Aspen: Janyk tops DH held in controversial conditions
ASPEN, Colo. — The first World Cup women's downhill here since 1988 went off under a cloud of controversy. After two major crashes, bad visibility, soft snow and only 37 women down the course, the race was called.
America’s Lindsey Vonn, the hands-down favorite after winning two training runs this week, struggled in the soft snow and finished fourth behind winner Britt Janyk of Canada, and Austrians Marlies Schild and Renate Goetschl.
“Unfortunately I’m just not good at skiing in powder,” Vonn said. “It was really deep.”
The course crew and racers fought with Mother Nature from the beginning of the day. A storm dumped 20 inches of snow in two days here, which caused the postponement of the downhill and canceled the super G on Friday. At 9 a.m., the course crew lowered the start to the super G start as the snow started dumping again. They did pull off the start at 10:45 a.m. but not without some problems.
Austrian vereran Alexandra Meissnitzer and France's Anne-Sophie Barthet each crashed, with Barthet apparently suffering serious knee and leg injuries. The race jury reviewed the tape of both Meissnitzer's and Barthet's runs and concluded that both racers were outside the course lines when they crashed, but many racers said the snow outside the lines was dangerously soft.
ASPEN, Colo. — The first World Cup women's downhill here since 1988 went off under a cloud of controversy. After two major crashes, bad visibility, soft snow and only 37 women down the course, the race was called.
America’s Lindsey Vonn, the hands-down favorite after winning two training runs this week, struggled in the soft snow and finished fourth.
“Unfortunately I’m just not good at skiing in powder,” Vonn said. “It was really deep.”
The only American women to win here was Tamara McKinney in a giant slalom in 1981. Canada’s Britt Janyk held on to nab her first World Cup victory with a time of 1 minute, 14.17 seconds . Austria’s Marlies Schild and Renate Goetschl got second and third respectively with times of 1:14.59 and 1:14.63.
The course crew and racers fought with Mother Nature from the beginning of the day. It dumped 20 inches of snow in two days here, which caused the postponement of the downhill and canceled the super G on Friday. At 9 a.m., the course crew lowered the start to the super G start as the snow started dumping again. They did pull off the start at 10:45 a.m. but not without some problems.
Austrian vereran Alexandra Meissnitzer and France's Anne-Sophie Barthet each crashed, with Barthet apparently suffering a blown knee and two lower leg fractures. The race jury reviewed the tape of both Meissnitzer's and Barthet's runs and concluded that both racers were outside the course lines when they crashed, but many racers said the snow outside the lines was dangerously soft.
In Meissnitzer’s 300th World Cup start, she went down in the 13th bib position after hitting a patch of soft snow. She was taken down in a sled with a knee injury. Austrian coaches told their racers at that point that they believed the course was too dangerous, but it was up to the racers if they wanted to run. Nicole Hosp, the next racer up after the 20-minute hold, chose not to. Up next, the Americans were set to go.
Vonn, couldn’t cut it in the powder. Julia Mancuso went wide of the gate on Straw Pile losing valuable time. She finished 16th. Kaylin Richardson skied out after hitting a rut. The next racer to go, France’s Anne-Sophie Barthet, hit the same spot and slid into the net, screaming. She, too, was taken down in a sled and the early prognosis is a blown knee and two broken leg bones.
Goetschl chose to go ahead with the race, proving to be the only racer after the hold to make a run at the podium. She knocked Vonn out of third.
"I’m just really bummed out since I was skiing so well," Vonn said. "I feel really badly that I couldn’t show my stuff to the home crowd. Unfortunately I’m not good at skiing powder. I’m from Minnesota originally.”
Janyk, who got third in the downhill last week in Lake Louise, said the weather didn’t have a huge effect on her.
“I gained some confidence out of the training runs,” she said, “and this is my kind of weather. I think growing up in Whistler training when I was a kid, I couldn’t see anything, and there were always soft conditions. So I think it gave me a mental edge.”
About other racers going down, she said it’s just racing.
“That’s downhill,” Janyk added. “That’s alpine skiing and it’s really hard to see some of the girls go down.”
