World Cup Finals start Wednesday with downhills

By Published On: March 12th, 2013Comments Off on World Cup Finals start Wednesday with downhills

In near perfect conditions the Austrians swept the podium of the men’s training run at World Cup Finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.

Maria Hoefl-Riesch, Tina Weirather and Anna Fenninger went one-two-three in the women’s training. Slovene Tina Maze, the star of the season, was the fourth fastest.

Weirather, and the fastest man, Hannes Reichelt both reportedly missed gates.

The downhills will kick off the Finals Wednesday (March 13) The reduced fields (the top 25 skiers in discipline plus those with over 500 points overall and the junior world champion in discipline) will allow both the men’s and women’s races to be held the same day.

Travis Ganong had a strong training run recording the seventh fastest time among the men. Having wrapped up the GS title, Ted Ligety plans to race all of the events at Finals and placed 15th on the day. Steven Nyman and Marco Sullivan were well down the order. The Canadians were led by Manuel Osborne-Paradis in 14th.

The American women’s group was led by Leanne Smith in eighth. Julia Mancuso was 12th and Stacey Cook 15th. Laurenne Ross did not start after a crash in the women’s first training run yesterday.

Mancuso, third in the overall standings, has set a goal to win one of the last two speed races. “My goal for this season is still to win a race and I feel like I if I can do that, then I’ll put myself in a good position to challenge for the super G globe. I’m going to fight hard and see what I can do. On this hill you have to be on line and you have to go for it. It’s steep and it doesn’t let off. You have to be completely committed.”
 
The men’s downhill is the one discipline where the title outcome is far from decided. Four men could win the crown including tour leader Aksel Lund Svindal, Klaus Kroell, Dominik Paris and Christof Innerhofer. None of them was in the top three of training.

Hannes Reichelt led the way (missing a gate), by .71 ahead of the rest of the field. Matthias Mayer was second and Max Franz was third.

Innerhofer posted the fourth fastest time, Svindal was sixth, Paris tenth and Kroell 18th.

Lenzerheide (SUI)
Training
Men’s Downhill
March 12, 2013

Rank Bib FIS Code Name Year Nation Total Time FIS Points
 1  18  50742 REICHELT Hannes  1980  AUT   1:30.74  
 2  3  53902 MAYER Matthias  1990  AUT   1:31.45  
 3  11  53817 FRANZ Max  1989  AUT   1:31.70  
 4  14  293006 INNERHOFER Christof  1984  ITA   1:31.80  
 5  7  191964 POISSON David  1982  FRA   1:31.88  
 6  12  421328 SVINDAL Aksel Lund  1982  NOR   1:32.16  
 7  4  530874 GANONG Travis  1988  USA   1:32.27  
 8  2  51332 SCHEIBER Florian  1987  AUT   1:32.61  
 9  15  50858 STREITBERGER Georg  1981  AUT   1:32.74  
 10  16  291459 PARIS Dominik  1989  ITA   1:32.87  
 11  13  192746 THEAUX Adrien  1984  FRA   1:33.09  
 11  6  51215 BAUMANN Romed  1986  AUT   1:33.09  
 13  21  380260 KOSTELIC Ivica  1979  CRO   1:33.14  
 14  9  102899 OSBORNE-PARADIS Manuel  1984  CAN   1:33.20  
 15  24  534562 LIGETY Ted  1984  USA   1:33.22  
 16  5  51327 PUCHNER Joachim  1987  AUT   1:33.26  
 17  1  533866 NYMAN Steven  1982  USA   1:33.45  
 18  22  50753 KROELL Klaus  1980  AUT   1:33.65  
 19  20  560447 SPORN Andrej  1981  SLO   1:33.67  
 20  10  292514 HEEL Werner  1982  ITA   1:33.84  
 21  25  292455 FILL Peter  1982  ITA   1:34.05  
 22  17  561067 PERKO Rok  1985  SLO   1:34.14  
 23  19  102263 GUAY Erik  1981  CAN   1:34.77  
 24  23  102271 HUDEC Jan  1981  CAN   1:35.44  
 25  8  533131 SULLIVAN Marco  1980  USA   1:42.44

Lenzerheide (SUI)
Training
Ladies’ Downhill
March 12, 2013

Rank Bib FIS Code Name Year Nation Total Time FIS Points
 1  14  206001 HOEFL-RIESCH Maria  1984  GER   1:34.20  
 2  15  355050 WEIRATHER Tina  1989  LIE   1:34.38  
 3  12  55947 FENNINGER Anna  1989  AUT   1:34.48  
 4  16  565243 MAZE Tina  1983  SLO   1:34.51  
 5  13  195983 ROLLAND Marion  1982  FRA   1:34.54  
 6  11  516138 GUT Lara  1991  SUI   1:34.80  
 7  21  55576 GOERGL Elisabeth  1981  AUT   1:34.87  
 8  8  538305 SMITH Leanne  1987  USA   1:35.30  
 9  4  55766 STERZ Regina  1985  AUT   1:35.35  
 10  2  515782 KAUFMANN-ABDERHALDEN Marianne  1986  SUI   1:35.64  
 11  17  296008 MERIGHETTI Daniela  1981  ITA   1:35.73  
 12  9  537545 MANCUSO Julia  1984  USA   1:35.99  
 13  22  515747 GISIN Dominique  1985  SUI   1:36.28  
 14  24  515766 SUTER Fabienne  1985  SUI   1:36.33  
 15  10  537582 COOK Stacey  1984  USA   1:36.65  
 16  23  565360 STUHEC Ilka  1990  SLO   1:36.92  
 17  20  515573 AUFDENBLATTEN Fraenzi  1981  SUI   1:37.30  
 17  19  296472 FANCHINI Elena  1985  ITA   1:37.30  
 17  18  205218 REBENSBURG Viktoria  1989  GER   1:37.30  
 20  3  55913 MOSER Stefanie  1988  AUT   1:38.09  
 21  1  197295 PIOT Jennifer  1992  FRA   1:38.86  
Did not start 1st run
   7  538573 ROSS Laurenne  1988  USA     
   6  495318 RUIZ CASTILLO Carolina  1981  SPA     
Did not finish 1st run
   5  196460 MARCHAND-ARVIER Marie  1985  FRA 

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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.”