Viking raid in Val Gardena as Norwegians sweep super G

By Published On: December 18th, 2015Comments Off on Viking raid in Val Gardena as Norwegians sweep super G

The winning ways of Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal continued as the Attacking Viking captured the Val Gardena super G for the fourth time in his career and fourth victory this season with a winning time of 1:28.12 seconds. Following Svindal in second and third, respectively, were two of his countrymen, Kjetil Jansrud and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, marking the third ever Norwegian World Cup podium sweep and first ever in super G.

Starting with bib four, Kilde was poised for a breakout result on a course set by Norwegian team coach Franz Gamper after turing heads with impressive attack-from-the-back performances in Lake Louise and Beaver Creek. With the Golden Earring’s 1973 hit “Radar Love” blaring over the finish line speakers as he kicked out of the starting gate, Kilde wasn’t going to let an opportunity like this slip through his fingers.

Crossing the finish with a healthy lead of just under one full second, Kilde held on as skier after skier failed to match his dominant performance, especially on the top interval of the course. That is until Svindal, wearing bib 21, pushed out of the start.

In typical Svindal style, this time with AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” providing the soundtrack, he made the course look effortless, crossing the line 0.44 seconds ahead of Kilde.

Immediately following Svindal was Jansrud, who, with a mistake that may have cost him the victory as Steppenwolf’s rock anthem “Born to be Wild” filled the air, crossed the line 0.34 seconds back, giving the Norwegians their first-ever super G podium trifecta.

A result like this not only makes history for Norway, but may also lead one to conclude that the finish stadium’s DJ is obviously clairvoyant, or at the very least chose three fitting classic rock anthems to help the Attacking Vikings do what they do best – attack.

“I saw Aleks skied really good, so I knew it would be hard to beat him, but yeah, that’s cool,” Svindal said of the sweep. “Coming in, he’s still leading and I’m ahead and Kjetil comes and he’s in second. Perfect day for Norway.”

Speaking of his season as a spectator last year, Svindal expressed his happiness to be back at it on the World cup – and with a vengeance, none the less.

“I had a lot of time to, let’s say, prepare,” he said. “Obviously, last year I was watching from the sidelines. Now I’m back, and it’s fun to be racing again.”

Although getting beat out by his teammate may be a slight disappointment, for Jansrud there was plenty to smile about as this result indicates that he is back to form following some inconsistent results to start the season.

“You can never be unhappy with a second place, for sure. I’m very happy,” Jansrud told reporters in the finish. “It feels sort of impossible to beat Aksel these days, but that was the position I was in last year. You get the snowball rolling and it just keeps on rolling, hats off to him. I can’t be unhappy on a day like this. With my mistake, which means I would have been very close to Aksel, I’m in the position where I want to be. There are going to be more chances for me. And for Norway, it’s the best day we’ve ever had in super G and the speed disciplines.”

Kilde’s career day was made all the more sweeter by being able to share the podium with not only his countrymen, but also his mentors.

“It’s always fun to travel around with them because they are so serious and they are so experienced and good,” Kilde told SkiRacing.com prior to the Beaver Creek races. “They know exactly what to do at any time, I feel like. When I’m traveling around with them, I learn a lot of things not only on the hill, but also with equipment, handling the media, everything. I can ask them and I know exactly what I’ll get back, a good answer.”

“I’ve been working hard with both of the guys through the whole training period and I feel really proud to be on the podium with them today, my first podium, and sharing it with the two best skiers in the world is amazing,” Kilde said in the finish. “It’s such a perfect day. It’s a day we are never going to forget, we just have to take it with us to the next races coming up and we’ll see how it goes.”

All three Norwegians were asked what the secret to their success was today, with Jansrud summing it up in simple terms, providing a valuable lesson for young ski racers everywhere.

