Kitzbuehel: Buechel edges Maier for SG win

Marco Buechel collected his fourth World Cup win and second in super-G at Kitzbuehel Friday ending, by .16 of a second, a two race win streak in the event for Hermann Maier. Didier Cuche and Mario Scheiber tied for third place.
    Maier has won five of the nine super G's held at Kitzbuehel, including the last two in 2005 and 2006. He appeared to have this one won as well, then had an error on the final jump just before the finish line. Buechel was clocked at 1:15.44 and Maier at 1:15.60. At 36, Buechel becomes the oldest winner of a World Cup race.
    "This victory was a dream, the biggest thing for me," Buechel said. "I was nervous, especially when Hermann was racing."
    Maier, with 53 World Cup wins, is the leading active skier on the all-time list. His last win came Jan. 28, 2006 in a downhill at Garmisch and the result here is his first podium of the season.
    There were some incredible attacks from the back of the start order, and many of them coming from North Americans. Robbie Dixon started 43rd but fell in right behind Canadian teammate John Kucera, finishing sixth, just ahead of tour leader Benjamin Raich. Marco Sullivan finished tenth from the 52nd start position, knocking Eric Guay of Canada out of the top ten and down to 11th. Bode Miller finished 12th.

Marco Buechel collected his fourth World Cup win and second in super-G at Kitzbuehel Friday ending, by .16 of a second, a two race win streak in the event for Hermann Maier. Didier Cuche and Mario Scheiber tied for third place.
    Maier has won five of the nine super G's held at Kitzbuehel, including the last two in 2005 and 2006. He appeared to have this one won as well, then had an error on the final jump just before the finish line. Buechel was clocked at 1:15.44 and Maier at 1:15.60. At 36, Buechel becomes the oldest winner of a World Cup race.
    "This victory was a dream, the biggest thing for me," Buechel said. "I was nervous, especially when Hermann was racing."
    Maier, with 53 World Cup wins, is the leading active skier on the all-time list. His last win came Jan. 28, 2006 in a downhill at Garmisch and the result here is his first podium of the season.
    There were some incredible attacks from the back of the start order, and many of them coming from North Americans. Robbie Dixon started 43rd but fell in right behind Canadian teammate John Kucera, finishing sixth, just ahead of tour leader Benjamin Raich. Marco Sullivan finished tenth from the 52nd start position, knocking Eric Guay of Canada out of the top ten and down to 11th. Bode Miller finished 12th.
    The day, though, belonged to Buechel. "I had a solid run yet I surely didn’t anticipate this win," he said. "There was only one possible tactic for me today – brainless attack, just go for it from top-to-bottom. I made the best of the sunshine and the clear visibility in the lower part but I suffered a lot while waiting in the finish area."
    The  worst of the suffering was caused by Maier, who  had the fastest times through the  upper course. "I was lucky he made a few mistakes in the final part, Buechel said. It is amazing to win that race ahead of him. He is Mr. Super-G in Kitzbuehel and such a great hero for us."
    Maier skied after visibility had diminished some, but said that was not the cause of his problems. “My line was too direct in that part and I also made a mistake in the lower compression prior the last jump, but I can’t complain too much about my run. I had a really good race today and a lot of fun too. It’s a demanding course that motivates me each time a lot. It helps me to ski at my best. I knew I had the potential for such a result. It was just a matter of putting all the pieces together. I’m pretty excited to have succeeded here."
    Sullivan said watching earlier skiers had provided some inspiration. "The track held up well and I was able to charge it. It definitely got a little squirrely in a few places, though. I put it on my hip coming into the Hausberg, but I had been watching the guys on the TV and I knew that you could just put your nose in it and charge the whole thing, and minus a few mistakes, that’s what I did. There were a few soft trouble spots, but I could see them on TV, so I knew where to avoid them. But for starting 52, the track was in good shape."
    He said he also knew he had an opportunity to carry the team. "I was stoked. I saw Bode come down, and then Mac and Steven go out, and I knew that the hopes of our team were kind of resting on me, and I kind of like that."
    While the top of the leader board was packed with age – if you discard Scheiber the top three set an age mark at 104years – one the best runs of the day came from one of the youngest skiers in the race. Canadian Robbie Dixon, 14 days into his 23rd year, started 43rd in his first race at Kitzbuehel, and finished sixth.
    "I just tried to focus on what I inspected this morning, keep it simple and focus on the key points. It was the first time skiing here for me so I told myself, ‘I’ve got to go after it,’ and that’s what I did," he said. "I just looked at the board and didn’t know what to expect. I looked at the time, saw sixth, and I was pretty stoked,” Dixon told a crowd of journalists in the finish area.
    Canadian Men’s Head Coach Paul Kristofic said Dixon’s result may have surprised a lot of people, but it did not surprise the coaching staff.
"We all thought it was a matter of time before he had a big breakthrough," said Kristofic. "He skis very fast in the training, winning training runs. We started him in a bunch of World Cup races this season to get him up to speed on where his race day form needs to be. He obviously figured that one out today with great splits all the way down. Kitzbühel is the icon of ski racing venues and really is the “Super Bowl” of weekends on the World Cup tour. To have your best run ever on a course you inspected for the first time the morning of the race is truly amazing,” Kristofic added.

