Lake Louise: Mancuso wins 1st training run

The Austrian women crammed six into the top 10 of the first downhill training run of the 2008 season at Lake Louise, Canada, and the local women put two into the top five, but it was American Julia Mancuso who claimed first place, 0.26 of a second ahead of Elisabeth Goergl and more than three-quarters of a second ahead of Maria Holaus in third.

THE AUSTRIAN WOMEN crammed six into the top 10 of the first downhill training run of the 2008 season at Lake Louise, Canada, and the local women put two into the top five, but it was American Julia Mancuso who claimed first place, 0.26 of a second ahead of Elisabeth Goergl and more than three-quarters of a second ahead of Maria Holaus in third.
        Kelly Vanderbeek and Britt Janyk were fourth and fifth for Canada and then the Austrians came in a bunch, led by slalom ace Marlies Schild, and followed by Christine Sponring, Alexandra Meissnitzer and Andrea Fischbacher. Stacey Cook of the U.S. notched tenth, meaning just three countries claimed all 10 slots.
        Lindsey Vonn, the odds on favorite after placing first-second-first in the last three women's downhills on the track, finished 13th.
    “Lindsey just executed the line without really charging,” U.S. women’s speed coach Alex Hoedlmoser said. Most of the women, however, were feeling out the conditions.
“It was a normal first training day,” Hoedlmoser said. “Everybody was just checking things out — Julia [Mancuso] charged the most already and feels very confident.”
Some of the younger C team girls competed in their first World Cup run of the season such as Keely Kelleher and Leanne Smith.
“The young ones did OK with room for improvements in different sections,” Hoedlmoser said, wrapping it up. “Stacey [Cook] skied well. Libby [Ludlow] checked things out because it was her first downhill run after the injury [to her knee last spring] — she was a bit nervous but did OK.”
    Overall, the conditions were “great,” Hoedlmoser said.
“Some turns are still very icy after the men’s downhill but good conditions all in all. It was windy today and so the jumps were challenging because of the headwind.”

— Hank McKee contributed to this story