By Hank McKee
SkiRacing.com

On a near perfect Saturday (Jan. 15) for ski racing, and apparently for race spectating as well, Austrian Klaus Kroell unhinged a Swiss celebration by collecting his third career World Cup win at Switzerland’s premier skiing event, the Lauberhorn downhill at Wengen.

Kroell, without a win since March of 2009 but just off the downhill podium twice this season was a scant .14 ahead of Didier Cuche, the old darling of Swiss racing, and last season’s Swiss winner of the race Carlo Janka in third within four ticks of the tenths clock.

It was the first Austrian win of the race since 2005 when Michael Walchhofer ruined the Swiss party. He finished 11th on the day. An estimated 35,000 spectators, largely Swiss, may have been disappointed with the outcome, but it was difficult to tell. The crowd decibel level stayed plenty high.

Bode Miller skied well enough to secure eight place as the Americans faced the race without their top three pure downhillers: Andrew Weibrecht to a shoulder injury, Marco Sullivan to a head injury and Steven Nyman to a “tweaked back” sustained in the downhill leg of Friday’s combined event.

“I was pushing it today, especially through the super G turns,” said Miller. “I just couldn’t generate speed.”

The only U.S. point scorer beyond Miller was Travis Ganong in 28th. Ted Ligety finished just out of the points in a three way tie for 31st.

“Travis (Ganong) did a great job here today,” said Rearick. “It’s
just his second time here, last year was his first World Cup, so being
able to come in here and learn from that experience. … He has to be 
more aggressive, but in the years to come we will see that from him.”

Ganong
said he tried to “really push myself and see what I could do,” in the
training runs and lamented an error high on the course. “One little
mistake and then it’s so flat so it’s hard to get back up to speed.”

The Canadians, also dealing with an extensive injury list were led by Jan Hudec in 21st. Manuel Osborne-Paradis was 23rd.

Kroell told Austrian reporters his run had not been perfect and said he had “lost the line,” at the “S” turns. “Four tenths it cost me,” he said, but his time was just enough to hold up against Cuche’s charge.

It was the third time Cuche has placed second in the Lauberhorn downhill, but he refused to make excuses. Janka, on the podium for the second straight day, predicted Cuche, 36, would return next season to take another shot at winning Switzerland’s most important race.

As predicted by coach Sasha Rearick, start numbers were important. Though temperatures were right at the freezing mark and the course did not deteriorate as badly as feared, the sun attacked a surface already softened in the preceding week. No one starting outside of the top 30 made it into the top 20. Late starters found it difficult to advance up the ranks.

“As soon as I drew 29 I knew it was going to be a tough day,” said Hudec. “You need to start at the front but I took advantage of what I had. I took the intensity way up from training.”

Ligety said the run was a good warm up for a personal goal. “I really want to try to score World Cup Downhill points (at Kitzbuehel). It’s the really truely DH course of the World Cup tour. This one (Wengen) doesn’t make you nervous. You get tired, but it’s not scary. Kitzbuehel is scary.”

And danerous. The race was delayed a couple of times to allow medical personnel to extricate skiers. Patrick Jaerbyn, the oldest man on tour, took seven minutes and Stefan Keppler 15 minutes. American Erik Fisher also crashed in the Kernen S turn, but was unscathed.

Preliminary reports were that Jaerbyn sustained a concussion and was being held for observation while Keppler suffered torn ligaments to his left knee and ankle plus facial injuries.

It was revealed post race that Hudec had fractured his right hand when he hit a gate near the end of the course at high speed. He is expected to undergo surgery as early as Sunday in Zurich. Canadian team medical co-director Stephen French said he is “hopeful for the remainder of the season,” for Hudec.

In the fight for the overall title Ivica Kostelic picked up a small bit of padding for his tour leading total. He finished 12th, two placings and six points ahead of Aksel Lund Svindal and now leads 626-511. Third ranked Silvan Zurbriggen finished between the two leaders to tighten the race. He has 359pts.

Klaus Kroell photo by Gepa

The SCOOP

Equipment
Men’s Downhill, Wengen, Switzeland, Jan. 15, 2011
Skier, skis/boots/bindings
1 Kroell, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon
2 Cuche, Head/Head/Head
3 Janka, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
4 Jerman, Stoeckli/Lange/Atomic
5 Heel, Head/Head/Head
6 Baumann, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon
7 Innerhofer, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
8 Miller, Head/Head/Head
9 Scheiber, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
10 Olsson, Head/Head/Head

Men’s World Cup downhill, Wengen Switzerland, Jan. 15, 2011. … It is the 81st running of the Lauberhorn the tour’s oldest and longest race. … It is the 19th of 39 races on the men’s 2011 World Cup schedule. … The 17th held. … It is the fifth scheduled and fourth held downhill of nine. … It is the 91st World Cup race held at Wengen and the 38th DH.

It was the third career win for Klaus Kroell and his second in DH the previous at Kvitfjell March 7, 2009. … His first win came in super G at Kitzbuehel, also in 2009. … His previous best at Wengen had been sixth in 2007. … He had been fourth (Val Gardena) and sixth (Lake Louise) in previous downhills this season.

It is the 57th career World Cup podium result for Didier Cuche. … and his 26th in downhill. … It is the third time he has finished second in DH at Wengen. … The race marked the 12th time he has scored World Cup points in a DH at Wengen. … It is his best placing of the season and his third podium having placed third in super G at Beaver Creek and in DH at Val Gardena.

It is the 17th career World Cup podium for Carlo Janka. … his seventh in DH. … It is his fifth podium in six finishes at Wengen including the win in DH last season and the second in combined this season. … His only other podium this season came in SG at Lake Louise Nov. 28.

It is Bode Miller’s 15th top eight result at Wengen and second of the season having placed sixth in the combined. … four of his best five results of the season have come in his last five races. … It is Jan Hudec’s second career completed race at Wengen. … and his third score of the season all in DH. … It is Manuel Osborne-Paradis’ six career score in Wengen, all in DH. … He has placed on the Wengen DH podium twice, in 2010 and 2008. … It was his worst placing in a scoring race this season. … It is the fourth career scoring result for Travis Ganong. … three of them coming this season. … He has scored a 20th and a 28th in both DH and SG. … It was the first World Cup race for Wiley Maple.

Ivica Kostelic (12th in race) maintains the lead of the World Cup overall standings 626-511 over Aksel Lund Svindal (15th in race). … Silvan Zurbriggen (13th in race) is third at 459. … Ted Ligety (31st in race) is the top American in seventh place with 408pts. … Osborne-Paradis the top Canadian in 31st with 124pts. … Michael Walchhofer maintains the lead of the DH standings 269-250 over Zurbriggen. … Kroell moves into third with 190pts. … Bode Miller leads the U.S. skiers on the DH  list in ninth with 110pts. … Osborne-Paradis the Canadians in 11th with 80pts. … Austria leads the men’s Nations Cup 2855-1904 over Switzerland. … France is third with 1376. … The US is sixth with 793pts and the Canadians ninth with 633pts.