– The Associated Press, Patrick Lang, Jack Shaw and Alpine Canada contributed to this story

The SCOOP

By Hank McKee

Equipment
Men's super G, Kitzbuehel, Austria, Jan. 18, 2008
Skier, skis/boots/bindings
1 Buechel, Head/Lange/Tyrolia
2 Maier, Head/Head/Head
3 Cuche, Head/Head/Tyrolia
3 Scheiber, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
5 Kucera, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
6 Dixon, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
7 Raich, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
8 Innerhofer, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
9 Fill, Dynastar/Lange/Look
10 Sullivan, Nordica/Nordica/Marker
 
Men's super G, Kitzbuehel, Austria, Jan. 18, 2008. … It is the 21st of 41 races on the men's 2008 World Cup schedule. … It is the fourth of seven scheduled super G's. … It is the ninth World Cup Super G held at Kitzbuehel. … Hermann Maier has won five of the eight previously held.
    It is the fourth career World Cup win for Marco Buechel. … His second in SG, the first coming at Garmisch Feb. 23, 2003. … His last win was in downhill at Lake Louise Nov. 25, 2006. … He becomes the oldest winner of a World Cup race at 36 years, two months and 14 days. … He had been second in DH at Kitzbuehel Jan. 21, 2006 behind Michael Walchhofer. … It is the first win for Liechtenstein at Kitzbuehel since Paul Frommelt won the 1986 slalom.
    It is the 94th career World Cup podium for Hermann Maier. … the 36th in SG. … It is his ninth career podium at Kitzbuehel, his seventh in Kitzbuehel in SG. … It is his first podium since placing third in SG at Hinterstoder Dec. 20, 2006. … With 53 career wins Maier is the career leader among active skiers. … He is the career leader in SG wins with 23, more than double Pirmin Zurbriggen's 10, the next on the men's list.
    It is the 37th career World Cup podium for Didier Cuche. … His 15th in SG. … It is his seventh podium of the season and third of the season in SG. … It is his sixth career podium at Kitzbuehel. … He has been third in SG at Kitzbuehel three times, the previous two in 2000 and 2002.
    It is the ninth career podium for Mario Scheiber. … five of those coming in SG. … It is his second podium of the season having placed second at Beaver Creek Dec. 3. … He has never won a World Cup race. … His only previous scoring result at Kitzbuehel had been 19th in SG Jan. 24, 2005.
    It is the fifth career World Cup top five for John Kucera. … His third in SG. … It is his second best result of the season after a fourth in GS at Alta Badia Dec. 16. … He was 25th in SG in his only other scoring finish at Kitzbuehel Jan. 20, 2006. … It is the first career scoring result for Robbie Dixon. … It was the 13th career World Cup start for the 22 year old. … He started 43rd. … It was the sixth career top 10 for Marco Sullivan and a career best in SG, the other results coming in DH. … It was his third best finish of the season having been second in at Lake Louise and seventh at Wengen. … He started 52nd. … It is the 28th time Erik Guay has been 11th or better in his career. … It is his fifth best result of the season. … third best in SG. … It is the 120th time Bode Miller has placed 12th or better in a World Cup race. … The 11th time this season in 15 completed races. … The result matches his tenth best at Kitzbuehel. … It is the sixth scoring result of the season for Francois Bourque. … His third in SG. … It is his fourth career scoring result at Kitzbuehel. … It was just the fourth career scoring result in a World Cup SG for Manuel Osborne-Paradis. … He started 57th. … Both Steven Nyman and Scott Macartney missed gate 35.
    Winning margin is .16 of a second. … Top 13 finishers are within a second. … Top 43 within two seconds. … Benjamin Raich (7th in race) maintains the lead of the World Cup overall standings 726-665 for Didier Cuche. … Bode Miller slips to third at 633. … Daniel Albrecht is now fourth at 572. … Ted Ligety is sixth at 440. … Cuche holds the SG standings lead 244-197 overal Raich. … Mario Scheiber is third at 176 and Buechel two points back in fourth with 174pts.

Did not start 1st run : GRUENENFELDER Tobias (SUI)
Did not finish 1st run : BRANCH Craig (AUS), RICHARD Cyprien (FRA), OLSSON Hans (SWE), HARI Konrad (SUI), FRISCH Jeffrey (CAN), JERMAN Andrej (SLO)
Disqualified 1st run : MACARTNEY Scott (USA), NYMAN Steven (USA)