Kucera wins NorAm GS battles; Zamansky, Lanning win standings war

Kucera wins NorAm GS battles; Zamansky, Lanning win standings war{mosimage}Panorama, British Columbia Plenty of talent, including about a dozen rising stars on the Swiss, Canadian and American World Cup and Olympic teams, journeyed to the majestic setting of Panorama, B.C., for the final CIBC Coupe NorAm tech events of the season.

Canadian John Kucera owned the top of the podium in giant slalom action March 14 and 15, but U.S. Ski Teamers Jake Zamansky and Thomas Lanning protected their 1-2 positions in the NorAm GS standings with strong skiing in the stacked field, thereby claiming the 2006-07 World Cup spots that accompany them.

Kucera, who has skied almost exclusively on the World Cup this year, won both runs in the March 14 giant slalom, taking the race by sixth-tenths of a second. Zamansky’s second- and third-place runs were good enough for second on the day, and Lanning managed a fourth-place finish just behind Switzerland’s Marc Berthod.

“I’m really pleased with my win today, because it will give me a much better start [position] on the World Cup in GS,” said Kucera of his (minimum penalty) six-points race. “It’s great to be back in Canada.”

In the March 15 giant slalom season finale, the top four finishers were exactly the same as they’d been the day before. Kucera and Zamansky raced to the top of the podium again, but this time, Lanning claimed bronze by swapping places with Berthod.

Having finished on the front page in several World Cup super G’s this season, Kucera is best known for his speed prowess, and even he conceded that he was a little surprised by winning back-to-back giant slaloms in such a deep field.

“I’m usually a consistent skier,” said Kucera after his second win, “[And even though] I’m good in technical disciplines… there was still a lot of tough competition here with all the World Cup racers.”

Zamansky’s NorAm giant slalom title was hardly a surprise, as he’s finished either first or second in each of the past four NorAm GS races. Lanning, on the other hand, has been battling injuries for years, and he seemed to experience a combination of surprise and relief in measuring his Panorama performance.

“I can’t be too disappointed,” said Lanning after his bronze medal GS performance, “[especially] considering that I’ve been off snow for almost three full seasons… It’s great to know I can still be competitive among these racers. I’ll be looking for the podium again in slalom tomorrow.”

The men race two slaloms March 16 and 17 to conclude the NorAm season.

Men’s giant slalom
CIBC Coupe NorAm
Panorama, British Columbia
March 14, 2006

1. John Kucera CAN 2:11.65
2. Jake Zamansky USA 2:12.25
3. Marc Berthod SUI 2:12.77
4. Thomas Lanning USA 2:12.82
5. Scott Barrett CAN 2:13.47
6. Roger Brown USA 2:13.48
7. James Cochran USA 2:13.62
8. Julien Cousineau CAN 2:13.70
9. Warner Nickerson USA 2:13.97
10. Marc Gini SUI 2:14.07

Men’s giant slalom
CIBC Coupe NorAm
Panorama, British Columbia
March 15, 2006

1. John Kucera CAN 2:15.73
2. Jake Zamansky USA 2:16.23
3. Thomas Lanning USA 2:16.56
4. Marc Berhod SUI 2:17.76
5. Erik Fisher USA 2:18.07
6. Evan Weiss USA 2:18.15
7. Warner Nickerson USA 2:18.44
8. Marc Gini SUI 2:18.48
9. Roger Brown USA 2:18.51
10. Tom Rothrock USA 2:18.85

For complete results from the two GS races, click here