WJC – Nils Mani gets DH gold for Switzerland
Nils Mani has a fan club. If he keeps skiing as he did in winning the gold medal in the World Junior Championships at Le Massif, Quebec, that club is going to grow larger. Still, for two guys, they made a lot of noise.
Austrian Thomas Mayrpeter collected the silver medal and Frenchman Valentin Giraud Moine the bronze.
Mani has considerable World Junior experience and much of it has been successful. He earned two medals last season at the title meet in Roccaraso, Italy. This however, was his first gold medal performance and it came on course described as “gnarly,” by American Samuel Dupratt, one of two US skiers who ran into enough trouble down the La Charlevoix track to abandon.
“I prefer a challenge,” said Mani through his coach’s interpretation. He also said he would delay making any predictions about increasing his medal total until after the super G, on tap for tomorrow.
Mayrpeter said winning a medal was “my dream,” and said he had crashed out in last season’s World Junior downhill.
“Mani, Nils is a very good driver,” he said of his foe. “I am luckier in the second place today. The slope is very difficult. It was very hard today.”
La Charlevoix proved tough enough for the American crew, though Bryce Bennett posted ninth with a strong run. “It was bumpy,” he said, “but it’s a good downhill.” The only other US finishers were Kieffer Christianson in 32nd and Jack Auty in 47th after taking in an excursion enroute.
The Swiss, with a World Cup team that has underachieved all season, will take some solace in the result here. Not only was Mani in the driver’s seat, they registered five skiers among the top 11. Norway had two among the top 10, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde in fourth and Endre Bjertness in eighth. Austria countered with Mayrpeter and Johannes Strolz in seventh, and great showing from the 29th start.
For those who like to find dark horse skiers before anyone else, keep an eye on Austrian Michael Matt. He started dead last in bib 61 and finished 21st.
Ski Racing photos/Mame McKee
Le Massif (CAN)
FIS Junior World Ski Championships
Men’s Downhill
Feb 23, 2013
Rank | Bib | FIS Code | Name | Year | Nation | Total Time | FIS Points |
1 | 4 | 511847 | MANI Nils | 1992 | SUI | 1:30.95 | 8.27 |
2 | 8 | 54099 | MAYRPETER Thomas | 1992 | AUT | 1:31.14 | 11.13 |
3 | 7 | 194542 | GIRAUD MOINE Valentin | 1992 | FRA | 1:31.34 | 14.14 |
4 | 3 | 422139 | KILDE Aleksander Aamodt | 1992 | NOR | 1:32.17 | 26.65 |
5 | 14 | 512014 | NIEDERBERGER Bernhard | 1993 | SUI | 1:32.23 | 27.55 |
6 | 6 | 511981 | WEBER Ralph | 1993 | SUI | 1:32.39 | 29.96 |
7 | 29 | 54093 | STROLZ Johannes | 1992 | AUT | 1:32.42 | 30.41 |
8 | 9 | 422134 | BJERTNESS Endre | 1992 | NOR | 1:32.44 | 30.71 |
9 | 10 | 6530104 | BENNETT Bryce | 1992 | USA | 1:32.58 | 32.82 |
10 | 12 | 511983 | AERNI Luca | 1993 | SUI | 1:32.66 | 34.03 |
11 | 20 | 511852 | CAVIEZEL Gino | 1992 | SUI | 1:32.70 | 34.63 |
12 | 11 | 561255 | CATER Martin | 1992 | SLO | 1:32.72 | 34.93 |
13 | 13 | 6291029 | BATTILANI Henri | 1994 | ITA | 1:32.90 | 37.64 |
