No Aksel – no problem

By Published On: December 5th, 2014Comments Off on No Aksel – no problem
Jansrud sees the green light in the finish area. GEPA

Jansrud sees the green light in the finish area. GEPA

BEAVER CREEK, Colo.  – What seemed like a dismal start to the season for Norwegians everywhere, with Aksel Lund Svindal taken down by an Achilles’ tendon tear, has quickly turned around for the team. Kjetil Jansrud, often overshadowed by teammate Svindal, has continued his hot streak with a win at the Beaver Creek Birds of Prey downhill today, besting Swiss skier Beat Feuz and American Steven Nyman by 0.54 and 0.56 of a second, respectively.

Jansrud, who swept the speed races last weekend in Lake Louise on the heels of a slalom victory by countryman Henrik Kristoffersen, added to the Norwegian win total with a dominating performance down the Birds of Prey course.

“It’s kind of weird because you stand here and you have to answer questions how you can win three races, and I don’t know,” laughed Jansrud. “Obviously I’m feeling very good on my skis, and I feel like I’m skiing technically solid.”

He used his strong technical abilities to make up significant time on then-leader Nyman with precision and aggression down the Brink, through the Talon turn, and down Pete’s Arena. After being behind on the first split by 0.52, there was no doubt he would take the lead, the only question was by how much. His clean, effortless skiing quickly erased the deficit from the first split to the second, and in the end he was able to make up over a second by the time he hit the finish. Jansrud came down with a lead of 0.56, which shrunk slightly as Feuz snuck into second from bib 25, just 0.02 ahead of Nyman. Jansrud becomes the fourth Norwegian to win a World Cup race at Beaver Creek, and he successfully defended the downhill title for Norway (Svindal was the defending champion).

“For sure today was a little special up on the pitch because I had an offensive plan, and I succeeded in that,” said Jansrud. “Normally you always make a tiny mistake or two, so being five-tenths off of Nyman on the top, I should have had a difficult time gaining that time because five-tenths is normally a lot. So that says something about how perfect I hit that pitch.”

Feuz finished second here in the downhill in 2011 on his way to a strong season where he just missed taking the overall title from Marcel Hirscher by 25 points. An injury and infection prior to the 2013 season kept him out of action for the entire year. He came back last season, but struggled to find his 2011 form. This season has been a different story, with a sixth-place finish in Lake Louise and now his first podium since a second-place result in Schladming, Austria, in March of 2012.

“In training I was not really trying hard, but today I could tell you I was moving as fast as I could,” said Feuz. “Today I was really skiing 100 percent and really pleased by the way I came down the mountain.”

The excitement of the day for hometown fans began when Nyman, running bib 6, took a commanding lead. For a while it seemed as if it might just hold up for his first win on a track not named Val Gardena, the site of his only two victories, as he held off 11 racers before Jansrud took to the course. It was clear that this version of Nyman was not the same as the one seen in recent years. His confidence and newfound balance were evident as he charged out of the start and gained a significant lead at the first split and  continued to build on it to the finish.

“I skied really well for the most part. In Pete’s Arena I had one little mistake. Other than that I was really psyched with my skiing. It’s such a cool hill because it’s steep, it’s demanding, there’s a lot of terrain, but they prep the snow so well,” said Nyman “You have to just risk it and go for it, knowing that the snow is going to hold you and knowing you can just drive through the whole turn. It’s so much fun to ski.”

Nyman credits much of his strong technical skiing and balance to an increase in giant slalom training over the summer and an early season PSIA camp.

“We’ve had a good block of GS in New Zealand. That was a big deal with my technical abilities. I’m skiing good GS,” reflected Nyman. “But another thing that we’ve been doing that I think really helped me was actually the PSIA camp we did in the spring. We took seven days of just focusing on technique and skiing and teaching. I actually spent yesterday teaching my 3-year-old niece how to ski.”

