WJC – Nils Mani gets DH gold for Switzerland

By Published On: February 23rd, 2013Comments Off on 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     
&nbsp
;
 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 

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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.”