Downhill silver for Squaw Valley’s Ganong

BEAVER CREEK, Colo. — After a slow start in the World Alpine Ski Championships, the home team was looking for something to celebrate at Beaver Creek. Saturday’s celebration came on the biggest of stages, the men’s downhill, with three Americans finishing in the top 10, two in the top five and one, Travis Ganong, landing his first career medal in a major event — the silver.

The 26-year-old American skied near the tail end of the major contenders, splitting the times of the two leading Swiss, Patrick Kueng and Beat Feuz, who ultimately finished with gold and bronze. For Kueng, the winning pace of 1 minute, 43.18 seconds is his second at the Birds of Prey venue — the other came in the super G in 2013.

For the Americans, it’s the first World Championship medal in men’s downhill since Bode Miller and Daron Rahlves went 1-2 in Bormio in 2005.

Unfortunately, the U.S. Team wasn’t able to have its cake and eat it too. Ganong’s run knocked Steven Nyman, who had been sitting in third, out of medal contention. Nyman ultimately finished fourth, a mere three-hundredths of a second off the podium.

“Steve Nyman inspired me,” said Ganong, who ran 12 racers after Nyman. “I heard he was in second place. So I was like if he’s fast, I can be fast. He said the track was in perfect shape, I could do whatever I want. That’s what I did. I just sent it down the hill.”

Ganong, like the other two men on the podium, managed to capitalize on a strong final split. The home stretch of the Birds of Prey course — the Harrier double, across flat and over Red Tail Jump — is always critical, but this section seemed to play an even larger role in the outcome of Saturday’s event with racers both winning and losing crucial tenths in the final split. Ganong was one of those athletes who was able to gain time, while Andrew Weibrecht slipped back to ninth on the day after being near the lead through three splits.

“I didn’t know I was fast on the bottom,” said Ganong. “But I’m normally fast on the bottom, so that’s my bread and butter. I just knew I had to push hard top to bottom but at the same time stay relaxed and stick to my plan.”

For Steven Nyman, the fourth-place result is his second best on the Birds of Prey downhill course this season. Nyman was coming into World Champs with positive momentum: a Beaver Creek podium earlier in the season, his third career win in Val Gardena and fifth-place result at Kitzbuehel. Nyman, who has developed a strong local following in the Vail area thanks to big results at the Birds of Prey and appearances at the GoPro Mountain Games, had this date circled on the calendar for many years.

“I think it’s great. Congrats to Travis. Obviously I’m pissed, but he laid it down,” said Nyman. “I radioed up, I just said, ‘Dude, the snow is great. Send it. Trust yourself. Go for it.’ And he laid it down, it was great. I’m happy for him. Hopefully we can keep the ball rolling. We’ve got the combi. I might even race that thing. I’ve got some slalom skills in these legs, so we’ll see.”

Nyman said after the race it was a good run, but could have been better.

“I know where I lost it. That’s all I can think about. In the Brink, just right off the flat right there I went a little too straight, lost my ski and there’s a lot of headwind there. It just wasn’t super smooth, but other than that I had wind coming off the pitch but I was just like hammering. It was so cool. I was tucking in places I’ve never tucked and just charging down the hill and giving it everything.”

Likely the only nation celebrating harder than the USA tonight will be Switzerland, which landed two on the World Championship downhill podium for the first time since 2009 in Val d’Isere when Didier Cuche and Carlo Janka shared the honor. But Bruno Kernen in 1997 was the last Swiss male to capture gold in a World Championships downhill.

“Winning the downhill was a long time coming,” said the gold medalist Kueng. “Sestriere in 1997 was a long time ago and of course for our federation and ski team, it was a great achievement. We have been working very hard for it. It is not very easy, sometimes to ski and to achieve your potential because it’s Switzerland and there is a lot of pressure, but I think now the climate was perfect to help us achieve this great race today.

“Sometimes I have not had a good feeling on this hill,” added Kueng. “You have to go fast and you have to go with a lot of aggressiveness. But today for me was easy, and I have no mistakes and the skis go really fast. I didn’t have to push the limit, it was the key to go fast to the finish.”

