Val Gardena: Heel blows to SG win at home

Werner Heel didn’t so much ski-like-the-wind as with it in collecting the first Italian win Friday at Italy’s premier World Cup site in seven seasons, taking the third super G of the men’s World Cup season.
 

The third starter on the day, Heel ripped a course that counted a turn every 37 feet over a 1935-foot vertical drop and won by .43 of a second over Swiss Didier Defago. Swede Patrik Jaerbyn captured the final spot on the podium finishing third another two hundredths of a second back.
 

Weather was a definite factor as a stiff breeze picked up and ran smack into later starters. The first five starters wound up dominating the results, all finding placings in the top six. Just Defago broke in from outside those ranks.

Werner Heel didn’t so much ski-like-the-wind as with it in collecting the first Italian win Friday at Italy’s premier World Cup site in seven seasons, taking the third super G of the men’s World Cup season.

The third starter on the day, Heel ripped a course that counted a turn every 37 feet over a 1935-foot vertical drop and won by .43 of a second over Swiss Didier Defago. Swede Patrik Jaerbyn captured the final spot on the podium finishing third another two hundredths of a second back.

Weather was a definite factor as a stiff breeze picked up and ran smack into later starters. The first five starters wound up dominating the results, all finding placings in the top six. Just Defago broke in from outside those ranks.

“I am lost for words,” Heel told Deutsche-Presse. “The conditions changed. My bib was definitely not a disadvantage.”

Many of the top contenders floundered. Tour leader Aksel Svindal finished 28th, SG standings leader Hermann Maier was ninth and Benjamin Raich 29th. American Bode Miller was 17th, not even close to being the top North American.

It was a decent day for the Americans, but not what might have been hoped for. Marco Sullivan led the charge in fifth, matching his career best in super G scored just three weeks ago at Lake Louise. TJ Lanning was 16th, Bode Miller finished 17th and Erik Fisher was 20th in a career best effort. Andrew Weibrecht finished 31st.

Canadian Erik Guay was seventh on the day with teammates Robbie Dixon 22nd and John Kucera 25th. The winner of
both the downhill training runs earlier this week, Guay was guardedly optimistic. “It’s a downhiller’s course so how can I not like it. But training runs are training runs. We’ve already seen it this year with Bode (Miller) in Lake Louise. You can win in training and it doesn’t mean anything on race day, but obviously I am looking forward to tomorrow’s race.”

The fifth place result for Sullivan cements him as a major player in speed events.

“Marco skied really well in all the sections except for one turn where he had a late transition,” said U.S. Men’a coach Sasha Rearick. “He was one turn away from being on the podium.”

Sullivan was pretty pleased himself: “It sets me up well for tomorrow in the downhill. Carrying that confidence over is going to be a big boost, I think. To ski the way I did today, knowing that it will be the same snow conditions tomorrow, the overall confidence I can bring will help me.”

Coach Rearick also had high praise for TJ Lanning. Starting 56th, the Park City skier put up some top intermediate times before running into difficulties late on the course.

“He (Lanning) skied out of his mind,” Rearick said. “He attacked the course and was perfect after starting way back. Up to the very last split he was second – that’s how fast he skied. He tried to take an aggressive line on the last jump and it pushed him so he had to throw the brakes on to make the gate. But, he was skiing tremendously and to pull that kind of time was unbelievable. We’re really excited.”

Of importance to the coach was the showing of Erik Fisher. “To score his first points is great,” the coach said. “He just created another spot for us in super G.”

Heel becomes just the third Italian to ever win at Val Gardena. Herbert Plank won a 1977 downhill at the site and Kristian Ghedina won a record four times from 1996 through 2001. Gustavo Thoeni also wrapped up the 1975 World Cup title by winning a parallel slalom at Val Gardena.
 

