Worlds: Women's DH training takes Vonn and many others off course

Val d’Isere – In typical downhill events, racers don’t have to think about much more than speed, but that’s not the case on the women’s world championship course at Val d’Isere.

On Wednesday, the first ladies training run for Sunday’s downhill race was eye-opening for some competitors and downright painful for others.

After skiing off course and getting disqualified, super G champion Lindsey Vonn finished the run more than seven seconds off the fastest pace – 1 minute, 30.41 seconds – set by Swiss racer Lara Gut, who was wearing bib No. 19. German star Maria Riesch arrived outside of the finish area shaken up with a bruised and bloody face after a bad crash, but will reportedly be back on her feet and training on Thursday. Jessica Lindell-Vikarby didn’t fair so well after her fall. The Swede, who will turn 25 on Saturday and is fresh off her first World Cup win in the Cortina super G and a third place last weekend in Garmisch, reportedly tore her ACL in her crash and will return home, missing the remainder of the world championships.  Many finishers were disqualified for missing gates. Most concluded that this downhill is simply not typical of what they’re used to and will require some extra care.Val d’Isere – In typical downhill events, racers don’t have to think about much more than speed, but that’s not the case on the women’s world championship course at Val d’Isere.

On Wednesday, the first ladies training run for Sunday’s downhill race was eye-opening for some competitors and downright painful for others.

After skiing off course and getting disqualified, super G champion Lindsey Vonn finished the run more than seven seconds off the fastest pace – 1 minute, 30.41 seconds – set by Swiss racer Lara Gut, who was wearing bib No. 19. German star Maria Riesch arrived outside of the finish area shaken up with a bruised and bloody face after a bad crash, but will reportedly be back on her feet and training on Thursday. Jessica Lindell-Vikarby didn’t fair so well after her fall. The Swede, who will turn 25 on Saturday and is fresh off her first World Cup win in the Cortina super G and a third place last weekend in Garmisch, reportedly tore her ACL in her crash and will return home, missing the remainder of the world championships.  Many finishers were disqualified for missing gates. Most concluded that this downhill is simply not typical of what they’re used to and will require some extra care.

“You have to ski it smart, whereas in other downhills you can see far enough ahead or you know there’s enough room that you can have time to bring it back,” said Canadian Emily Brydon after Wednesday’s training. “It’s set virtually the same as the super G. It’s not a very fast downhill at all. It’s really turny and bumpy. Sometimes you can’t necessarily arch the ski. You have to slide a couple of turns.”

In most ways, she said, the course feels like a longer version of Tuesday’s super G.

“It’ll be five or 10K [faster than] the super G,” Brydon said. “It’s a difficult course your first time and a couple of turns took some of the girls by surprise.”

Julia Mancuso said she had hoped the gates would be placed in such a way that the course would flow more smoothly with the terrain, but instead the turns are jarring and require a lot of quickness and focus.

“The top part feels like downhill – turny and open. Then you get into the trees and it’s just awkward,” she said. “It’s not fast but quick. Like the radius is shorter on the turns. There was one section that almost looks like a GS course.”

Unlike Tuesday’s super G, which was run in very flat light, the sun was shining and skies were blue for DH training and racers were relieved to see the course.

“It’s one of those runs that’s for sure going to be better the more you do it,” Mancuso said. “It’s just awkward. We don’t ski courses like this very much.”

Official results:

1	19	516138	GUT Lara	1991	SUI	1:30.41
2	5	296729	FANCHINI Nadia	1986	ITA	1:30.71
3	18	55750	FISCHBACHER Andrea	1985	AUT	1:30.86
4	3	196460	MARCHAND-ARVIER Marie	1985	FRA	1:31.40
5	24	196573	REVILLET Aurelie	1986	FRA	1:31.41
6	33	55838	ZETTEL Kathrin	1986	AUT	1:31.51
7	29	495318	RUIZ CASTILLO Carolina	1981	SPA	1:31.55
8	9	55069	GOETSCHL Renate	1975	AUT	1:31.66
9	17	565243	MAZE Tina	1983	SLO	1:31.78
10	12	106022	JANYK Britt	1980	CAN	1:32.10
11	28	195983	ROLLAND Marion	1982	FRA	1:32.28
12	37	55970	SCHMIDHOFER Nicole	1989	AUT	1:32.41
13	23	515429	DUMERMUTH Monika	1977	SUI	1:32.48
13	4	55576	GOERGL Elisabeth	1981	AUT	1:32.48
15	30	296008	MERIGHETTI Daniela	1981	ITA	1:33.00
16	20	515766	SUTER Fabienne	1985	SUI	1:33.13
17	26	296473	SIORPAES Wendy	1985	ITA	1:33.21
18	44	565320	FERK Marusa	1988	SLO	1:33.30
19	39	537582	COOK Stacey	1984	USA	1:33.37
20	27	295533	RECCHIA Lucia	1980	ITA	1:33.46
21	21	55947	FENNINGER Anna	1989	AUT	1:33.62
21	16	195671	JACQUEMOD Ingrid	1978	FRA	1:33.62
23	47	565315	ROBNIK Mateja	1987	SLO	1:34.74
24	41	296427	SCHNARF Johanna	1984	ITA	1:35.07
25	46	515692	GRAND Rabea	1984	SUI	1:35.42
26	15	537545	MANCUSO Julia	1984	USA	1:35.63
27	34	155415	ZAHROBSKA Sarka	1985	CZE	1:36.05
28	45	375018	COLETTI Alexandra	1983	MON	1:36.52
29	42	155563	KRIZOVA Klara	1989	CZE	1:37.10
30	56	35079	SIMARI BIRKNER Maria Belen	1982	ARG	1:37.14
31	50	25096	GUTIERREZ Mireia	1988	AND	1:37.80
32	53	505679	HANSDOTTER Frida	1985	SWE	1:37.93
33	54	495615	MORLANS Leyre	1987	SPA	1:38.10
34	52	155333	HRSTKOVA Lucie	1981	CZE	1:39.71
35	60	65090	VAN BUYNDER Isabel	1991	BEL	1:44.99
36	59	345018	NJEIM Chirine	1984	LIB	1:48.01
37	36	465059	MIKLOS Edith	1988	ROU	8:32.49

 

Did not start 1st run :

KIRKOVA Maria (BUL), BERECZ Anna (HUN), LOLOVIC Jelena (SRB), REBENSBURG Viktoria (GER), MARSHALL Chelsea (USA)

Did not finish 1st run :

BRODNIK Vanja (SLO), YURKIW Larisa (CAN), LINDELL-VIKARBY Jessica (SWE), STYGER Nadia (SUI), RIESCH Maria (GER), GISIN Dominique (SUI)

Disqualified 1st run :

SIMARI BIRKNER Macarena (ARG), AUBERT Sandrine (FRA), ALCOTT Chemmy (GBR), KIRCHGASSER Michaela (AUT), STECHERT Gina (GER), DETTLING Andrea (SUI), VANDERBEEK Kelly (CAN), PAERSON Anja (SWE), VONN Lindsey (USA), BRYDON Emily (CAN), STUFFER Verena (ITA), RUMPFHUBER Ingrid (AUT)