Additionally, he spent a lot of time tinkering with equipment to find a set-up on which he feels comfortable. So far the changes have been paying off with a strong result last week in Lake Louise and now a podium on home turf.

“I basically blew my equipment apart, and I just said, ‘OK, I need to figure out what I’m balanced on,’” said Nyman. “So I downsized my boots. I figured out binding positions, ramp angles, everything. And I feel really comfortable on what I’m on right now, so I’m psyched.”

The rest of the Americans had an up and down day. Travis Ganong continued his strong skiing, despite suffering an early season injury, finishing fifth, giving the U.S. Ski Team two finishes in the top five. It was Ganong’s sixth straight downhill top-10 dating back to Kitzbuehel.

“I’m really happy. Like I said, with my knee a little injury I was kind of bummed out leading into the season. I was fired up after the summer training and then last camp of the year to have a little setback was bad timing. But I’m really happy with my skiing right now, and I’m just carrying off the momentum from last winter which is nice,” said Ganong. “When you’re balanced on your skis and just having a good time, it’s just so much fun. I’m enjoying myself right now skiing. It’s awesome.”

Ted Ligety, who raced despite having surgery on a broken hand under two weeks ago, started bib 5, but called his run “mediocre” acknowledging that he is still not a downhiller. He tried to make up time in the steep turns following the Brink, but said he was “sloppy” and ultimately finished 28th. The only other American to finish in the points was Andrew Weibrecht, who moved from 62 to 30th. Marco Sullivan started first, but ran into trouble on Talon turn and finished 38th. Jared Goldberg in 40th, Bryce Bennett in 52nd, and Tommy Biesemeyer in 53rd rounded out the Americans. Wiley Maple, who had an impressive start to the season last weekend in Lake Louise, could not start after suffering a dislocated elbow during a conditioning session before the race. He will be out for approximately six weeks.

Tomorrow the men will return to the Birds of Prey track for the super G, and once again all eyes will be on the Norweigian Jansrud to see if he can keep his hot streak alive.

“This is kind of a dream, starting off with three wins. But for sure I’m going to make sure I do my job and keep on working so I can try to keep this up. It’s too much to ask. This is probably not going to happen,” said Jansrud. “But I’ll try to be up there and compete at every race in super G and downhill and then hopefully get some points in giant slalom as well. It’s a good start to the season, but it’s a long season. So I’m not going to speculate, but for sure I hope it continues.”

 

THE SCOOP

By Hank McKee

1. Jansrud, Head/Head/Head

2. Feuz, Head/Head/Head

3. Nyman, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer

4. Paris, Nordica/Nordica/Marker

5. Ganong, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic

6. Fayed, Head/Head/Head

7. Franz, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic

8. Reichelt, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon

9. Mayer, Head/Head/Head

10. Heel, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic

10. Fill, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic

Men’s World Cup downhill, Beaver Creek, USA, Dec. 5, 2014:

