:13.50 | 6.53 |
| 3 | 12 | 50041 | WALCHHOFER Michael | 1975 | AUT | 1:13.63 | 8.42 |
| 4 | 5 | 293006 | INNERHOFER Christof | 1984 | ITA | 1:13.74 | 10.01 |
| 5 | 22 | 510727 | DEFAGO Didier | 1977 | SUI | 1:13.76 | 10.30 |
| 6 | 14 | 102873 | KUCERA John | 1984 | CAN | 1:13.80 | 10.88 |
| 7 | 32 | 534562 | LIGETY Ted | 1984 | USA | 1:13.90 | 12.33 |
| 7 | 20 | 50625 | RAICH Benjamin | 1978 | AUT | 1:13.90 | 12.33 |
| 9 | 8 | 560406 | GORZA Ales | 1980 | SLO | 1:13.97 | 13.35 |
| 10 | 18 | 50742 | REICHELT Hannes | 1980 | AUT | 1:13.98 | 13.49 |
| 11 | 11 | 50858 | STREITBERGER Georg | 1981 | AUT | 1:14.01 | 13.93 |
| 12 | 3 | 292455 | FILL Peter | 1982 | ITA | 1:14.04 | 14.37 |
| 13 | 17 | 102263 | GUAY Erik | 1981 | CAN | 1:14.09 | 15.09 |
| 14 | 9 | 532431 | MILLER Bode | 1977 | USA | 1:14.29 | 17.99 |
| 15 | 28 | 380260 | KOSTELIC Ivica | 1979 | CRO | 1:14.33 | 18.57 |
| 16 | 15 | 50451 | GRUBER Christoph | 1976 | AUT | 1:14.38 | 19.30 |
| 16 | 1 | 510747 | GRUENENFELDER Tobias | 1977 | SUI | 1:14.38 | 19.30 |
| 18 | 58 | 510997 | BERTHOD Marc | 1983 | SUI | 1:14.41 | 19.73 |
| 19 | 59 | 421483 | JANSRUD Kjetil | 1985 | NOR | 1:14.46 | 20.46 |
| 20 | 10 | 350032 | BUECHEL Marco | 1971 | LIE | 1:14.49 | 20.90 |
| 21 | 41 | 201542 | STRODL Peter | 1982 | GER | 1:14.61 | 22.64 |
| 22 | 2 | 533131 | SULLIVAN Marco | 1980 | USA | 1:14.65 | 23.22 |
| 23 | 27 | 510767 | HOFFMANN Ambrosi | 1977 | SUI | 1:14.67 | 23.51 |
| 24 | 46 | 532490 | MACARTNEY Scott | 1978 | USA | 1:14.69 | 23.80 |
| 25 | 29 | 533866 | NYMAN Steven | 1982 | USA | 1:14.78 | 25.10 |
| 26 | 52 | 534567 | LANNING T.J. | 1984 | USA | 1:14.85 | 26.12 |
| 27 | 50 | 192746 | THEAUX Adrien | 1984 | FRA | 1:14.86 | 26.26 |
| 27 | 38 | 510307 | BRAND Olivier | 1980 | SUI | 1:14.86 | 26.26 |
| 29 | 35 | 560447 | SPORN Andrej | 1981 | SLO | 1:14.91 | 26.99 |
| 30 | 54 | 201606 | KEPPLER Stephan | 1983 | GER | 1:14.92 | 27.13 |
| 31 | 24 | 292514 | HEEL Werner | 1982 | ITA | 1:14.95 | 27.57 |
| 32 | 45 | 421400 | MYHRE Lars Elton | 1984 | NOR | 1:14.98 | 28.01 |
| 33 | 37 | 561067 | PERKO Rok | 1985 | SLO | 1:15.05 | 29.02 |
| 34 | 4 | 50600 | GOERGL Stephan | 1978 | AUT | 1:15.13 | 30.18 |
| 35 | 44 | 530939 | WEIBRECHT Andrew | 1986 | USA | 1:15.15 | 30.47 |
| 35 | 7 | 500150 | JAERBYN Patrik | 1969 | SWE | 1:15.15 | 30.47 |
| 37 | 36 | 292831 | PIERUZ Aronne | 1983 | ITA | 1:15.19 | 31.05 |
| 38 | 47 | 50753 | KROELL Klaus | 1980 | AUT | 1:15.21 | 31.34 |
| 38 | 43 | 533842 | FRANCIS Kevin | 1982 | USA | 1:15.21 | 31.34 |
| 40 | 57 | 380292 | ZRNCIC-DIM Natko | 1986 | CRO | 1:15.42 | 34.39 |
| 41 | 40 | 191116 | DALCIN Pierre-Emmanuel | 1977 | FRA | 1:15.50 | 35.55 |
| 42 | 39 | 292291 | THANEI Stefan | 1981 | ITA | 1:15.57 | 36.57 |
| 43 | 49 | 191746 | DE TESSIERES Gauthier | 1981 | FRA | 1:15.63 | 37.44 |
| 44 | 48 | 511313 | JANKA Carlo | 1986 | SUI | 1:15.97 | 42.37 |
| 45 | 61 | 430429 | BYDLINSKI Maciej | 1988 | POL | 1:17.39 | 62.98 |
| 46 | 60 | 700724 | BABUSIAK Jaroslav | 1984 | SVK | 1:18.14 | 73.86 |
Did not start 1st run: GUAY Stefan (CAN)
Did not finish 1st run: BAUMANN Romed (AUT), OLSSON Hans (SWE), MARSAGLIA Matteo (ITA), ZUEGER Cornel (SUI), FISHER Erik (USA), GLEBOV Alek (SLO), GRANGE Jean-Baptiste (FRA), MOELGG Manfred (ITA), GIRARDI Walter (ITA), JERMAN Andrej (SLO), ALBRECHT Daniel (SUI), OSBORNE-PARADIS Manuel (CAN), STAUDACHER Patrick (ITA), DIXON Robbie (CAN)
Disqualified 1st run: CUCHE Didier (SUI)
About the Author: Pete Rugh
