Jansrud wins on home snow to secure SG globe
Kjetil Jansrud isn’t going down without a fight. After a disappointing seventh-place result in the downhill a day earlier, the Norwegian fired back on his home racecourse to pick off a much needed win in Sunday’s super G at Kvitfjell, Norway.
Racing the high-speed, spring-like course set by the French coach Patrice Morisod, Jansrud skirted past Austria’s runner-up, Vincent Kriechmayr, by nearly a quarter-second. And fresh on the heels of a World Championship silver medal in this event, Canada’s Dustin Cook grabbed his first World Cup podium, finishing third.
With the wining time of 1 minute, 37.44 seconds and a 123-point lead in the super G standings, Jansrud secured his first career crystal globe and discipline title. The Attacking Viking got some help from a pair of Austrian DNFs — Hannes Reichelt and Matthias Mayer, both of whom had threatened the super G standings but faltered in the same pesky section early in their runs. They joined fellow super G contender Adrien Theaux as just a few of the 21 skiers who failed to finish Sunday’s race.
“Everyone expected me to secure both globes here in Kvitfjell,” Jansrud said after the race. “That didn’t happen yesterday with the downhill. I was a little disappointed. That’s part of the game. I wasn’t angry or anything. Grabbing the win today is good for my confidence. I know I can win races again — it’s been tough the last few weeks.”
Knowing his top challengers in the super G standings were heading home with a goose egg, Jansrud skied a high, clean, early line throughout his run. He fell to as much as a quarter-second deficit at the last split but charged the final section to cross the finish with a comfortable margin of victory.
With the win, Jansrud will have some of the pressure lifted heading into World Cup Finals, where he will now be able to focus solely on the downhill title. He currently holds a slim 20-point lead over Reichelt in the discipline.
“This is the first globe of my career,” Jansrud said. “It’s good to not have to go into the final weekend feeling like there are two guys pushing me on the cup and I have to fend off both of them. That’s big because I can leave the super G and focus on the downhill.”
With a 52-point deficit to Marcel Hirscher — and a pair of tech races set for Kranjska Gora next weekend — Jansrud is first to admit the numbers are not looking good in the overall. Hirscher is confident in his current standing, having opted to skip the super G in Norway and instead remain home where he can polish up his already stellar GS and slalom skiing. Objectively, it will require a major error or DNF — maybe two — on the part of the Austrian for Jansrud to have a fighting chance.
“Hirscher is still leading and I think he will gain some extra points in Kranjska Gora, so I’m not very concerned about the overall,” said Jansrud. “I think he’ll pull through. But it might get exciting. He has no room for error and anything can happen. I’ll keep on fighting and we’ll see. I’ll concentrate on the downhill globe and try to ski giant slalom in Kranjska Gora as fast as I can.”
Meanwhile, Dustin Cook is catching fire in super G. On his way to the podium result, the Canadian had to fight through several serious mistakes to complete his run, most notably getting twisted up over the Lift not far from the finish.
“I got a little lucky with the draw starting early,” said Cook. “I definitely was on the limit and maybe a little over the limit on the bottom here. That definitely cost me a lot of time. But I think it was good skiing. I’m super psyched obviously.”
The result comes a day after his teammate Manny Osborne-Paradis claimed a podium in the downhill. Asked if he wishes the season would just keep going now that he’s found his form, Cook said he’s got four more races in him and then he’s going to the beach. “I’m really happy with how the season went,” he said.
For the Americans, Andrew Weibrecht, in fifth, matched his career-best World Cup result from Kitzbuehel earlier this season. Weibrecht skied a controlled yet aggressive line — clean through most of the course but got into trouble over the Lift — as did many other racers.
“I don’t feel like I skied my best, but I did ski solid,” said Weibrecht. “It’s just really tough. The snow is really soft. If you’re offline at all, then you get nothing back from your skis. That makes it really tricky. It’s not an easy race, took a lot of tactics. I’m pretty satisfied.”
Jared Goldberg and Travis Ganong were the next best American finishers in 23rd and 24th, respectively. They were followed by Marco Sullivan, 26th, who cracked the top 30 for the first time in super G since Lake Louise in 2011. Bryce Bennett and Steven Nyman did not finish.
The men’s World Cup tour heads to Kranjska Gora for GS and slalom races March 14-15.
