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Headline RSS FeedLIgety 13th in Levi slalom; Miller a DNF in second run
November 15, 2009 —
LEVI, Finland - Olympic combined champion Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) led the U.S. Ski Team in 18th followed directly by Jimmy Cochran (Keene, NH) in the first slalom of the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup season.
Austrian Reinfried Herbst edged Croation Ivica Kostelic and reigning World Cup slalom champion Jean-Baptiste Grange for the sixth slalom victory of his career. Levi also marked the return of Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) to World Cup racing, yet he wasn't able to finish the second run after getting hit in the face with a gate.
Universal Sports will broadcast the race at 10 a.m. ET on its 24 hour TV network and will have on-demand streaming available at www.UniversalSports.com.
Ligety was seventh after the first run and leading by .37 at the first split of the second run before running into trouble on the steeps. The same tricky section slowed first run leader Andre Myhrer of Sweden, who dropped to 11th.
"Half of the top 30 had second run trouble at the top of the steeps and Ted was one of those guys," said Men's Technical Head Coach Rudi Soulard. "They were coming over the pitch with speed, then getting kicked out and ending up below the next gate. From there it was tough to regain rhythm."
Miller was fast through the first series of the second run before getting slammed across the nose, blurring his vision for a few seconds and forcing him to stop.
"His nose was bleeding pretty badly and he has a fat lip, but he's OK," said Soulard. "His skiing is not where he needs to be yet, but he was able to get a second run and he's doing all the right things to get there."
After starting mid pack in the first run, Cochran arced to 26th, then hopped seven more places to pick up a few World Cup points, and more importantly, improve his starting position in slalom.
"Jimmy did a good job. He started 46 and skied to 19th. The goal for him was to make the top 30, but now with this result, he's probably back in the top 30 start list for slalom," said Soulard.
Young gun Nolan Kasper (Warren, VT) and Tim Jitloff (Reno, NV) failed to make the second run as Kasper lost his rhythm down the pitch and Jitloff straddled near the top of the first run.
"Nolan skied pretty well for his first World Cup start. He had the same problems as all the other guys on the steep, but did well for his first big race. And Jit was flying in the first run, but straddled. That's slalom and he wasn't holding back, that's the important part," said Soulard.
The U.S. technical Team now returns to Colorado to prepare for the Audi Birds of Prey Race week set for Dec. 4-6 in Beaver Creek, CO. It will be the lone men's World Cup stop in America prior to the Olympics.
2009 AUDI FIS ALPINE WORLD CUP
Levi, Finland – Nov. 15, 2009
Men's Slalom
1. Reinfried Herbst, Austria, 1:49.79
2. Ivica Kostelic, Croatia, 1:50.07
3. Jean-Baptiste Grange, France, 1:50.32
4. Matias Hargin, Sweden, 1:50.34
5. Julien Lizeroux, France, 1:50.70
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18. Ted Ligety, Park City, UT, 1:51.88
19. Jimmy Cochran, Keene, NH, 1:52.05
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Did not finish second run
Bode Miller, Franconia, NH
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Did not qualify for a second run
Nolan Kasper, Warren, VT
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Did not finish first run
Tim Jitloff, Reno, NV
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Miller returns to action for U.S. Ski Team in World Cup slalom in Levi, Finland
November 14, 2009 —
LEVI, Finland – Following solid training blocks in Switzerland, Austria, Germany and now Tarnaby, Sweden, two-time Audi FIS Alpine World Cup overall champion Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) is set to open his World Cup season this weekend along side Soelden podium finisher Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) when World Cup action returns to Levi, Finland.
It will be Miller's first start since the February 2009 Audi FIS Alpine World Championships, yet he enters with momentum from last year's second place finish in Levi, his first slalom podium since December of 2004.
Live timing is available at www.fis-ski.com starting at 4 a.m. ET Sunday with first run action followed by the second run at 7 a.m. ET. Universal Sports will broadcast the race at 10 a.m. ET on their 24-hour TV network and on-demand streaming will be available at www.UniversalSports.com following each run.
Also starting for the U.S. Ski Team are Tim Jitloff (Reno, NV), Jimmy Cochran (Keene, NH) and Nolan Kasper (Warren, VT). It will be the first World Cup start for Burke Mountain's Kasper, who earned the slot by winning an inter squad race held in Saas Fee. Kasper was third in an August slalom in New Zealand behind top World Cup athletes Felix Neureuther of Germany and Matias Hargin of Sweden.