“I think the biggest secret in sports is working hard, and that’s why it’s a secret,” he explained. “There is nothing special we do, we work hard, train a lot, and try to push each other in training and take small steps to get better every day. There’s always a bit of talent in it, too. Aleksander has shown himself to be a very eager boy, always in the background trying to gain some experience and to learn from Aksel. He’s a smart kid, then it’s just a matter of time before you’re on the podium. It’s as easy as that.”

If it wasn’t for a wayward turn entering the Camel Humps section of the course, American Andrew Weibrecht could have very well spoiled the Norwegian podium party. Instead he settled for a solid fifth-place finish, 1.01 seconds off the pace.

Carrying serious speed from the top of the course, Weibrecht caught air over a blind roll, pushing him well wide of his intended line on the critical steep-to-flat section of the trail. However, by pushing it on the rest of the course he managed to claw back much of his lost time, leaving those watching to wonder what might have been.

“Pretty big mistake at the top, I was quite a bit out. I just charged pretty hard the rest of the way,” Weibrecht said. “I knew that I needed to make time up. I skied really well the rest of the trip down. It’s just when you make a mistake like that, it kind of takes you out of contention. I was disappointed, but it was still good skiing and it’s a good continuation of what I started in North America. For me to have a decent result here says a lot about where my skiing is at right now.”

Three other Americans managed scoring results with Travis Ganong in 19th, Jared Goldberg in 21st, and Steven Nyman in 28th.

Nyman is no doubt looking forward to tomorrow, where he will defend his downhill title on the Saslong from last season, and looks to be in good position to take his fourth career victory following two strong training runs. However, with how today’s results turned out, the Attacking Vikings might have a thing or two to say about all that.

The downhill from Val Gardena is slated for a 12:15 p.m. CET start time, with live streaming available on NBC Live Extra for verified viewers in the United States.

View more photos from this race here.

Fans can stay current on the World Cup circuit by downloading the new U.S. Ski Team iOS app powered by Ski Racing here.


The Scoop
By Hank McKee

1 Svindal, Head/Head/Head
2 Jansrud, Head/Head/Head
3 Kilde, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
4 Mayer, Head/Head/Head
5 Weibrecht, Head/Head/Head
6 Theaux, Head/Head/Head
7 Streitberger, Head/Head/Head
8 Schweiger, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer
8 Paris, Nordica/Nordica
10 Kriechmayr, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer

    • Men’s World Cup super G, Val Gardena/Groeden, Italy, Dec. 18, 2015. … It is the 48th Saslong Classic. … It is the ninth of 45 races on the men’s World Cup schedule … the third of eight super Gs. … It is the 79th World Cup race hosted at Val Gardena … the 14th super G. … Norwegians have won the last three SGs on the track, Aksel Lund Svindal in December of ’12 and ’13 and Kjetil Jansrud in ’14. 
    • Last Norwegian podium sweeps came Jan. 30, 1994 in combined at Chamonix with Kjetil Andre Aamodt, Lasse Kjus and Harald Strand Nilsen going one-two-three respectively and at Yong Pyong, Korea, March 1, 1998 in slalom: Ole Kristian Furuseth, Finn Christian Jagge and Tom Stiansen. … Winning margin is 0.34. … Top four are with the same second. …. Top 22 within two seconds.
    • It is the 29th career World Cup win for Aksel Lund Svindal … his 14th in super G, good for fifth all time. … It is his fourth win, all in SG, at Val Gardena. … It is his fourth win of the season and second in SG.
    • It is the 27th career World Cup podium for Kjetil Jansrud … his 11th in super G, and his fifth at Val Gardena. … It is his second podium of the season.
    • It is the first career World Cup podium for Aleksander Aamodt Kilde in 13 completed races. … He is the 2014 Norwegian national super G champion.
    • Andrew Weibrecht matches his second best career placing and second best placing of the season after a podium at Beaver Creek’s SG. … It is the third best placing of the season for Erik Guay. … It is the seventh best career SG mark for Travis Ganong. … It is the seventh best of 14 career World Cup scoring finishes for Jared Goldberg and his first score of the season. … It is the 18th scoring result in super G for Steven Nyman, his fourth at Val Gardena.
    • Marcel Hirscher (did not race) leads the World Cup overall standings 440-417 over Svindal. … Jansrud is third at 247pts. … Ted Ligety (did not race) is sixth with 191pts and Travis Ganong ninth at 184pts.
    • Svindal leads the super G standings 210-130 over Matthias Mayer. … Aleksander Aamodt Kilde is third with 122pts. … Andrew Weibrecht is sixth with 110pts.
    • Austria leads the men’s Nations Cup 1472-1075 over Norway. … Italy is third at 994. … The U.S. is fifth with 717 points and Canada eighth with 161.