The Scoop
By Hank McKee
1 Jansrud, Head/Head/Head
2 Kriechmayr, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer
3 Cook, Head/Head/Head
4 Paris, Nordica/Nordica/Marker
5 Weibrecht, Head/Head/Head
6 Baumann, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon
7 Kueng, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon
8 Janka, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
8 Franz, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
10 Defago, Rossignol/Lange/Rossignol
Men’s World Cup super G, Kvitfjell, Norway, March 8, 2015:
- It is the 30th of 38 races on the men’s World Cup calendar … the sixth of seven scheduled super G’s. … It is the 57th World Cup race held, at least in part, at Kvitfjell … the 23rd super G. … Norwegians have won the last three super G’s held at their home mountain: Jansrud in 2012 and2014 and Svindal in 2013.
- Nearly a third of the field fails to finish.
- Kjetil Jansrud makes it four straight SG wins at Kvitfjell for Norway. … It is his ninth career World Cup win, his fifth in super G and his third in super G at Kvitfjell. … It is his sixth win of the season and first since claiming the Hahnenkamm downhill Jan. 24. The winning margin is 0.24 of a second. … Top ten finishers are within the same second.
- It is the first career World Cup podium placing for Vincent Kriechmayr … his previous best had been fourth in super G at Val Gardena in December. … He had been fifth in super G at Kvitfjell last season.
- It is the first World Cup podium for Dustin Cook, though he did earn a silver medal in super G at World Championships in February. … It is the second Canadian World Cup podium at Kvitfjll this season after Manuel Osborne-Paradis’s second-place finish in the downhill March 7.
- Andrew Weibrecht matches his career best World Cup result, matching his super G finish at Kitzbuehel Jan. 23. … It is the fifth best World Cup finish of the season for Manuel Osborne-Paradis … second best super G finish. … It is a career best World Cup super G finish for Jared Goldberg. … The eighth best SG finish for Travis Ganong. … It is the 14th best career World Cup SG finish for Marco Sullivan.
- Marcel Hirscher (did not race) maintains control of the World Cup overall standings 1128-1076 over Kjetil Jansrud. … Alexis Pinturault (14th in race) is third overall with 762pts. … Ted Ligety (did not race) is the top U.S. skier in 10th with 470pts.
- Jansrud leads the super G standings 476-353 over Dominik Paris (fourth in race) with one race remaining and cannot be beaten for the title. … Matthias Mayer is third in the super G standings with 274pts. … Andrew Weibrecht is ninth with 151pts and Dustin Cook 12th with 139pts.
Results
1 | 19 | 421483 | JANSRUD Kjetil | 1985 | NOR | 1:37.44 | 0.00 | |||
2 | 5 | 53980 | KRIECHMAYR Vincent | 1991 | AUT | 1:37.68 | +0.24 | 2.66 | ||
3 | 8 | 100558 | COOK Dustin | 1989 | CAN | 1:37.77 | +0.33 | 3.66 | ||
4 | 21 | 291459 | PARIS Dominik | 1989 | ITA | 1:37.92 | +0.48 | 5.32 | ||
5 | 10 | 530939 | WEIBRECHT Andrew | 1986 | USA | 1:37.93 | +0.49 | 5.43 | ||
6 | 29 | 51215 | BAUMANN Romed | 1986 | AUT | 1:37.97 | +0.53 | 5.87 | ||
7 | 13 | 511139 | KUENG Patrick | 1984 | SUI | 1:38.08 | +0.64 | 7.09 | ||
8 | 15 | 511313 | JANKA Carlo | 1986 | SUI | 1:38.30 | +0.86 | 9.53 | ||
8 | 14 | 53817 | FRANZ Max | 1989 | AUT | 1:38.30 | +0.86 | 9.53 | ||
