University Games: DU's Cole third in super G

University of Denver racer Adam Cole won his second bronze medal of the 2007 Winter World University Games on Tuesday in Bardonecchia, Italy, placing third in the super G after posting a time of 1 minute, 11.65 seconds. The win catapulted Cole to a silver in the combined standings as well, two points ahead of U.S. teammate and University of Utah racer Tague Thorson.
UNIVERSITY OF DENVER racer Adam Cole won his second bronze medal of the 2007 Winter World University Games on Tuesday in Bardonecchia, Italy, placing third in the super G after posting a time of 1 minute, 11.65 seconds. The win catapulted Cole to a silver in the combined standings as well, two points ahead of U.S. teammate and University of Utah racer Tague Thorson.
    After a morning of delays due to fog and heavy snowfall, the race finally got under way nearly three hours late. Cole ran sixth overall in a field of more than 70 competitors, and his time held over every competitor coming down the hill after him.
    “It’s real exciting,” Cole said. “Coming out here and winning two bronze medals is a real positive for me. I want to grow from this experience overall, and use these medals to catapult my racing career even further.”
    “Adam has found himself behind some very good skiers in these events,” said men’s coach Thomas Arnstein of the University of Nevada. “I’m proud of the way he skied today and I’m sure he is as well.”
    Cole finished behind two racers from the Czech Republic, gold medalist Petr Zahrobsky, who finished with a time of 1:11.36 and silver medalist Filip Trejbal, who finished in 1:11.53. Trejbal won the gold medal in giant slalom, the same event in which Cole won his first bronze. Trejbal also won the gold medal in the combined, which was scored based on results of the other three events. Trejbal finished with 350 points, while Cole scored 302 for the silver and Thorson 300 for the bronze.
    Thorson also had his third top-10 performance of the Games, finishing the super G in ninth with a time of 1:12.34. Thorson also finished sixth in the slalom and fourth in the giant slalom, making him the only U.S. skier to finish in the top 10 in all three men’s events.
    Eric Mann of Williams College, competing in his first race of the World University Games, placed 25th with a time of 1:13.59. Drew Roberts of Colorado placed 35th with a time of 1:14.90. Colorado’s Stefan Hughes did not finish his run.
    Overall, Arnstein was pleased with the team’s performance, especially in tough conditions.
    “These guys raced well,” Arnstein said. “There was a lot of snow coming down up there, and the visibility wasn’t the greatest. Adam and Tague really did some good things up there, but I thought all of the guys put in a great effort. This was Eric’s first time out here, so he got a taste of the competition, too, which I think was a good thing for him.”
    The U.S. women’s team will compete in the super G on Wednesday, which will conclude the alpine skiing events.