Svindal leads opening training in Val Gardena, Nyman and Ganong close behind

Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal continued his speedy ways in downhill this season, clocking the fastest time in the opening training run in Val Gardena/Groeden, Italy, today with a time of 1:59.34 seconds down the challenging and terrain-filled track.

With central Europe having a rough go thus far this winter with warm weather and little precipitation, it was unclear at Beaver Creek whether or not the iconic track in the Dolomites would be able to pass FIS snow control.

However, thanks to the magic of snowmaking and a dedicated organizing committee and course crew, conditions were near perfect for the first of two training runs.

For Svindal, skiing the fastest opening training run down the track famous for its camel jumps and bone-rattling conditions bodes well for his chances, seeing that he has yet to secure a downhill podium on race day at this venue.

“I skied well and as always, the course was very bumpy, the Ciaslat meadow is again quite turbulent,” the Norwegian said. “The course is in a wonderful state, the organizing committee has done a great job. In general, the snow wasn’t as soft as I expected it. It gets harder with every racer and we have to prepare for that.”

At 0.23 seconds behind Svindal in second was three-time Val Gardena winner and the defending champion from last winter, American Steve Nyman. A fourth victory here would put him in the company of some of the sport’s greatest names, as Italy’s Kristian Ghedina and Austria’s Franz Klammer are the only two racers to achieve four downhill wins in Val Gardena.

“Winning here would tie me in with a few really big names. It would be very cool but I have to focus on what I have to do and how I have to ski,” Nyman said. “Sure, I know the track, have to risk it but let’s remember that I’ve crashed more than I won here, so have to be careful, too. I have to be confident with myself and my line, and then hope for the best.”

Following Nyman in third, 0.42 seconds off the pace, was teammate Travis Ganong. After starting the season strong with a podium finish in Lake Louise, Ganong had to settle for a disappointing 12th place in Beaver Creek.

“The snow is perfect and consistent, smooth, and really fun to ski,” Ganong said. “All the jumps are very different, too. You have to jump very hard to clear them. The first Camel, for example, has changed. The first Ciaslat jump is similar to how it was in the past, but the second is also very different. You have to ski them differently. But the snow is super smooth and it’s a lot of fun to ski the course.”

Americans Jared Goldberg and Marco Sullivan finished in 15th and 16th, respectively, giving the Americans a solid four skiers in the top 16 on day one.

A second training run is scheduled tomorrow before racing action gets underway on Friday with the super G slated to start at 12:15 p.m. CET.

Official Results