10 | 20 | 510727 | DEFAGO Didier | 1977 | SUI | 1:38.33 | +0.89 | 9.86 | ||
11 | 3 | 194190 | ROGER Brice | 1990 | FRA | 1:38.44 | +1.00 | 11.08 | ||
12 | 23 | 511513 | CAVIEZEL Mauro | 1988 | SUI | 1:38.59 | +1.15 | 12.75 | ||
13 | 7 | 192504 | MERMILLOD BLONDIN Thomas | 1984 | FRA | 1:38.62 | +1.18 | 13.08 | ||
14 | 12 | 194364 | PINTURAULT Alexis | 1991 | FRA | 1:38.83 | +1.39 | 15.41 | ||
15 | 34 | 511638 | TUMLER Thomas | 1989 | SUI | 1:38.95 | +1.51 | 16.74 | ||
16 | 28 | 511383 | FEUZ Beat | 1987 | SUI | 1:38.96 | +1.52 | 16.85 | ||
17 | 6 | 51327 | PUCHNER Joachim | 1987 | AUT | 1:38.98 | +1.54 | 17.07 | ||
18 | 24 | 102899 | OSBORNE-PARADIS Manuel | 1984 | CAN | 1:39.21 | +1.77 | 19.62 | ||
19 | 37 | 990081 | CASSE Mattia | 1990 | ITA | 1:39.31 | +1.87 | 20.73 | ||
20 | 45 | 561216 | KLINE Bostjan | 1991 | SLO | 1:39.32 | +1.88 | 20.84 | ||
21 | 55 | 192932 | FAYED Guillermo | 1985 | FRA | 1:39.36 | +1.92 | 21.28 | ||
22 | 40 | 200379 | SANDER Andreas | 1989 | GER | 1:39.37 | +1.93 | 21.39 | ||
23 | 39 | 934643 | GOLDBERG Jared | 1991 | USA | 1:39.39 | +1.95 | 21.61 | ||
24 | 26 | 530874 | GANONG Travis | 1988 | USA | 1:39.52 | +2.08 | 23.05 | ||
25 | 38 | 511808 | SCHMED Fernando | 1991 | SUI | 1:39.56 | +2.12 | 23.50 | ||
26 | 53 | 533131 | SULLIVAN Marco | 1980 | USA | 1:39.58 | +2.14 | 23.72 | ||
27 | 32 | 53933 | SCHWEIGER Patrick | 1990 | AUT | 1:39.67 | +2.23 | 24.72 | ||
28 | 47 | 422073 | NETELAND Bjoernar | 1991 | NOR | 1:39.69 | +2.25 | 24.94 | ||
29 | 35 | 51332 | SCHEIBER Florian | 1987 | AUT | 1:39.70 | +2.26 | 25.05 | ||
30 | 41 | 511847 | MANI Nils | 1992 | SUI | 1:39.86 | +2.42 | 26.82 | ||
31 | 50 | 103271 | THOMSEN Benjamin | 1987 | CAN | 1:40.01 | +2.57 | 28.49 | ||
32 | 27 | 561217 | KOSI Klemen | 1991 | SLO | 1:40.07 | +2.63 | 29.15 | ||
33 | 42 | 380292 | ZRNCIC-DIM Natko | 1986 | CRO | 1:40.19 | +2.75 | 30.48 | ||
34 | 58 | 194167 | MUZATON Maxence | 1990 | FRA | 1:40.24 | +2.80 | 31.03 | ||
35 | 31 | 202059 | FERSTL Josef | 1988 | GER | 1:40.49 | +3.05 | 33.81 | ||
36 | 44 | 194542 | GIRAUD MOINE Valentin | 1992 | FRA | 1:40.52 | +3.08 | 34.14 | ||
37 | 51 | 481705 | GLEBOV Alexander | 1983 | RUS | 1:40.88 | +3.44 | 38.13 | ||
38 | 52 | 510890 | ZURBRIGGEN Silvan | 1981 | SUI | 1:41.41 | +3.97 | 44.00 | ||
Did not finish 1st run | ||||||||||
59 | 170131 | FAARUP Christoffer | 1992 | DAN | ||||||
57 | 20324 | OLIVERAS Marc | 1991 | AND | ||||||
56 | 104096 | THOMPSON Broderick | 1994 | CAN | ||||||
54 | 294277 | KLOTZ Siegmar | 1987 | ITA | ||||||
49 | 6530104 | BENNETT Bryce | 1992 | USA | ||||||
48 | 561067 | PERKO Rok | 1985 | SLO | ||||||
46 | 511981 | WEBER Ralph | 1993 | SUI | ||||||
43 | 501987 | MONSEN Felix | 1994 | SWE | ||||||
36 | 6291029 | BATTILANI Henri | 1994 | ITA | ||||||
33 | 202196 | BRANDNER Klaus | 1990 | GER | ||||||
30 | 292455 | FILL Peter | 1982 | ITA | ||||||
25 | 533866 | NYMAN Steven | 1982 | USA | ||||||
22 | 50858 | STREITBERGER Georg | 1981 | AUT | ||||||
18 | 53902 | MAYER Matthias | 1990 | AUT | ||||||
17 | 50742 | REICHELT Hannes | 1980 | AUT | ||||||
16 | 192746 | THEAUX Adrien | 1984 | FRA | ||||||
11 | 54005 | STRIEDINGER Otmar | 1991 | AUT | ||||||
9 | 293550 | MARSAGLIA Matteo | 1985 | ITA | ||||||
4 | 292514 | HEEL Werner | 1982 | ITA | ||||||
2 | 103612 | PRIDY Morgan | 1990 | CAN | ||||||
1 | 191740 | CLAREY Johan | 1981 | FRA |