Official Results

Rank Bib FIS Code Name Year Nation Total Time Diff. FIS Points
 1  21  421328 SVINDAL Aksel Lund 1982 NOR  1:28.12  0.00
 2  22  421483 JANSRUD Kjetil 1985 NOR  1:28.46  +0.34  4.17
 3  4  422139 KILDE Aleksander Aamodt 1992 NOR  1:28.56  +0.44  5.39
 4  18  53902 MAYER Matthias 1990 AUT  1:28.66  +0.54  6.62
 5  10  530939 WEIBRECHT Andrew 1986 USA  1:29.13  +1.01  12.38
 6  19  192746 THEAUX Adrien 1984 FRA  1:29.17  +1.05  12.87
 7  13  50858 STREITBERGER Georg 1981 AUT  1:29.35  +1.23  15.07
 8  27  53933 SCHWEIGER Patrick 1990 AUT  1:29.37  +1.25  15.32
 8  16  291459 PARIS Dominik 1989 ITA  1:29.37  +1.25  15.32
 10  11  53980 KRIECHMAYR Vincent 1991 AUT  1:29.38  +1.26  15.44
 11  45  511981 WEBER Ralph 1993 SUI  1:29.44  +1.32  16.18
 12  30  102263 GUAY Erik 1981 CAN  1:29.53  +1.41  17.28
 13  3  511638 TUMLER Thomas 1989 SUI  1:29.55  +1.43  17.53
 14  38  200379 SANDER Andreas 1989 GER  1:29.57  +1.45  17.77
 15  58  192932 FAYED Guillermo 1985 FRA  1:29.64  +1.52  18.63
 16  17  53817 FRANZ Max 1989 AUT  1:29.65  +1.53  18.75
 17  32  202059 FERSTL Josef 1988 GER  1:29.67  +1.55  19.00
 18  9  51215 BAUMANN Romed 1986 AUT  1:29.79  +1.67  20.47
 19  12  530874 GANONG Travis 1988 USA  1:29.80  +1.68  20.59
 20  20  50742 REICHELT Hannes 1980 AUT  1:29.85  +1.73  21.20
 21  36  934643 GOLDBERG Jared 1991 USA  1:29.86  +1.74  21.33
 21  29  293006 INNERHOFER Christof 1984 ITA  1:29.86  +1.74  21.33
 23  15  292455 FILL Peter 1982 ITA  1:29.92  +1.80  22.06
 24  51  194167 MUZATON Maxence 1990 FRA  1:30.00  +1.88  23.04
 25  6  293550 MARSAGLIA Matteo 1985 ITA  1:30.03  +1.91  23.41
 26  2  990081 CASSE Mattia 1990 ITA  1:30.04  +1.92  23.53
 27  28  511352 VILETTA Sandro 1986 SUI  1:30.05  +1.93  23.65
 28  55  50753 KROELL Klaus 1980 AUT  1:30.10  +1.98  24.27
 28  41  533866 NYMAN Steven 1982 USA  1:30.10  +1.98  24.27
 30  8  511313 JANKA Carlo 1986 SUI  1:30.16  +2.04  25.00
 31  48  422310 SEJERSTED Adrian Smiseth 1994 NOR  1:30.24  +2.12  25.98
 32  5  561217 KOSI Klemen 1991 SLO  1:30.28  +2.16  26.47
 33  44  511529 GISIN Marc 1988 SUI  1:30.33  +2.21  27.09
 34  46  202535 DRESSEN Thomas 1993 GER  1:30.36  +2.24  27.45
 35  50  422073 NETELAND Bjoernar 1991 NOR  1:30.41  +2.29  28.07