  • It is the fifth of 36 races on the men’s 2015 World Cup calendar … the second of 10 scheduled downhills. … It is the 58th World Cup race held at Beaver Creek … the 20th downhill. … Aksel Lund Svindal is the defending champion. … Herman Maier and Bode Miller each won the Beaver Creek World Cup downhill three times.
  • It is the third straight win for Kjetil Jansrud as he also won the downhill and super G at Lake Louise Nov. 29 & 30. … He is the only racer this season, male or female, to have won two races. … It is his seventh career World Cup victory, his third in downhill. … He is the fourth Norwegian to have won a World Cup race at Beaver Creek after Bjarne Solbakken, Lasse Kjus and Aksel Lund Svindal (with four wins on site). … It is the fastest time recorded on the full length Birds of Prey since Bode Miller was clocked in 1:39.76 in 2004. … Winning margin is more than a half second .54. … Just seven are within same second as Jansrud.
  • It is the 16th career World Cup podium for Beat Feuz. … and his third at Beaver Creek. … He and Didier Cuche are the only Swiss to have finished second in a Beaver Creek downhill.
  • It is the fifth career World Cup podium for Steven Nyman and the third at Beaver Creek having finished second in 2007 and third in 2006. … He, Bode Miller, and Daron Rahlves are the only Americans to make a Beaver Creek downhill podium.
  • Travis Ganong ties his third best career World Cup finish (from Sochi). … He has only placed better in back-to-back races at Kvitfjell, Norway. … Jan Hudec matches his third best finish in DH at Beaver Creek. … It is the second best DH finish at Beaver Creek for Manuel Osborne-Paradis. … It is the second best DH finish at Beaver Creek for Ted Ligety (was 22nd Dec. 2, 2011). … Andrew Weibrecht skied into the points from the 62nd start. It is his third best DH result at Beaver Creek.
  • Jansrud leads the World Cup overall standings 316-180 over Marcel Hirscher (did not race). … Dominik Paris (fourth in race) is third at 160pts. … Manuel Osborne-Paradis is top Canadian in fifth place with 127pts and Travis Gaanong leads the Americans in 12th at 81pts. … (Nyman is 13th wth 77pt).
  • Jansrud leads the downhill standings 200-120 over Guillermo Fayed (sixth in race) … Osborne-Paradis is fifth at 91pts and Nyman sixth at 75pts. … Ganong is seventh with 71pts.
  • Austria leads the men’s Nations Cup 768-502 over Italy and Norway each with 502pts. … The U.S. is sixth at 282 and Canada seventh at 243.

 

