Theaux wins in wind. DH title race down to four

By Published On: March 2nd, 2013Comments Off on Theaux wins in wind. DH title race down to four

And then there were four.

The lines on the poles were snapping as winds whipped the flags at the finish and the racers on the Olympiabakken course at Kvitfjell, Norway Saturday (March 2).  The race jury both lowered the start and sent skiers to the less precipitous side of the biggest jump (Russi) on course in an effort to keep the race safe. Several racers, including those near the top of the finish order, suggested the race was less than fair.

Frenchman Adrien Theaux was brilliant in his execution tucking where others couldn’t and holding a clean edge in the turns to claim his second career World Cup win. Fittingly, his other win – in 2011 – came at the next and final DH stop at Lenzerheide, Switzerland. He said he had “caught a good run” with the wind and said the success of the French in the Schladming World Championships had provided momentum missing early this season.

Aksel Lund Svindal used his big body to power through the wind and claimed second to lift his lead of the downhill standings. Just four men remain in the chase with the chance to win, Svindal, third place finisher Klaus Kroell and Italians Dominik Paris (ninth) and Christof Innerhofer (tenth). Svindal leads by 58 with Paris down by 61 and Innerhofer 69.

“Above it was okay, but below I had a little too much wind to be able to win here. You go 130kph and then you see how the wind comes to meet you,” said Svindal. “It is incredibly difficult to stay in position. Such a race with changing winds is just not fair.”

Kroell, too, said the wind made the course unfair, but went a step further. “The front runners have to be satisfied that they had a good wind. The decision (to race) today was not only unfair, it was dangerous.”

Canadians held the early lead in the race with Manuel Osborne-Paradis and Jan Hudec sitting one-two before the first seed attacked the wind blown course. Challenging racers repeatedly led the two over the early sections of the course only to be blown back on the sunny last straight set of rolls into the finish. Several times skiers were forced to break their tuck in the final 300 meters to account for wind gusts. Only three could beat Osborne-Paradis with Hudec dropping to sixth on a fabulous late charge by Silvano Varettoni.

Svindal also made up ground on overall leader Marcel Hirscher, absent in Kvitfjell resting for his final push in the technical races at Kranjska Gora next weekend and Lenzerheide’s finals. Hirscher’s lead dipped to 129 and Svindal also has a super G on Sunday to cut further into the lead.

“The battle for the big ball is not over,” Svindal said while wishing Hirscher a happy birthday.

Top US finishers was Travis Ganong in 16th.

Gepa photo

The SCOOP
by Hank McKee

Men’s World Cup downhill, Kvitfjell, Norway, March 2, 2013
Equipment

Skier, skis/boots/bindings
1 Theaux, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon
2 Svindal, Head/Head/Head
3 Kroell, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon
4 Osborne-Paradis, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
5 Varettoni, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
6 Hudec, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
7 Franz, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
8 Streitberger, Head/Head/Head
9 Paris, Nordica/Nordica/Marker
10 Innerhofer, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol

Men’s World Cup downhill, Kvitfjell, Norway, March 2, 2013
. … It is the 59th race of the World Cup season. … the 29th for men and the eighth of nine men’s downhills. … It is the 49th Cup race hosted by Kvitfjell. … the 24th men’s downhill.

It is the second career World Cup win for Adrien Theaux, the last coming at Lenzerheide March 16, 2011. … It is the first French win of Kvitfjell DH since Nic Burtin in 1998. … Theaux has one additional podium this season, in super G at Lake Louise Nov. 25.

It is the 49th career World Cup podium for Aksel Lund Svindal. … his 16th in downhill. … It is his seventh career podium at Kvitfjell, though he has yet to win at the site. … It is his tenth podium of the season includingtwo medals at World Championships.

It is the 22nd career World Cup podium for Klaus Kroell. … his 19th in downhill. … It is his eighth podium at Kvitfjell where he has won three times (including a DH/SG sweep last season). … It is his fourth podium of the season. … all in downhill.

It is the 11th career top four result for Manuel Osborne-Paradis. … and his fourth at Kvitfjell. … It is his best finish of the season surpassing a seventh in DH at Val Gardena Dec. 15. … It is the ninth career top six in World Cup for Jan Hudec. … And is his best result of the season, topping a ninth in DH at World Championships. … Travis Ganong matches his fifth best career finish. … and matches his third best of the season. … It is the seventh scoring result of the season for Marco Sullivan. … the 11th score of the season for Erik Guay. … and the 17th career score for Benjamin Thomsen.

With seven races remaining on the schedule Marcel Hirscher (did not race) holds the lead of the World Cup overall standings 1215-1086 over Aksel Lund Svindal. … Felix Neureuther (did not race) is third overall with 798pts. … Ted Ligety (did not race) is fourth with 796pts. … Erik Guay is top Canadian in 16th with 378pts. … Mathematically eight me can still win the title. … Svindal holds the lead of the downhill standings 439-381 over Klaus Kroell with one remaining race. … Dominik Paris (ninth in race) is third with 378pts. … Christof Innerhofer (tenth in race) is fourth with 370pts. … No other men can win the DH crown. … Guay is sixth with 267pts. … Marco Sullivan leads the US in 14th with 134pts. … Austria leads the men’s Nations Cup 4935-3380 over Italy. … France is third with 2763. … The US is sixth with 1409pts and Canada eighth with 865pts.