"We have had incredible training blocks all the way back to Saas Fee before Soelden," said men's technical Head Coach Rudi Soulard. "Ted is really strong right now and so is Jit. Bode has been making some good runs and has a good plan for this weekend."
Following Soelden, where Ligety opened the season with a podium for the third consecutive year, the Team trained at Haus im Ennstal, Austria before moving to an indoor facility at Wittenberg, Germany.
"Wittenberg was perfect because the snow is consistent and the guys are able to get in a lot of runs," said Soulard. "It's also good because it's pretty flat so they can work on carrying their speed across the flats, which is what they'll need to do on Sunday."
For the second straight year, the Team is doing their final race prep in Tarnaby, located in the northern region of Sweden, which has similar light conditions to Levi. Daylight hours at this close proximity to Arctic Circle are between late morning and early afternoon, but the Team is able to train at night under the lights in Tarnaby.
"For sure, light is always a factor at Levi and the second run is under the lights, but for slalom you can see everything," said Soulard. "Tarnaby is perfect because it's quiet, the people are very relaxed and we have the entire slope to ourselves. Plus, the slope is injected so it's hard and grippy just like it will be in Levi."
Following Levi, the men return to Colorado for training at Copper Mountain, Vail and Loveland prior to the Audi Birds of Prey Race Week set for Dec. 4-6 in Beaver Creek, CO, the lone men's World Cup stop in the U.S. prior to the February Olympics in Vancouver.
Vonn credits Vail training venue with second-place in Levi World Cup slalom
November 14, 2009 —
LEVI, Finland – It didn't take long for double World Champion Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) to find her way back to the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup podium as the two-time overall winner finished second to friend and reigning World Cup slalom champion Maria Riesch of Germany Saturday.
"I really love Levi, this hill reminds me so much of racing back in Buck Hill," said Vonn, who finished 3rd in the World Cup slalom standings last season in addition to capturing World Cup titles in downhill and super G. "It would have been nice to get the win again, but I had a big mistake at the bottom and Maria had a really good run so it's tough to say if I would have beat her without that mistake."
Near the bottom of the course Vonn boot-topped a gate and was nearly knocked off course, yet made a stunning recovery and maintained her composure to finish a mere .08 behind Riesch.
"Lindsey hasn't missed a beat, she's pretty incredible," said U.S. Ski Team women's technical Head Coach Trevor Wagner. "But the win was there for sure. She was nuking the second run and just had a number of tiny mistakes that added up. Still what she's doing right now in slalom is awesome."
Universal Sports will broadcast the race at 10 a.m. ET on its 24-hour TV network and on-demand streaming is available later Saturday at www.UniversalSports.com.
It was her second consecutive trip to the Levi podium after notching her first World Cup slalom victory on the Levi Black course just one year ago. Finnish favorite and Soelden giant slalom winner Tanja Poutianen rounded out the top three.
"This gives me awesome confidence going into the Aspen Winternational in a few weeks," said Vonn, who finished 4th in the Aspen slalom last season. "My slalom skis are feeling really good and until you race you don't really have a measure for how you're doing against the other girls so I'm pretty happy to be on the podium.
"I'm headed back to Vail now too get in some more slalom and GS training before Aspen. It's so cool t have that slope as a resource and I know the whole team has been and will be using it to prepare for the Colorado races. It's really evident after today that the training I was able to get in Vail was really valuable."
Hailey Duke (Boise, ID) and Kaylin Richardson (Edina, MN) added to the strong U.S. Ski Team showing in biting 15 degree cold finishing 21st and 23rd respectively. Sarah Schleper (Vail, CO) nearly joined the American points party after finishing 16th in the opening leg before being disqualified for missing the sixth gate.
"The U.S. Ski Team is skiing so well," added Vonn. I'm so proud of what Kaylin, Hailey and Sarah did today and Resi and Sterling have been working so hard. This is a really strong technical team and I think we're going to show that in Aspen."
At just over 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle, Levi is dark much of the day with a small window of light falling between the 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. locally making a lighted second run an absolute necessity. Yet the lights reflection off the frozen air particles created for tricky visibility.
"Sarah would have been in there too, but she blew right by that gate on the top," added Wagner. "We looked at the tape a couple of times and she definitely missed it, but through the entire midsection of the course, she had some of the best skiing out there."
The results backed up Wagner's thoughts that the Team has been training very well and is poised to make a surge in SL and GS. Duke had been in contention much of last season in slalom scoring points in five races, including a career best 8th in Semmering, Austria, but it was Richardson's first World Cup technical points since the 2007 Aspen Winternational.
