Insights from US coach White on downhill eve

Jackie Wiles in Olympic downhill training (GEPA/Mario Kneisl)

KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia — With the fifth and final day of women’s downhill training canceled Tuesday due to warm conditions and as a precaution against tearing up the track, the U.S. downhill team — Julia Mancuso, Stacey Cook, Laurenne Ross and Jackie Wiles — may have to contend with variable conditions on the course during the Olympic medal event Wednesday.

Sunshine should be abundant and temperatures in the upper 30s to low 40s are expected, so early start positions could bode well for the American team if the track fails to hold up. As determined in Tuesday night’s draw, Wiles will be kicking out second, Ross seventh, Cook 10th and Mancuso 12th.

U.S. Head Women’s Speed Coach Chip White said the decision to select Wiles over Leanne Smith for the fourth starting spot was based on recent results: “We wanted to leave the door open for everybody. We didn’t want to count anybody out. … Jackie has continued to show us something. She’s had some actual results, scored some points. She’s a little … rugged at times, but she shows some good speed and she’s not afraid. She’s definitely someone we’re looking forward to in the future.”

At the Olympics, which limits nations to four athletes per discipline, the team has to focus on who is skiing the best right now, according to White, who said it was a tough choice leaving Smith, an A Team member, off the downhill start list.

The U.S. held a qualifier in the third downhill training run Friday. A top-seven result guaranteed a start in the downhill, which Ross achieved. Wiles finished fourth, but missed a gate in that run. “She had some fast splits and showed some good qualities that we like. Leanne still hasn’t really found the pace or nailed the course yet, so that’s how we came to a coaches’ decision for that fourth spot,” said White, who compared Wiles’ frame to that of Lindsey Vonn’s. “She’s got a great attitude and seems to be fearless at this point.”

Unlike most World Cup races with repeat venues year after year, the Rosa Khutor track is almost completely foreign to the ladies competing on Wednesday. They had a test event on the course two years ago, but haven’t been back since. White said they’ve learned quite a bit in the last week of training.

“I think we’re pretty dialed in with the line as a group,” said the coach in a conversation with Ski Racing on Tuesday evening. “Every section, we’ve been competitive, almost every single day, so we know it basically comes down to the athletes fine-tuning the their execution of it. Line-wise, we think we’re spot on.”

Of course, all eyes will be on Mancuso Wednesday. Known as a big-event skier or a “gamer,” Jules clocked the fastest downhill run in the combined on Monday, against nearly the same field she’ll be facing Wednesday.

“She always seems to rise to the occasion. She’s been an extreme talent her entire career,” White said. “She’s had some ups and downs trying to figure out some equipment issues, things like that. Sometimes certain parts of her body are a little bit beat up … She’s feeling good and the equipment stuff is getting dialed in.”

White wouldn’t say if Mancuso is the favorite Wednesday, but he said she’s certainly a contender.

Meanwhile, Stacey Cook has enjoyed some of the best results of her career in the run-up to the Olympics, both in downhill and super G, especially at the most recent World Cup in Cortina.

“When she’s calm and relaxed is when she does best,” said White. “She usually doesn’t perform as well when she’s all wound up. … I think in the early part of the season (the whole team) was really nervous about making the Olympics because that’s always a challenge, too.

“But now that they’re here, I think they’re starting to calm down a little bit. All along, there were a lot of people saying that we weren’t prepared and there’s something wrong — there’s nothing wrong. … We think that 100 percent is all there is. You start giving a 110, 120 percent, there’s a mess to clean up.”