14 | 16 | 422310 | SEJERSTED Adrian Smiseth | 1994 | NOR | 1:33.07 | 40.20 |
15 | 30 | 6290845 | BOSCA Guglielmo | 1993 | ITA | 1:33.28 | 43.37 |
16 | 33 | 422304 | KRISTOFFERSEN Henrik | 1994 | NOR | 1:33.30 | 43.67 |
17 | 51 | 561254 | ZERAK Misel | 1992 | SLO | 1:33.36 | 44.57 |
17 | 17 | 104015 | SCHUESSLER BEDARD William | 1993 | CAN | 1:33.36 | 44.57 |
19 | 23 | 481327 | TRIKHICHEV Pavel | 1992 | RUS | 1:33.50 | 46.68 |
20 | 25 | 6290985 | BUZZI Emanuele | 1994 | ITA | 1:33.74 | 50.30 |
21 | 61 | 54170 | MATT Michael | 1993 | AUT | 1:33.80 | 51.20 |
22 | 26 | 194858 | ALLEGRE Nils | 1994 | FRA | 1:33.81 | 51.35 |
23 | 34 | 501898 | ROENNGREN Mattias | 1993 | SWE | 1:33.93 | 53.16 |
24 | 47 | 6290440 | ZINGERLE Alex | 1992 | ITA | 1:33.98 | 53.91 |
25 | 58 | 400237 | MEINERS Maarten | 1992 | NED | 1:34.06 | 55.12 |
25 | 43 | 194457 | GALEOTTI Greg | 1992 | FRA | 1:34.06 | 55.12 |
27 | 40 | 194873 | SARRAZIN Cyprien | 1994 | FRA | 1:34.12 | 56.02 |
27 | 37 | 370031 | ALESSANDRIA Arnaud | 1993 | MON | 1:34.12 | 56.02 |
29 | 27 | 202535 | DRESSEN Thomas | 1993 | GER | 1:34.15 | 56.47 |
30 | 44 | 103997 | MEGARRY Morgan | 1993 | CAN | 1:34.29 | 58.58 |
31 | 31 | 103984 | LAJOIE Vincent | 1993 | CAN | 1:34.41 | 60.39 |
32 | 46 | 6530115 | CHRISTIANSON Kieffer | 1992 | USA | 1:34.42 | 60.54 |
33 | 54 | 194935 | FAVROT Thibaut | 1994 | FRA | 1:34.44 | 60.84 |
34 | 28 | 103857 | ST-GERMAIN Wiliam | 1992 | CAN | 1:34.51 | 61.90 |
35 | 18 | 422275 | JOHANSEN Ola Buer | 1993 | NOR | 1:34.52 | 62.05 |
36 | 36 | 104023 | STEINKE Chris | 1993 | CAN | 1:34.53 | 62.20 |
37 | 48 | 202451 | STRASSER Linus | 1992 | GER | 1:34.55 | 62.50 |
38 | 32 | 481514 | BORODAYKIN Artem | 1994 | RUS | 1:34.62 | 63.55 |
39 | 49 | 561244 | KRANJEC Zan | 1992 | SLO | 1:34.85 | 67.02 |
39 | 41 | 501987 | MONSEN Felix | 1994 | SWE | 1:34.85 | 67.02 |
41 | 52 | 700868 | FALAT Matej | 1993 | SVK | 1:34.89 | 67.62 |
42 | 24 | 6290062 | BARUFFALDI Stefano | 1992 | ITA | 1:35.14 | 71.38 |
43 | 60 | 511857 | JENAL Sandro | 1992 | SUI | 1:35.22 | 72.59 |
44 | 38 | 481549 | STUKOV Maksim | 1994 | RUS | 1:35.41 | 75.45 |
45 | 45 | 550054 | ZVEJNIEKS Kristaps | 1992 | LAT | 1:35.53 | 77.26 |
46 | 56 | 700879 | ZAMPA Andreas | 1993 | SVK | 1:35.85 | 82.08 |
47 | 42 | 6531106 | AUTY Jack | 1995 | USA | 1:36.89 | 97.75 |
48 | 55 | 30283 | FREEMAN CRESPO Ignacio | 1992 | ARG | 1:37.57 | 107.99 |
49 | 59 | 430550 | KLUSAK Jakub | 1992 | POL | 1:38.36 | 119.89 |
Did not finish 1st run | |||||||
57 | 481540 | KOLGOTIN Pavel | 1994 | RUS | |||
53 | 60236 | VAN DEN BROECKE Dries | 1995 | BEL | |||
50 | 6290799 | FRANCESCHETTI Pietro | 1993 | ITA | |||
  ; |
39 | 170131 | FAARUP Christoffer | 1992 | DAN | ||
35 | 104096 | THOMPSON Broderick | 1994 | CAN | |||
22 | 6530486 | KRAUSE Nicholas | 1993 | USA | |||
21 | 202469 | RENZ Fabio | 1992 | GER | |||
19 | 194650 | PICCARD Roy | 1993 | FRA | |||
15 | 6530453 | DUPRATT Samuel | 1993 | USA | |||
5 | 54075 | KARELLY Mario | 1992 | AUT | |||
2 | 202525 | SCHMID Manuel | 1993 | GER | |||
1 | 54076 | KOECK Niklas | 1992 | AUT |