Conversely, Feuz, finishing third, found taking risk was the only way to be fast at this World Championship medal event.

“I had to take chances to achieve a great race today,” said Feuz. “If you are not, you cannot ski as fast and aggressive as I did. … I did a good run and for me to be on the podium and to share the share the podium together with Patrick Kueng was really amazing.”

The day was capped off by a rip-roaring run by Andrew Weibrecht. Skiing 35th, Warhorse gave the podium one last run for its money, carrying the lead through the second split and and hanging on to within three-hundredths through the third split. The Olympic silver medalist lost some of the pace due to a misdirection over Harrier Jump, according to U.S. Ski Team coaches.

“I was really happy with my skiing today,” said Weibrecht. “The track was in great condition. I really took advantage of the opportunity I had. I definitely gave it away a little bit at the bottom and I felt that. But that’s how it goes sometimes. I keep trying. It can’t be every time. I’m really happy with my skiing and the way I executed. With this group of guys, you can’t make little mistakes.”

“I’m so proud of the whole team,” said men’s head coach Sasha Rearick. “Yesterday, with the whole team, the talk was look at the energy that’s around here. Take that energy in and get yourself excited for that energy, and go down and have fun. This is a moment in your life, where you have to enjoy it. Travis skied relaxed and free today, as all the guys did.”

The men next contest the alpine combined, consisting of one downhill run and one run of slalom, starting Sunday morning.

See more photos from this race here. 

The Scoop

By Hank McKee

1 Kueng, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon

2 Ganong, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic

3 Feuz, Head/Head/Head

4 Nyman, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer

5 Fayed, Head/Head/Head

6 Svindal, Head/Head/Head

7 Bank, Nordica/Nordica/

8 Theaux, Head/Head/Head

9 Weibrecht, Head/Head/Head

9 Janka, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol

Men’s World Championship downhill, Feb 7, 2015:

• It is the fourth event, second for men, of the 2015 World Ski Championships. … It is the 68^th World Championship downhill, the first having been held in 1931. … Aksel Lund Svindal is the defending champion. … Kjetil Jansrud leads the World Cup downhill standings.  … The same two are the last two World Cup winners of DH at Beaver Creek, Svindal Dec. 6, 2013 and Jansrud Dec. 5, 2014. … It is the 289^th World Championship race … the 29^th held at Vail/Beaver Creek.
• It is the first World Championship medal for Patrick Kueng. … He had placed seventh in DH at Schladming in 2013. … It is the first Swiss downhill World Championship since Bruno Kernan won at Sestriere in 1997. … His best previous result this season was fourth in Wengen DH. … Winning margin is .24 of a second. … Top 15 are within the same second. … Top 23 within two seconds.
• It is the first career World Championship medal for Travis Ganong. … His previous best had been 18^th in super G at Garmisch 2011. … He won his first World Cup downhill earlier this season at Santa Caterina on Dec. 28. … It is the first U.S. downhill medal for men since Bode Miller and Daron Rahlves went one-two at Bormio in 2005.
• It is the first World Championship medal for Beat Feuz. … He was ninth at Garmisch in 2011, and he was second earlier this season in DH at Wengen.
• It is the best World Championship performance for Steven Nyman, his previous best a ninth in combined at Are in 2007. … It is his third best result of the season, and second best at Beaver Creek this season, having placed third in DH Dec. 5. … It is the best career World Championship result for Andrew Weibrecht, his previous best a 20^th in super G two days ago. … It is his second best result of the season. … U.S. skiers have placed three in the top 10 of a World Championship downhill twice previously, at Garmisch 2011 and at Schladming in 1982, both times by the women’s team. … It was the first World Championship finish for Jared Goldberg.
• Medal count: Austria two gold, one silver; Switzerland one gold, two bronze; Slovenia one gold, one silver; U.S. one silver, one bronze; Canada one silver; France one bronze.

Results