Worlds: Cuche leads last training run, Miller third

Feb 06, 2009

Didier Cuche cut four seconds off the time down the Bellevarde as the men took their second training run ahead of Saturday’s World Championship downhill and things began to shake out a little more as expected.Didier Cuche cut four seconds off the time down the Bellevarde as the men took their second training run ahead of Saturday’s World Championship downhill and things began to shake out a little more as expected.

Cuche was followed by Aksel Svindal, Bode Miller and Michael Walchhofer, all within .37 of a second, an indicator the top racers are getting the unusual track dialed in.

Walchhofer said early in the week he felt the downhill would be “a fast super G” because of the tight turns on the course and this training result would not dispel that notion. Both Cuche (gold) and Svindal (bronze) medalled in the World Championship SG two days ago. Miller’s top placing this season have come downhill but he also has a slalom podium and a history of medalling in World Championships.

Didier Defago, about as hot as a skier can get in the weeks leading up to the championships, finished fifth. Canadians Erik Guay and John Kucera were sixth and eighth respectively sandwiching Italian Christof Innerhofer. In a surprising finish was French slalom ace Jean-Baptiste Grange ninth and Swiss Carlo Janka was tenth.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – SECOND TRAINING (PARTIAL)

Rank Bib FIS Code Name Year Nation Total Time
 1  19  510030 CUCHE Didier  1974  SUI   2:06.98
 2  20  421328 SVINDAL Aksel Lund  1982  NOR   2:07.09
 3  18  532431 MILLER Bode  1977  USA   2:07.30
 4  16  50041 WALCHHOFER Michael  1975  AUT   2:07.35
 5  12  350032 BUECHEL Marco  1971  LIE   2:07.79
 6  17  510727 DEFAGO Didier  1977  SUI   2:07.87
 7  21  102263 GUAY Erik  1981  CAN   2:07.94
 8  11  293006 INNERHOFER Christof  1984  ITA   2:07.98
 9  24  102873 KUCERA John  1984  CAN   2:08.03
 10  35  192665 GRANGE Jean-Baptiste  1984  FRA   2:08.24
 11  23  511313 JANKA Carlo  1986  SUI   2:08.37
 12  13  292455 FILL Peter  1982  ITA   2:08.86
 13  10  510767 HOFFMANN Ambrosi  1977  SUI   2:09.08
 14  7  50423 MAIER Hermann  1972  AUT   2:09.22
 15  8  292514 HEEL Werner  1982  ITA   2:09.41
 16  9  560332 JERMAN Andrej  1978  SLO   2:09.43
 17  30  191116 DALCIN Pierre-Emmanuel  1977  FRA   2:09.51
 18  42  380292 ZRNCIC-DIM Natko  1986  CRO   2:09.52
 19  32  510890 ZURBRIGGEN Silvan  1981  SUI   2:09.56
 20  5  292291 THANEI Stefan  1981  ITA   2:09.61
 21  28  192746 THEAUX Adrien  1984  FRA   2:09.65
 22  26  50451 GRUBER Christoph  1976  AUT   2:09.75
 23  14  50753 KROELL Klaus  1980  AUT   2:09.79
 24  22  102899 OSBORNE-PARADIS Manuel  1984  CAN   2:09.91
 25  25  191964 POISSON David  1982  FRA   2:09.92
 26  6  51215 BAUMANN Romed  1986  AUT   2:10.04
 27  45  102961 DIXON Robbie  1985  CAN   2:10.34
 28  27  102271 HUDEC Jan  1981  CAN   2:10.37
 29  4  510747 GRUENENFELDER Tobias  1977  SUI   2:10.39
 30  48  421400 MYHRE Lars Elton  1984  NOR   2:10.46
 31  41  150421 ZAHROBSKY Petr  1980  CZE   2:10.70
 32  15  533131 SULLIVAN Marco  1980  USA   2:10.84
 33  49  501026 RAINER Niklas  1983  SWE   2:10.95
 34  33  380260 KOSTELIC Ivica  1979  CRO   2:10.97
 35  3  534939 FISHER Erik  1985  USA   2:11.10
 36  43  51401 GRAF Bernhard  1988  AUT   2:11.46
 37  53  192504 MERMILLOD BLONDIN Thomas  1984  FRA   2:11.49
 38  40  290998 STAUDACHER Patrick  1980  ITA   2:11.50
 39  38  201606 KEPPLER Stephan  1983  GER   2:11.71
 40  56  560406 GORZA Ales  1980  SLO   2:11.79
 41  39  561067 PERKO Rok  1985  SLO   2:11.85
 42  55  380298 SIROKI Tin  1987  CRO   2:12.53
 43  57  220695 CRAWFORD Douglas  1987  GBR   2:12.99
 44  2  501076 OLSSON Hans  1984  SWE   2:13.54
 45  54  220656 DRAKE Edward  1986  GBR   2:13.55
 46  36  191459 LIZEROUX Julien  1979  FRA   2:13.58
 47  60  491151 DE LA CUESTA Paul  1988  SPA   2:15.44
 48  61  90047 GEORGIEV Stefan  1977  BUL   2:15.95
 49  59  150644 KRYZL Krystof  1986  CZE   2:20.98
 50  44  530939 WEIBRECHT Andrew  1986  USA   2:38.46

About the Author: Pete Rugh

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