Kitzbühel: Cuche wins first training run

By Published On: January 15th, 2008Comments Off on Kitzbühel: Cuche wins first training run

Didier Cuche claimed the first timed training for the famed Hahnenkamm Downhill, set for Kitzbuehel, Austria Saturday, Jan. 19.
    The Swiss veteran, currently leading the downhill standings by a single point, decimated the field, topping Austria's two-time downhill winner Michael Walchhofer by more than a second.
    Didier Defago of Switzerland was third, Christoph Gruber of Austria fourth and Bode Miller, the winner last weekend of the Lauberhorn downhill, was fifth 1.84 seconds behind Cuche.
    Other U.S. skiers were Marco Sullivan in 16th, Steven Nyman tied for 17th, Scott Macartney 46th and Ted Ligety 47th.
    Erik Guay led the Canadians in 22nd place. Two more training runs are set for Wedneday and Thursday with a super G Friday, the downhill Saturday, a slalom and combined Sunday.

Didier Cuche claimed the first timed training for the famed Hahnenkamm Downhill, set for Kitzbuehel, Austria Saturday, Jan. 19 on a course even more difficult than usual.
   The Swiss veteran, currently leading the downhill standings by a single point, decimated the field, topping Austria's two-time downhill winner Michael Walchhofer by more than a second, but said conditions were brutal.
    "The course conditions are incredibly brutal this year," Cuche said. "When you are at the start you wonder how it is possible to get down that icy and bumpy slope. I can't remember a tougher run here. … You are just happy to be heathy when you cross the finish.
    His assessment was echoed by training partner Marco Buechel who finished at the opposite end of the result sheet. Granted a rerun because the skier before him skied off course, Buechel decline the opportunity.
    "I'm not crazy enough to start twice on the same day here," he said. "I'm too old for this kind of joke and it is way too tough this year because it is bumpy."
    Buechel took over seven minutes to track down the infamous Streif course, normally raced at about two minutes, but said he preferred these conditions to those after a snowfall when all is smooth.
    "This will be a race for real men here on Saturday if the weather doesn't change," he said.   
    Didier Defago of Switzerland was third, Christoph Gruber of Austria fourth and Bode Miller, the winner last weekend of the Lauberhorn downhill, was fifth 1.84 seconds behind Cuche.
    Other U.S. skiers were Marco Sullivan in 16th, Steven Nyman tied for 17th, Scott Macartney 46th and Ted Ligety 47th.
    Erik Guay led the Canadians in 22nd place. Two more training runs are set for Wedneday and Thursday with a super G Friday, the downhill Saturday, a slalom and combined Sunday. -Patrick Lang contributed to this story