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The SCOOP

By Hank McKee

Men’s super G, Val Gardena, Italy, Dec. 19, 2008

1 Heel, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol

2 Defago, Rossignol/Lange/Rossignol

3 Jaerbyn, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic

4 Hoffmann, Head/Lange/Tyrolia

5 Sullivan, Nordica/Nordica/Marker

6 Goergl, Fischer/Lange/Fischer

7 Guay, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic

8 Staudacher, Head/Head/Tyrolia

9 Maier, Head/Head/Head

10 Cuche, Head/Head/Tyrolia

Men’s Super G, Val Gardena, Italy, Dec. 19, 2008. … It is the tenth race of the men’s 38 race 2008-09 World Cup schedule. … It is the third (half) of six scheduled super G’s. … It is the 63rd Cup race at least in part at Val Gardena or Groeden including two parallel slaloms in 1975. … It is just the eighth super G, seven of which have been held annually over the most recent seven seasons. … Since 1975 the site has exclusively hosted the men’s tour.

It is the second career World Cup win for Werner Heel, the previous in downhill at Kvitfjell, Norway Feb. 29, 2008. … He becomes the first Italian to win at the site since Kristian Ghedina in 2001. … He is the first Italian male to win a Cup super G since Alessandro Fattori won at Kvitfjell March 3, 2002. …

It is the ninth career World Cup podium for Didier Defago. … the sixth in super G. … He won at Groeden Dec. 20, 2002. … He becomes the fifth Swiss racer to tally a podium this season. …

It is the third career World Cup podium for Patrik Jaerbyn, all in super G. … It is his first since Nov. 26, 2006 when he was third at Lake Louise. … His only better career result comes from Kvitfjell March 8, 1998.

Fifth matches Marco Sullivan’s fourth best career result in any discipline and best in SG. … It is his second fifth place finish in SG this season after Lake Louise. … It is his second best result at Val Gardena having placed fourth in DH in December 2006. … Erik Guay matches his 22nd best career mark in seventh. … It also matches his second best result of this season. … He was third at Beaver Creek in DH, seventh Lake Louise in SG. … It is the 11th best career mark, and best of the season, for Manuel Osborne-Paradis. … He started 46th. … For TJ Lanning in 16th it is the fourth best result of his career and the third best this season after a ninth in DH at Lake Louise and a 13th in DH at Beaver Creek. … It is his best career SG result. … The race marks the 150th time Bode Miller has placed 17th or better in a World Cup race. … He won the Val Gardena SG Dec. 15, 2006. … It is a career best World Cup result for Erik Fisher in 20th and his first points in super G. … His only other score came earlier this season in DH at Beaver Creek when he finished 28th. … It is the ninth career scoring result for Robbie Dixon, all of them coming in the 2008 calendar year. … It is the 51st scoring result for John Kucera. … His third best of four results in SG at Val Gardena.

Aksel Svindal (28 in race) maintains the lead of the World Cup overall standings 398-315 over Carlo Janka (11th in race). … Benjamin Raich (27th in race) is third at 297. … Erik Guay is the top North American in ninth place with 178pts. … Bode Miller is one placing lower with 160pts. Hermann Maier (ninth in race) maintains the lead of the super G standings 209-170 over Defago. … Aksel Svindal is third at 132. … John Kucera in fourth at 126 leads the North Americans. … Sullivan is the top U.S.. skier in sixth with 99pts.

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Men’s super G, Val Gardena, Italy, Dec. 19, 2008