"Hailey did a great job. She was skiing with a sore ankle and battled through that really well and we saw great skiing out of Kaylin. It's never easy to rally into the flip from that far back in the start order and both she and Sarah did it."
Schleper and Richardson started the race wearing bibs 58 and 70. Stiegler, who turned 24 today, missed the top 30 after the first run along with Sterling Grant (Amery, WI). It was only the second World Cup race for Stiegler since a Dec. 2007 injury.
"The skiing is there for Resi. She's been training well and knows she's capable of a lot better, but this is only her second World Cup in two years. It's a progression," Wagner said.
The Team now flies immediately to Colorado for a training block prior to the Aspen Winternational set for Thanksgiving Weekend in Aspen, CO. The annual Rocky Mountain stop is the only women's World Cup race in America for the Vancouver Bound U.S. Ski Team prior to the February Olympics.
2009 AUDI FIS ALPINE WORLD CUP
Levi, Finland – Nov. 14, 2009
Women's Slalom
1. Maria Riesch, Germany, 1.48.71
2. Lindsey Vonn, Vail, CO, 1:48.79
3. Tanja Poutianen, Finland, 1:49.87
4. Susanne Riesch, Germany, 1:50.04
5. Michaela Kirchgasser, Austria, 1:50.32
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21. Hailey Duke, Boise, ID, 1:52.30
23. Kaylin Richardson, Edina, MN, 1:52.31
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Did not qualify for a second run
Resi Stiegler, Jackson Hole, WY; Sterling Grant, Amery, WI
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Disqualified
Sarah Schleper, Vail, CO
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Vail's Vonn looks to defend slalom title at Levi, Finland, on Saturday
November 13, 2009 —
LEVI, Finland – A year ago, two-time Audi FIS Alpine World Cup overall champion Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) notched her career first slalom win in Levi, Finland renewing the World Champion as a slalom contender. A year and three more World Cup titles later and Vonn is hoping to do it again.
Live timing is available at www.fis-ski.com starting at 4 a.m. ET Saturday with first run action followed by the second run at 7 a.m. ET. Universal Sports will broadcast the race at 10 a.m. ET on its 24-hour TV network and on-demand streaming will be available at www.UniversalSports.com following each run.
Levi marked the official start to Vonn's run at a second consecutive overall title as she went on to podium in three more slalom's during the 2009 season, including a win at the 2011 World Championships venue in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. The slalom resurgence resulted in an upgrade to third in the discipline standings from 32nd in 2008.
"It's crazy, I love Levi. I'm a downhill skier, not a slalom skier, but maybe things are changing a little bit," predicted Vonn following the win a year ago. A special slalom training block courtesy of a fully injected course at Vail's Golden Peak should have Vonn ready for Levi snow conditions.
"The race hill is going to be incredibly hard and slick for sure," said women's technical Head Coach Trevor Wagner. "But we're ready for that. Lindsey had some good training at Vail before heading over here and the rest of the girls had an awesome training block at Haus im Ennstall in Austria. The coaches did our water magic on the hill and the girls were ripping it."
Levi opens with a steep pitch that piles on speed quickly, then it's a matter of holding that speed through a flat finish. Vonn made an incredible recovery last season, nearly stopping midway through the race, to win by over half a second.
"There's a lot of terrain on this hill for sure," added Wagner. "You get up to speed in a hurry, but then it's all about carrying that momentum all the way through the finish – you have to have stamina for this race."
If Vonn and fellow U.S. Ski Team starters Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, CO), Sarah Schleper (Vail, CO), Hailey Duke (Boise, ID), Kaylin Richardson (Edina, MN) and Sterling Grant (Amery, WI) race the way they've been training, Wagner says it should be an exciting weekend.
Saturday also marks Stiegler's first World Cup start since Dec. of 2007, when she was sidelined with multiple broken bones from a giant slalom crash. She returned last season for the 2009 Audi FIS Alpine World Championships and took 19th in the slalom at Val d'Isere France.
"Sarah has been really fast and if Resi skis like she has been, it's going to be interesting. All the girls are coming in here with some really solid training," said Wagner. "Levi isn't the toughest slalom hill we race all season, but it's the first race and the visibility is always pretty tough."
Following Levi the World Cup swings to North America for the annual Aspen Winternational in Aspen, CO, the only U.S. event prior to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.
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