 36  31  511139 KUENG Patrick 1984 SUI  1:30.45  +2.33  28.56
 37  24  54005 STRIEDINGER Otmar 1991 AUT  1:30.51  +2.39  29.29
 38  7  102899 OSBORNE-PARADIS Manuel 1984 CAN  1:30.53  +2.41  29.54
 39  42  380292 ZRNCIC DIM Natko 1986 CRO  1:30.56  +2.44  29.90
 39  26  191740 CLAREY Johan 1981 FRA  1:30.56  +2.44  29.90
 41  52  561255 CATER Martin 1992 SLO  1:30.60  +2.48  30.39
 42  59  292514 HEEL Werner 1982 ITA  1:30.62  +2.50  30.64
 42  34  202196 BRANDNER Klaus 1990 GER  1:30.62  +2.50  30.64
 44  57  560447 SPORN Andrej 1981 SLO  1:30.63  +2.51  30.76
 45  14  194364 PINTURAULT Alexis 1991 FRA  1:30.68  +2.56  31.38
 46  61  533131 SULLIVAN Marco 1980 USA  1:30.72  +2.60  31.87
 47  39  103512 FRISCH Jeffrey 1984 CAN  1:30.75  +2.63  32.23
 48  56  6530104 BENNETT Bryce 1992 USA  1:30.91  +2.79  34.19
 49  33  511808 SCHMED Fernando 1991 SUI  1:30.98  +2.86  35.05
 50  25  531452 BIESEMEYER Thomas 1989 USA  1:31.29  +3.17  38.85
 51  63  511852 CAVIEZEL Gino 1992 SUI  1:31.38  +3.26  39.95
 52  1  192504 MERMILLOD BLONDIN Thomas 1984 FRA  1:31.41  +3.29  40.32
 53  54  6290985 BUZZI Emanuele 1994 ITA  1:31.52  +3.40  41.67
 54  68  370031 ALESSANDRIA Arnaud 1993 MON  1:31.85  +3.73  45.71
 55  47  511988 GENOUD Amaury 1993 SUI  1:32.19  +4.07  49.88
 56  64  110324 VON APPEN Henrik 1994 CHI  1:32.90  +4.78  58.58
 57  67  430472 KLUSAK Michal 1990 POL  1:33.04  +4.92  60.30
 58  65  380341 ULLRICH Max 1994 CRO  1:33.20  +5.08  62.26
Did not start 1st run
 53  561310 HROBAT Miha 1995 SLO
Did not finish 1st run
 66  502004 KOELL Alexander 1990 SWE
 62  990116 DE ALIPRANDINI Luca 1990 ITA
 60  481327 TRIKHICHEV Pavel 1992 RUS
 49  103612 PRIDY Morgan 1990 CAN
 43  150398 BANK Ondrej 1980 CZE
 40  930024 MAPLE Wiley 1990 USA
 37  54009 WALDER Christian 1991 AUT
 35  561216 KLINE Bostjan 1991 SLO
 23  194190 ROGER Brice 1990 FRA

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About the Author: Sean Higgins

A Lake Tahoe native and University of Vermont graduate, Higgins was a member of the Catamounts' 2012 NCAA title winning squad and earned first team All-American honors in 2013. Prior to coming to Ski Racing Media, he coached U14s for the Squaw Valley Ski Team.