Rank	Bib	FIS Code	Name	Year	Nation	Total Time	FIS Points
1	3	292514	HEEL Werner	1982	ITA	1:35.04	0.00
2	17	510727	DEFAGO Didier	1977	SUI	1:35.47	4.80
3	2	500150	JAERBYN Patrik	1969	SWE	1:35.49	5.02
4	4	510767	HOFFMANN Ambrosi	1977	SUI	1:35.51	5.24
5	5	533131	SULLIVAN Marco	1980	USA	1:35.56	5.80
6	1	50600	GOERGL Stephan	1978	AUT	1:35.65	6.80
7	10	102263	GUAY Erik	1981	CAN	1:35.82	8.70
8	26	290998	STAUDACHER Patrick	1980	ITA	1:35.84	8.92
9	21	50423	MAIER Hermann	1972	AUT	1:35.87	9.26
10	22	510030	CUCHE Didier	1974	SUI	1:35.91	9.70
11	50	511313	JANKA Carlo	1986	SUI	1:36.04	11.15
11	47	50753	KROELL Klaus	1980	AUT	1:36.04	11.15
13	46	102899	OSBORNE-PARADIS Manuel	1984	CAN	1:36.07	11.49
14	29	510993	ALBRECHT Daniel	1983	SUI	1:36.09	11.71
15	54	192746	THEAUX Adrien	1984	FRA	1:36.12	12.05
16	56	534567	LANNING T.J.	1984	USA	1:36.13	12.16
17	13	532431	MILLER Bode	1977	USA	1:36.18	12.71
18	19	50742	REICHELT Hannes	1980	AUT	1:36.20	12.94
19	8	50858	STREITBERGER Georg	1981	AUT	1:36.22	13.16
20	42	534939	FISHER Erik	1985	USA	1:36.24	13.38
21	7	510747	GRUENENFELDER Tobias	1977	SUI	1:36.25	13.50
22	28	102961	DIXON Robbie	1985	CAN	1:36.27	13.72
23	27	291399	GIRARDI Walter	1976	ITA	1:36.35	14.61
24	6	560332	JERMAN Andrej	1978	SLO	1:36.38	14.95
25	16	102873	KUCERA John	1984	CAN	1:36.42	15.39
26	30	292455	FILL Peter	1982	ITA	1:36.54	16.73
27	20	50625	RAICH Benjamin	1978	AUT	1:36.58	17.18
28	18	421328	SVINDAL Aksel Lund	1982	NOR	1:36.61	17.51
29	32	510890	ZURBRIGGEN Silvan	1981	SUI	1:36.68	18.29
30	51	150421	ZAHROBSKY Petr	1980	CZE	1:36.77	19.30
31	48	292756	PENASA Massimo	1983	ITA	1:36.78	19.41
31	44	530939	WEIBRECHT Andrew	1986	USA	1:36.78	19.41
33	38	510307	BRAND Olivier	1980	SUI	1:36.79	19.52
34	15	350032	BUECHEL Marco	1971	LIE	1:36.88	20.52
35	57	201606	KEPPLER Stephan	1983	GER	1:36.89	20.63
36	49	294911	PATSCHEIDER Hagen	1988	ITA	1:36.93	21.08
37	55	40171	BRANCH Craig	1977	AUS	1:36.96	21.41
38	9	293006	INNERHOFER Christof	1984	ITA	1:36.98	21.64
39	41	201542	STRODL Peter	1982	GER	1:37.00	21.86
40	34	560447	SPORN Andrej	1981	SLO	1:37.07	22.64
40	11	50041	WALCHHOFER Michael	1975	AUT	1:37.07	22.64
42	43	533842	FRANCIS Kevin	1982	USA	1:37.18	23.87
43	45	421400	MYHRE Lars Elton	1984	NOR	1:37.20	24.09
44	23	380260	KOSTELIC Ivica	1979	CRO	1:37.31	25.32
45	40	191116	DALCIN Pierre-Emmanuel	1977	FRA	1:37.46	26.99
46	12	50451	GRUBER Christoph	1976	AUT	1:37.54	27.88
47	62	510997	BERTHOD Marc	1983	SUI	1:37.59	28.44
47	58	293550	MARSAGLIA Matteo	1985	ITA	1:37.59	28.44
49	52	191746	DE TESSIERES Gauthier	1981	FRA	1:37.62	28.78
50	39	292291	THANEI Stefan	1981	ITA	1:37.77	30.45
51	25	533866	NYMAN Steven	1982	USA	1:37.79	30.67
52	14	560406	GORZA Ales	1980	SLO	1:37.92	32.12
53	61	201987	STRODL Andreas	1987	GER	1:38.08	33.91
54	35	291459	PARIS Dominik	1989	ITA	1:38.48	38.37
55	36	292831	PIERUZ Aronne	1983	ITA	1:38.50	38.59
56	63	421483	JANSRUD Kjetil	1985	NOR	1:38.60	39.71
57	31	192665	GRANGE Jean-Baptiste	1984	FRA	1:38.85	42.49
58	64	51215	BAUMANN Romed	1986	AUT	1:38.89	42.94
59	60	380292	ZRNCIC-DIM Natko	1986	CRO	1:39.61	50.97
60	65	60159	VAN BUYNDER Frederik	1988	BEL	1:43.98	99.71

Did not finish 1st run: OLSSON Hans (SWE), MACARTNEY Scott (USA), PERKO Rok (SLO), GLEBOV Alek (SLO), LIGETY Ted (USA)