Are: Mixed bag in super G for U.S. racers

ARE, Sweden — Tuesday’s World Championships super G was a mixed bag for U.S. racers as the women soared with four top-20 finishes, while the men struggled to stay on the hard snow and in the hunt.
ARE, Sweden — Tuesday’s World Championships super G was a mixed bag for U.S. racers as the women soared with four top-20 finishes, while the men struggled to stay on the hard snow and in the hunt.
    Led by Lindsey Kildow’s silver medal, two more Americans — Julia Mancuso (sixth) and Libby Ludlow (ninth) — punched top-10 finishes, while Kirsten Clark finished in 20th in the opening event of the weather-plagued worlds.
    “We cannot ask for a better start,” women’s coach Patrick Riml said. “The girls are all excited to race again. They are fired up and showing how fast they are.”
    The biggest surprise for the women was Ludlow’s showing, a career best at worlds for the 25-year-old Washington native. Starting 10th, Ludlow took advantage of that early number and nailed what she thought was a pretty easy, flat track and held the lead through the next seven finishers, eventually being bumped out of the lead by Canada’s Britt Janyk.
    “I’m happy with how I skied,” Ludlow said. “I haven’t had the results I’ve wanted this year and I tried to lay down a super-aggressive run and tuck a lot. I think I gave my best performance today, so I should be happy with a top 10.”
    Ludlow wants a whole lot more — and feels she has the talent to get it. After suffering a hand injury in a scary crash during a team training camp in Colorado in November, Ludlow said she’s more confident now after finishing top 30 in the two most recent World Cup super G’s in Italy.  
     “I am capable of being in the very top. I just need some momentum,” she said. “These girls who have been getting podiums every race, I don’t have that kind of momentum behind me, but I know I’m a good enough skier. The fact I made the top 10 doesn’t surprise me at all. To people who know my skiing, it’s not a surprise either.”
    On the flip side, the American men failed to record one top-10 finish in the super G. Steven Nyman paced the team in 11th place, while World Cup super G leader Bode Miller finished a disappointing 24th. Ted Ligety and Scott Macartney — who was a late addition to the race after Marco Sullivan dropped out with an injury — finished tied for 31st. T.J. Lanning, who started second, struggled in at 34th.  
    “Steven had a good race, a good start for him but, on the whole, the guys skied under what they can do,” head coach Phil McNichol said. “They’re capable of a lot more, so we have to pick things up from here.
    “Bode had a couple of small mistakes at the top and had a bigger one at the bottom, and in super G there's just no room for any of that.”
    Miller, running 29th, called it “a very challenging course” and said he hurt his chances to defend his title from the 2005 championships “because I was taking too many risks.” He was 0.12 seconds back at the first interval and never got closer.
    “The slope was actually pretty good. I had a very small chance of winning,” Miller added. “That’s how racing goes. I risked it all and I lost.”
    Nyman said he was happy with the way he skied. One tactical mistake was all that kept him from a top-10 result. Lanning was making his first start in a World Championships race and was kicking himself afterward for not taking advantage of an early start number and a smooth course.
    “I feel like I kind of let myself down,” he said. “I don’t know, it’s tough. The only training we’ve had in the last week is slalom training. I felt really good in that, but I don’t know. I couldn’t really get it going on the top. I was getting pushed outside the line, my timing wasn’t on. I don’t know why. I felt good this morning, felt confident.”
    Macartney, making just his second start in a World Championships race, said the lower start made it tough to carry speed to the end. Deep snowdrifts near the top of the course had forced officials to lower the start.
    “It was over before you knew it,” Macartney said. "It’s a pretty short course, and I guess it’s been a while since I’ve been in a race in good conditions and it took me a while to get into it. By the time I made some good turns I was too close to the bottom.”
    Macartney lamented the fact he didn’t punch in a better result after getting a surprise start after Sullivan’s late scratch. Macartney did provide some details on Sullivan’s abdominal injury, which was apparently caused by a violent cough, saying Sullivan tried to go freeskiing a few days ago in Are but couldn’t walk more than 150 yards from the team hotel before having to turn back because of the pain. Sullivan’s status for downhill training on Wednesday is uncertain.

— Whitney Childers contributed to this story