OFFICIAL RESULTS – TRAINING

Rank Bib FIS Code Name Year Nation Total Time
 1  12  510030 CUCHE Didier  1974  SUI   1:58.01
 2  16  50041 WALCHHOFER Michael  1975  AUT   1:59.08
 3  9  510727 DEFAGO Didier  1977  SUI   1:59.39
 4  21  50451 GRUBER Christoph  1976  AUT   1:59.76
 5  20  532431 MILLER Bode  1977  USA   1:59.85
 6  5  50753 KROELL Klaus  1980  AUT   2:00.25
 7  1  510747 GRUENENFELDER Tobias  1977  SUI   2:00.26
 8  10  291641 SULZENBACHER Kurt  1976  ITA   2:00.44
 9  29  191116 DALCIN Pierre-Emmanuel  1977  FRA   2:00.60
 10  39  510498 ZUEGER Cornel  1981  SUI   2:01.10
 11  11  560332 JERMAN Andrej  1978  SLO   2:01.16
 12  27  192746 THEAUX Adrien  1984  FRA   2:01.18
 13  17  510767 HOFFMANN Ambrosi  1977  SUI   2:01.31
 14  14  292455 FILL Peter  1982  ITA   2:01.36
 15  19  533131 SULLIVAN Marco  1980  USA   2:01.45
 16  24  51005 SCHEIBER Mario  1983  AUT   2:01.48
 16  13  533866 NYMAN Steven  1982  USA   2:01.48
 18  6  290998 STAUDACHER Patrick  1980  ITA   2:01.68
 19  30  191591 BERTRAND Yannick  1980  FRA   2:01.70
 20  49  380292 ZRNCIC-DIM Natko  1986  CRO   2:01.79
 21  22  102263 GUAY Erik  1981  CAN   2:01.82
 22  40  510165 HOFER Beni  1978  SUI   2:02.02
 23  15  102899 OSBORNE-PARADIS Manuel  1984  CAN   2:02.22
 24  44  191911 NOCENTI Cyril  1982  FRA   2:02.28
 25  51  201439 STEHLE Johannes  1981  GER   2:02.39
 26  25  102873 KUCERA John  1984  CAN   2:02.43
 27  65  420911 SOLBAKKEN Bjarne  1977  NOR   2:02.62
 28  18  50695 BUDER Andreas  1979  AUT   2:02.65
 29  55  150398 BANK Ondrej  1980  CZE   2:02.74
 30  60  50547 SCHOENFELDER Rainer  1977  AUT   2:02.85
 31  50  291389 FISCHNALLER Roland  1975  ITA   2:03.07
 32  48  510207 HARI Konrad  1978  SUI   2:03.11
 33  36  191964 POISSON David  1982  FRA   2:03.21
 34  28  191415 BOTTOLLIER-LASQUIN Marc  1979  FRA   2:03.35
 35  26  510993 ALBRECHT Daniel  1983  SUI   2:03.38
 36  35  51215 BAUMANN Romed  1986  AUT   2:03.41
 37  41  102814 BOURQUE Francois  1984  CAN   2:03.50
 38  52  293141 VARETTONI Silvano  1984  ITA   2:03.62
 39  42  192932 FAYED Guillermo  1985  FRA   2:03.64
 40  2  191740 CLAREY Johan  1981  FRA   2:03.69
 41  3  532490 MACARTNEY Scott  1978  USA   2:04.03
 42  32  534562 LIGETY Ted  1984  USA   2:04.32
 43  38  291399 GIRARDI Walter  1976  ITA   2:04.36
 44  47  40171 BRANCH Craig  1977  AUS   2:04.47
 45  37  501076 OLSSON Hans  1984  SWE   2:04.50
 46  62  292056 GUFLER Michael  1979  ITA   2:04.75
 47  57  561006 GLEBOV Alek  1983  SLO   2:04.98
 48  61  380260 KOSTELIC Ivica  1979  CRO   2:05.31
 49  70  480736 HOROSHILOV Alexandr  1984  RUS   2:05.59
 50  46  191462 PAQUIN Pierre  1979  FRA   2:07.29
 51  63  292150 HAPPACHER Alex  1979  ITA   2:07.58
 52  69  102727 STUTZ Paul  1983  CAN   2:07.78
 53  67  50900 KOLL Alexander  1982  AUT   2:08.09
 54  64  292967 EISATH Florian  1984  ITA   2:08.52
 55  8  350032 BUECHEL Marco  1971  LIE   7:32.20

Did not start 1st run: GORZA Ales (SLO), REICHELT Hannes (AUT), ALSTER Christoph (AUT)

Did not finish 1st run: BERTHOD Marc (SUI)

Disqualified 1st run: BRAND Olivier (SUI), RAINER Niklas (SWE), INNERHOFER Christof (ITA), SINE Gareth (CAN), MICKEL Finlay (GBR), KEPPLER Stephan (GER), SPORN Andrej (SLO), RAICH Benjamin (AUT), MAIER Hermann (AUT), HEEL Werner (ITA), STREITBERGER Georg (AUT)

 

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About the Author: Pete Rugh

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