Cochran, Lanning, Ligety post wins in NZ races

Reigning Olympic combined gold medalist Ted Ligety won a slalom race on Friday at New Zealand’s Coronet Peak, beating Japan’s Naoki Yasa by nearly half a second in the FIS Southern Cup event.
    The slalom was the final race in the four-day series that featured 91 men and 34 women representing the United States, Bulgaria, New Zealand, Japan, Norway, Canada, Switzerland, Korea, Great Britain, Australia and Italy.
    U.S. racers T.J. Lanning and Jimmy Cochran also posted wins this week in giant slalom races at Coronet Peak, while teammate Erik Fisher notched a pair of seconds in GS action. 
REIGNING OLYMPIC COMBINED gold medalist Ted Ligety won a slalom race on Friday at New Zealand’s Coronet Peak, beating Japan’s Naoki Yasa by nearly half a second in the FIS Southern Cup event.
    The slalom was the final race in the four-day series that featured 91 men and 34 women representing the United States, Bulgaria, New Zealand, Japan, Norway, Canada, Switzerland, Korea, Great Britain, Australia and Italy.
    Ligety topped the first run in 43.17 seconds, while Naoki won the second run in 42.12. Ligety’s combined time of 1:25.39 was enough to beat Naoki, who finished in 1.25.88. Third place went to Kilian Albrecht of Bulgaria in 1.26.47 who won Thursday’s slalom.
    Friday’s win was a redemption of sorts for Ligety, who posted the fastest first-run time Thursday before making a big mistake in the second to fall all the way to 15th place.
    “The conditions were excellent, and there was some exciting and spectacular racing particularly amongst the top competitors who are world-class skiers,” said Robin Armstrong, the Coronet Peak head of race and events.
    Japan’s Emiko Kiyosawa won the women’s race Friday, edging compatriot Emi Hasegawa. American Dana Nott finished third.

Cochran, Lanning post GS wins
U.S. Ski Teamers Jimmy Cochran and Erik Fisher finished 1-2 in the opening giant slalom of the FIS Southern Cup series Tuesday at Coronet Peak, while teammate T.J. Lanning won Wednesday’s second GS ahead of Fisher.
    Tuesday, Cochran clocked a two-run time of 1:39.44 while Fisher crossed the line in 1:39.77. Germany’s Felix Neureuther was third in 1:40.15. Ted Ligety clocked the fastest second-run time en route to a fifth-place finish.
    Wednesday, Lanning turned back 106 other racers to win in 1:50.85, with Fisher again in second but well back at 1:51.75. New Zealand 20-year-old Ben Griffin finished third. Cochran finished sixth.
    
U.S. men depart New Zealand
The U.S. men’s team began its long flight home from New Zealand on Saturday after what head coach Phil McNichol, quoted in a story that appeared in New Zealand’s Southland Times, called an “epic” training camp at Coronet Peak.
    “This has been one of the most successful training camps we’ve had at Coronet. The snow has been good and the weather stable. It’s been epic,” McNichol said.
    A total of 14 men’s alpine team members participated in the three-and-a-half week camp in New Zealand this year.