Ski Racing Roundup: Teams arrive in Soelden, starting lineups announced

Ski Racing Roundup: Teams arrive in Soelden, starting lineups announcedThe world’s top giant slalom skiers are arriving in Sölden, Austria for the first World Cup of the season. Weather is mild, and the race hill could get rough.

Janica and Ivica set to race at Sölden opener

Olympic ski champion Janica Kostelic and her brother Ivica will return to the slopes on October 23 and 24 for the World Cup season opener, after ending the 2003-04 season early due to health problems. Janica, 22, who was troubled by knee injury and also had her thyroid gland removed, spent last week training at Sölden. She “feels fine,” according to team spokesperson Vedran Pavlek, although she still occasionally feels some pain in her knee,” Pavlek said. “Still, she can train and compete without problems.”

Ivica, who also has a history of health problems, “feels excellent and is looking forward to compete in Sölden,” Pavlek said. The 24-year-old World Cup slalom champion injured his knee in the night race at Schladming last year, and has not raced competitively since. Earlier this month he checked into a hospital for heart examination, but was released immediately afterward with a clean bill of health.

Canada announces Sölden starters

Lead by Head Coach Hugues Ansermoz, the Canadian Alpine Ski Team women’s program was granted nine quotas for the first giant slalom race of the World Cup season. Aiming to capitalize on this four-quota increase in comparison with last year’s five giant slalom quotas for the women, Canada will be sending its top nine technical racers to Sölden.

Allison Forsyth, 15th in the 2003-2004 World Cup giant slalom standings, will be joined by teammates Britt Janyk, Geneviève Simard, Sophie Splawinski, Brigitte Acton, Gail Kelly, Emily Brydon, Christina Lustenberger and Anna Goodman. Blazing down Austria’s Rettenback Glacier on October 23, our nine Canadian women will seek to surpass Sweden’s Anja Paerson who was last year’s giant slalom and overall World Cup champion and will hope to out ski Germany’s Martina Ertl who was the 2003 Sölden winner.

On the men’s side, Head Coach Burkhard Schaffer will also be maximizing his four-quota allowance for the men’s October 24 giant slalom race. For this occasion, Thomas Grandi, 13th in the 2003-2004 giant slalom World Cup overall standings, will be accompanied by three other technical specialists, namely Jean-Philippe Roy, François Bourque and Julien Cousineau. Together, they will aim to conquer the podium, surpassing last year’s Sölden winner and overall giant slalom World Cup Champion, Bode Miller from the United States.

The Italian national team announces Sölden starting lineup

Italy has announced its starters for the World Cup Opening in Sölden, Austria this coming weekend. For the men’s side, Davide Simmoncelli, Arnold Rieder, Giorgio Rocca and Massimilliano Blardone will kick out of the start. That’s four men, less than half of the number for the Italian women, nine of whom hold start bibs: Karen Putzer, Silke Bachmann, Manuela Moelgg, Nicole Guis, Daniela Merighetti, Nadia Fanchini, Maddelena Plantscher, Barbara Kleon and Lucia Recchia.

Sarah Schleper and Kirsten Clark will sit out the Sölden opener

The U.S. Ski Team has named its starters for the first World Cup of the alpine season, a pair of giant slaloms in Sölden, Austria. The rosters, which are named and explained in two stories (

men and women) at the U.S. Ski Team’s website. Notable absences include Sarah Schleper and Kirsten Clark, sidelined by injuries.

Schleper, who finished last season ranked 12th in the giant slalom standings (and 17th overall) is at home in Colorado nursing a back injury. ‘After New Zealand I had a lot of pain, and my back is still healing’ said Schleper in an e-mail to Ski Racing. ‘I will shoot to open my season close to home in Aspen. I am undergoing a special treatment that has been shown to greatly improve the problem I am having.’ Schleper finished seventh in the Sölden opener last year (the best American women’s finish ever).

Schleper’s teammate Kirsten Clark, one of the world’s top speed skiers, was injured at Haus last year, and has decided to sit out the Sölden race too. Clark was training super G last week in nearby Pitztal, but has decided to hold off the start of her season until the Aspen Winternational, which is scheduled for Thanksgiving weekend.

The U.S. team used some internal team time trials to decide some of its start sheets. One notable standout performances in that was Jimmy Cochran. Kristina Koznick is one American not participating in the time trials, because she is

racing independently from the team and has qualified automatically for Sölden because of her top-30 ranking.

In other news…Torino 2006 releases environmental sustainability report

The Torino Olympic Organizing Committee (TOROC) has released it’s 2003 sustainablity report, which assesses worksites, water quality and social and economic development as the Italians prepare for the 2006 Winter Olympics. TOROC has pledged its dedication to social responsibility and sustainability.

The study – that centred its attention on the economic effects of the Games – points out that in 2004, business in the construction sector should approach 478 million Euro, while in 2006 the turnover in commerce and public services will reach about 380 million Euro.

“For the TOROC said the CEO Paolo Rota this is an important document that helps us evaluate our activities, and it is an occasion to involve all the interested subjects. The management and the development of the territory after Torino 2006 will be the responsibility of the public institutions which, thanks to this report, will be able to strengthen their own sustainability policies.’

Former Pro Tour star from Switzerland on the lam in Colorado

Josef Odermatt, a former Pro tour racer from Switzerland, is on the lam from the law in Colorado. A fascinating story about his decline appears in the Vail Daily.

Click here to read Naomi Havlen’s story.

Got an idea or a complaint about the Roundup? E-mail your comments to webeditor@insideinc.com

Previous Ski Racing Roundups:

INTERNATIONAL, September 15, 2004

DOMESTIC, September 28, 2004

NORDIC, September 29, 2004

INTERNATIONAL, September 30, 2004

DOMESTIC, October 5, 2004

NORDIC, October 6, 2004

INTERNATIONAL, October 7, 2004

DOMESTIC, October 12, 2004

NORDIC, October 13, 2004

INTERNATIONAL, October 14, 2004

DOMESTIC, October 19, 2004

NORDIC, October 20, 2004