THE SCOOP
By Hank McKee
Equipment
Women's downhill, Aspen, Colo., Dec. 8, 2007
Skier, skis/boots/bindings
1 Janyk, Volkl/Lange/Marker
2 Schild, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
3 Goetschl, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
4 Vonn, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
5 Schild, Volkl/Lange/Marker
6 Vanderbeek, Volkl/Lange/Marker
7 Ruiz Castillo, Dynastar/Lange/Look
8 Aufdenblatten, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
9 Goergl, Head/Head/Head
10 Dumermuth, Fischer/Salomon/Tyrolia
Women's Downhill, Aspen, Colo., Dec. 8, 2007. … It is the seventh race of the women's 39th event 2007-08 World Cup season. … It is the second of 10 downhills on the women's schedule. … It is the 59th – or 60th – World Cup at Aspen depending on if you count the 1995 race AJ Kitt won and was subsequently disallowed by FIS. … It is the 20 – or 21st – DH and the fifth women's DH. … The race is held in snowy conditions and flat light. … The race had originally been scheduled for Dec. 7, and bumped to Dec. 8 by heavy snow. … The super G originally planned for Dec. 8 will be rescheduled at a later time. … The race is halted after 37 racers and two lengthy course holds … Four Austria racers (Nicole Hosp, Maria Holaus, Christine Sponring and Nicole Schmidhauser), elect not to race.
It is the first career World Cup win for Britt Janyk. … Her only two World Cup podiums have come in the last two downhills, Aspen Dec. 8 and Lake Louise Dec. 1. … It is the third podium of the season for Canada, all of them coming in DH. … The other from Jan Hudec at Lake Louise Nov. 24.
It is the 40th career World Cup podium for Marlies Schild. … Just her second in DH, the other also a second place finish that came in Lenzerheide at World Cup finals March 14, 2007. … She has earned every podium place at Aspen, winning slalom Nov. 26, 2006, placing second in this race and third in slalom Nov. 30, 2002.
It is the 105th World Cup podiu
m for Renate Goetschl … the 57th in DH. … her first in DH at Aspen.
It is the 31st World Cup top four for Lindsey Vonn. … Her second of the season having won at Lake Louise Dec. 1. … Sixth matches Kelly Vanderbeek's fifth best career result. … and matches her result from earlier this season at Lake Louise, Dec. 1. … She has one DH result better, a fifth from Tarvisio March 3, 2005. … It is the 41st time Emily Brydon has been in the top 15 of a World Cup race. … 18th time in DH. … Julia Mancuso matches her 73rd best World Cup result. … It is the second time in two DH's this season she has finished 16th. … Stacey Cook matches her 12th best career finish in 22 scoring results. … It is the second career scoring result in DH for Resi Stiegler, the previous from Zauchensee, Jan. 13, 2007. … It is the first scoring result of the season for Sherry Lawrence.
Carolina Ruiz Castillo scored Spain's best ever DH world Cup result, besting the 13th scored by Francisco Fernandez-Ochoa at St Moritz in 1975 and Kitzbuehel in 1975. … Ruiz Castillo had also matched 13th at Tarvision March 3, 2007.
Winning margin is .42 of a second. … Top 10 are with the same second. … top 23 within two seconds. … Marlies Schild leads the World Cup overall standings 343-226 over Nicole Hosp (did not race). … Denise Karbon (did not race) is third at 209pts. … Britt Janyk jumps to fourth at 189…. Top U.S. skier is Julia Mancuso in sixth at 180. … Janyk takes over the red bib as the downhill standings leader 160-150 over Lindsey Vonn. … Renate Goetschl is third at 140.