RESULTS

 1  17  421483 JANSRUD Kjetil 1985 NOR  1:40.17  0.00
 2  25  511383 FEUZ Beat 1987 SUI  1:40.71  +0.54  6.74
 3  6  533866 NYMAN Steven 1982 USA  1:40.73  +0.56  6.99
 4  13  291459 PARIS Dominik 1989 ITA  1:40.86  +0.69  8.61
 5  22  530874 GANONG Travis 1988 USA  1:40.88  +0.71  8.86
 6  29  192932 FAYED Guillermo 1985 FRA  1:40.95  +0.78  9.73
 7  14  53817 FRANZ Max 1989 AUT  1:41.08  +0.91  11.36
 8  18  50742 REICHELT Hannes 1980 AUT  1:41.27  +1.10  13.73
 9  21  53902 MAYER Matthias 1990 AUT  1:41.31  +1.14  14.23
 10  10  292514 HEEL Werner 1982 ITA  1:41.36  +1.19  14.85
 10  9  292455 FILL Peter 1982 ITA  1:41.36  +1.19  14.85
 12  7  511352 VILETTA Sandro 1986 SUI  1:41.37  +1.20  14.97
 13  12  192746 THEAUX Adrien 1984 FRA  1:41.38  +1.21  15.10
 14  28  50753 KROELL Klaus 1980 AUT  1:41.45  +1.28  15.97
 15  27  191964 POISSON David 1982 FRA  1:41.48  +1.31  16.35
 16  33  201811 STECHERT Tobias 1985 GER  1:41.50  +1.33  16.60
 17  26  102271 HUDEC Jan 1981 CAN  1:41.53  +1.36  16.97
 18  20  191740 CLAREY Johan 1981 FRA  1:41.63  +1.46  18.22
 19  4  510890 ZURBRIGGEN Silvan 1981 SUI  1:41.64  +1.47  18.34
 20  15  102899 OSBORNE-PARADIS Manuel 1984 CAN  1:41.71  +1.54  19.22
 21  30  51215 BAUMANN Romed 1986 AUT  1:41.75  +1.58  19.72
 22  48  150398 BANK Ondrej 1980 CZE  1:41.77  +1.60  19.97
 22  37  511529 GISIN Marc 1988 SUI  1:41.77  +1.60  19.97
 24  8  510727 DEFAGO Didier 1977 SUI  1:41.85  +1.68  20.96
 25  24  54005 STRIEDINGER Otmar 1991 AUT  1:41.93  +1.76  21.96
 26  2  511313 JANKA Carlo 1986 SUI  1:42.06  +1.89  23.58
 27  19  293006 INNERHOFER Christof 1984 ITA  1:42.07  +1.90  23.71
 28  5  534562 LIGETY Ted 1984 USA  1:42.17  +2.00  24.96
 29  56  293550 MARSAGLIA Matteo 1985 ITA  1:42.31  +2.14  26.70
 30  62  530939 WEIBRECHT Andrew 1986 USA  1:42.34  +2.17  27.08
 31  11  50858 STREITBERGER Georg 1981 AUT  1:42.35  +2.18  27.20
 32  3  51332 SCHEIBER Florian 1987 AUT  1:42.41  +2.24  27.95
 33  60  422139 KILDE Aleksander Aamodt 1992 NOR  1:42.42  +2.25  28.08
 34  55  200379 SANDER Andreas 1989 GER  1:42.46  +2.29  28.58
 35  43  380292 ZRNCIC-DIM Natko 1986 CRO  1:42.47  +2.30  28.70
 35  31  202059 FERSTL Josef 1988 GER  1:42.47  +2.30  28.70
 37  38  561217 KOSI Klemen 1991 SLO  1:42.49  +2.32  28.95
 38  1  533131 SULLIVAN Marco 1980 USA  1:42.56  +2.39  29.82
 39  51  194167 MUZATON Maxence 1990 FRA  1:42.59  +2.42  30.20
 40  41  934643 GOLDBERG Jared 1991 USA  1:42.68  +2.51  31.32
 41  23  293141 VARETTONI Silvano 1984 ITA  1:42.69  +2.52  31.45
 42  61  294277 KLOTZ Siegmar 1987 ITA  1:42.71  +2.54  31.70
 42  40  511513 CAVIEZEL Mauro 1988 SUI  1:42.71  +2.54  31.70
 44  34  511981 WEBER Ralph 1993 SUI  1:42.78  +2.61  32.57
 45  45  481705 GLEBOV Alexander 1983 RUS  1:42.97  +2.80  34.94
 46  46  194190 ROGER Brice 1990 FRA  1:42.99  +2.82  35.19
 47  53  491151 DE LA CUESTA Paul 1988 SPA  1:43.11  +2.94  36.69
 48  49  103271 THOMSEN Benjamin 1987 CAN  1:43.26  +3.09  38.56
 49  52  51327 PUCHNER Joachim 1987 AUT  1:43.45  +3.28  40.93
 50  57  194298 GIEZENDANNER Blaise 1991 FRA  1:43.57  +3.40  42.43
 51  32  560447 SPORN Andrej 1981 SLO  1:43.87  +3.70  46.17
 52  44  6530104 BENNETT Bryce 1992 USA  1:44.02  +3.85  48.04
 53  59  531452 BIESEMEYER Thomas 1989 USA  1:44.07  +3.90  48.67
 54  58  990081 CASSE Mattia 1990 ITA  1:44.11  +3.94  49.17
 55  63  430429 BYDLINSKI Maciej 1988 POL  1:44.61  +4.44  55.41
 56  64  110324 VON APPEN Henrik 1994 CHI  1:45.28  +5.11  63.77
Did not start 1st run
 54  930024 MAPLE Wiley 1990 USA
 47  400281 VAN HEEK Marvin 1991 NED
Did not finish 1st run
 50  510997 BERTHOD Marc 1983 SUI
 42  561067 PERKO Rok 1985 SLO
 39  180570 ROMAR Andreas 1989 FIN
 36  103612 PRIDY Morgan 1990 CAN
 35  561255 CATER Martin 1992 SLO
 16  511139 KUENG Patrick 1984 SUI

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About the Author: Jessica Kelley

A 10-year veteran of the U.S. Ski Team, Kelley collected three NorAm titles, won GS silver at the 2002 World Junior Championships, and was a member of the 2007 World Championships team during her professional career. She resides in Park City, Utah, with her husband, Adam Cole.