Kvitfjell (NOR)
FIS World Cup
Men’s Downhill
March 2, 2013

Rank Bib FIS Code Name Year Nation Total Time FIS Points
 1  19  192746 THEAUX Adrien  1984  FRA   1:29.10  0.00
 2  20  421328 SVINDAL Aksel Lund  1982  NOR   1:29.29  2.92
 3  22  50753 KROELL Klaus  1980  AUT   1:29.60  7.69
 4  1  102899 OSBORNE-PARADIS Manuel  1984  CAN   1:29.61  7.84
 5  36  293141 VARETTONI Silvano  1984  ITA   1:29.87  11.84
 6  9  102271 HUDEC Jan  1981  CAN   1:30.02  14.15
 7  11  53817 FRANZ Max  1989  AUT   1:30.05  14.61
 8  13  50858 STREITBERGER Georg  1981  AUT   1:30.07  14.91
 9  17  291459 PARIS Dominik  1989  ITA   1:30.08  15.07
 10  21  293006 INNERHOFER Christof  1984  ITA   1:30.15  16.14
 11  6  561067 PERKO Rok  1985  SLO   1:30.27  17.99
 12  5  511139 KUENG Patrick  1984  SUI   1:30.28  18.14
 13  29  53902 MAYER Matthias  1990  AUT   1:30.29  18.30
 14  12  292514 HEEL Werner  1982  ITA   1:30.34  19.07
 15  14  191964 POISSON David  1982  FRA   1:30.36  19.37
 16  25  194190 ROGER Brice  1990  FRA   1:30.40  19.99
 16  4  530874 GANONG Travis  1988  USA   1:30.40  19.99
 18  3  510727 DEFAGO Didier  1977  SUI&nbs
p;
 1:30.50  21.53
 19  44  294277 KLOTZ Siegmar  1987  ITA   1:30.56  22.45
 20  10  51215 BAUMANN Romed  1986  AUT   1:30.63  23.53
 21  26  510890 ZURBRIGGEN Silvan  1981  SUI   1:30.66  23.99
 22  27  292455 FILL Peter  1982  ITA   1:30.73  25.06
 23  23  533131 SULLIVAN Marco  1980  USA   1:30.80  26.14
 24  8  51327 PUCHNER Joachim  1987  AUT   1:30.83  26.60
 25  24  180570 ROMAR Andreas  1989  FIN   1:30.84  26.75
 26  16  102263 GUAY Erik  1981  CAN   1:31.00  29.21
 27  28  51332 SCHEIBER Florian  1987  AUT   1:31.03  29.68
 28  52  561216 KLINE Bostjan  1991  SLO   1:31.05  29.98
 29  7  103271 THOMSEN Benjamin  1987  CAN   1:31.11  30.91
 30  40  202059 FERSTL Josef  1988  GER   1:31.16  31.67
 31  18  50742 REICHELT Hannes  1980  AUT   1:31.17  31.83
 32  54  400281 VAN HEEK Marvin  1991  NED   1:31.24  32.90
 33  32  191591 BERTRAND Yannick  1980  FRA   1:31.25  33.06
 34  61  530939 WEIBRECHT Andrew  1986  USA   1:31.33  34.29
 35  38  511981 WEBER Ralph  1993  SUI   1:31.52  37.21
 36  49  293550 MARSAGLIA Matteo  1985  ITA   1:31.54  37.52
 37  51  194167 MUZATON Maxence  1990  FRA   1:31.55  37.67
 38  55  192504 MERMILLOD BLONDIN Thomas  1984  FRA   1:31.57  37.98
 39  45  54005 STRIEDINGER Otmar  1991  AUT   1:31.60  38.44
 40  30  511313 JANKA Carlo  1986  SUI   1:31.63  38.90
 41  60  421650 BJERKESTRAND Iver  1987  NOR   1:31.69  39.82
 42  59  194298 GIEZENDANNER Blaise  1991  FRA   1:31.79  41.36
 43  34  53968 BERTHOLD Frederic  1991  AUT   1:31.81  41.67
 44  53  531452 BIESEMEYER Thomas  1989  USA   1:31.82  41.82
 45  56  511352 VILETTA Sandro  1986  SUI   1:32.00  44.59
 46  57  561217 KOSI Klemen  1991  SLO   1:32.19  47.51
 46  35  53981 KROELL Johannes  1991  AUT   1:32.19  47.51
 48  41  103612 PRIDY Morgan  1990  CAN   1:32.25  48.43
 49  31  380260 KOSTELIC Ivica  1979  CRO   1:32.46  51.66
 50  47  193034 BOUILLOT Alexandre  1985  FRA   1:32.57  53.35
 51  33  102873 KUCERA John  1984  CAN   1:32.68  55.05
 52  50  511634 SPESCHA Christian  1989  SUI   1:32.99  59.81
 53  43  103385 PRIDY Conrad  1988  CAN   1:33.37  65.66
 54  58  501230 ERICSSON Daniel  1987  SWE   1:34.25  79.19
 55  62  380341 ULLRICH Max  1994  CRO   1:34.81  87.80
Did not start 1st run
   39  201606 KEPPLER Stephan  1983  GER     
   37  511529 GISIN Marc  1988  SUI     
Did not finish 1st run
   48  930024 MAPLE Wiley  1990  USA     
   46  501439 HEDIN Douglas  1990  SWE     
   42  934643 GOLDBERG Jared  1991  USA     
   15  560447 SPORN Andrej  1981  SLO     
   2  533866 NYMAN Steven  1982  USA   

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About the Author: Hank McKee

In memoriam: The veteran of the staff, McKee started with Ski Racing in 1980. Over the seasons, he covered virtually every aspect of the sport, from the pro tours to junior racing, freestyle and World Cup alpine competition. He wrote the first national stories for many U.S. team stars, and was still around to report on their retirements. “Longevity has its rewards,” he said, “but it’s a slow process.”