Rank | Bib | FIS Code | Name | Year | Nation | Total Time | FIS Points |
1 | 6 | 106022 | JANYK Britt | 1980 | CAN | 1:14.17 | 0.00 |
2 | 1 | 55590 | SCHILD Marlies | 1981 | AUT | 1:14.59 | 7.64 |
3 | 21 | 55069 | GOETSCHL Renate | 1975 | AUT | 1:14.63 | 8.37 |
4 | 17 | 537544 | VONN Lindsey | 1984 | USA | 1:14.68 | 9.28 |
5 | 23 | 515560 | SCHILD Martina | 1981 | SUI | 1:14.70 | 9.65 |
6 | 10 | 106402 | VANDERBEEK Kelly | 1983 | CAN | 1:14.83 | 12.01 |
7 | 5 | 495318 | RUIZ CASTILLO Carolina | 1981 | SPA | 1:14.87 | 12.74 |
8 | 2 | 515573 | AUFDENBLATTEN Fraenzi | 1981 | SUI | 1:14.95 | 14.20 |
9 | 15 | 55576 | GOERGL Elisabeth | 1981 | AUT | 1:14.97 | 14.56 |
10 | 3 | 515429 | DUMERMUTH Monika | 1977 | SUI | 1:15.13 | 17.47 |
11 | 7 | 55588 | RUMPFHUBER Ingrid | 1981 | AUT | 1:15.23 | 19.29 |
12 | 11 | 515747 | GISIN Dominique | 1985 | SUI | 1:15.36 | 21.66 |
12 | 4 | 296008 | MERIGHETTI Daniela | 1981 | ITA | 1:15.36 | 21.66 |
14 | 8 | 105997 | BRYDON Emily | 1980 | CAN | 1:15.37 | 21.84 |
15 | 12 | 55750 | FISCHBACHER Andrea | 1985 | AUT | 1:15.43 | 22.93 |
16 | 18 | 537545 | MANCUSO Julia | 1984 | USA | 1:15.63 | 26.57 |
17 | 16 | 195671 | JACQUEMOD Ingrid | 1978 | FRA | 1:15.64 | 26.76 |
18 | 20 | 505483 | PAERSON Anja | 1981 | SWE | 1:15.65 | 26.94 |
19 | 27 | 296472 | FANCHINI Elena | 1985 | ITA | 1:15.80 | 29.67 |
20 | 24 | 537582 | COOK Stacey | 1984 | USA | 1:15.81 | 29.85 |
21 | 22 | 515170 | STYGER Nadia | 1978 | SUI | 1:16.01 | 33.49 |
22 | 9 | 196460 | MARCHAND-ARVIER Marie | 1985 | FRA | 1:16.12 | 35.49 |
23 | 26 | 515348 | BORGHI Catherine | 1976 | SUI | 1:16.13 | 35.67 |
24 | 31 | 537772 | STIEGLER Resi | 1985 | USA | 1:16.35 | 39.68 |
25 | 29 | 225206 | ALCOTT Chemmy | 1982 | GBR | 1:16.42 | 40.95 |
&n bsp;26 |
35 | 295136 | CECCARELLI Daniela | 1975 | ITA | 1:16.49 | 42.23 |
26 | 34 | 106465 | LAWRENCE Sherry | 1984 | CAN | 1:16.49 | 42.23 |
28 | 19 | 206001 | RIESCH Maria | 1984 | GER | 1:16.78 | 47.51 |
29 | 28 | 505449 | BENT Nike | 1981 | SWE | 1:17.72 | 64.62 |
30 | 25 | 515409 | BERTHOD Sylviane | 1977 | SUI | 1:18.42 | 77.36 |
Did not start 1st run : DREV Ana (SLO), KLING Kajsa (SWE), LOLOVIC Jelena (SRB), STUFFER Verena (ITA), MATTEL Magda (FRA), HOFER Larissa (ITA), WEYRICH Clothilde (FRA), KRISTJANSDOTTIR Dagny L. (ISL), LUDLOW Libby (USA), LINDELL-VIKARBY Jessica (SWE), TEGLIA Eleonora Anna (ITA), COLETTI Alexandra (MON), SMITH Leanne (USA), REVILLET Aurelie (FRA), STECHERT Gina (GER), SIORPAES Wendy (ITA), RABIC Urska (SLO), SCHNARF Johanna (ITA), CASANOVA Carmen (SUI), SCHMIDHOFER Nicole (AUT), SPONRING Christine (AUT), HOLAUS Maria (AUT), HOSP Nicole (AUT)
Did not finish 1st run : BARTHET Anne-Sophie (FRA), RICHARDSON Kaylin (USA), MEISSNITZER Alexandra (AUT)