Michael Radford's 7th leads American finishers at Topolino

Michael Radford’s 7th leads American finishers at Topolino{mosimage}As the Olympic flame burned in Torino, Italy, a record 340 junior competitors from 44 nations descended upon Pinzolo, Italy, roughly a four-hour drive to the east from Torino, for the 45th annual Trofeo Topolino Children’s Games.

A gathering of the world’s best J3s and J4s, Topolino is a major international event, and its alumni include recent Torino gold medalists Benni Raich and Janica Kostelic.

Hoping to follow in those very large footsteps were athletes such as Switzerland’s Lara Gut, who won the Feb. 17 women’s slalom and finished second in the following day’s GS, Austria’s Frederic Berthold, who took the men’s slalom, and Germany’s Dominik Schwaiger, the winner of the men’s GS.

Saturday’s one-run GS race was run in fog and snow. Running after the women on the same course, the men had their work cut out for them.

“In some places, they couldn’t see more than three gates ahead,” said USA Topolino team leader Finn Gundersen. “We probably got two or three inches of snow just during the race.”

The conditions had little effect on Schwaiger, who won the men’s GS by a healthy 0.66 margin over Austria’s Christian Walder and Italy’s Antonio Fantino. It was the second Topolino podium for Fantino, who won last year’s GS as a first-year J3.

The American team sent six J3 athletes to compete, and while, much like their American countrymen in Torino, podiums eluded them, there was still plenty of strong skiing. Sugar Bowl’s Michael Radford led the charge with a strong seventh-place finish in the GS, and Snowbird’s Brennan Ruby, running 73rd, moved up to finish 21st in the GS.

Ski Club Vail’s Delainey Ackerman registered the top finish among the American women with a 26th in the GS. Gundersen noted Park City’s Angie Elliot, the top American finisher in the slalom in 32nd, was on her way to a fast run in GS before a tough crash landed her in the DNF column. Julia Keeler notched two steady finishes in the 30s.

Tough luck hit Topolino veteran Hunter Schleper, who was looking to build on a seventh in last year’s GS. After a strong first run of slalom had him poised to make a run at the podium, Schleper had a major mistake in his second run, dropping him from the top 10 all the way to 40th. Then his ski popped off in the GS.

The trip still had plenty to offer Schleper, as he continued on to see his sister Sarah compete in Torino. Also staying in Europe was Elliot, whose mother is from Belgium.

Women’s J3 slalom
Feb. 17, 2006

1. GUT, LARA SUI 1:27.93
2. AHAC, URSKA SLO 01:28.31
3. FANKHAUSER, VALENTINA AUT 01:29.26
4. RAINER, MICHAELA AUT 1:29.29
5. HARTL, RAPHAELA GER 1:29.39

Americans:
32. Angie Elliot 1:36.09
33. Julia Keeler 1:37.20
35. Delainey Ackerman 1:38.25

Men’s J3 slalom
Feb. 17, 2006
1. BERTHOLD, FREDERIC AUT 1:21.80
2. FANTINO, ANTONIO ITA 1:22.55
3. AICHER, LUKAS GER 1:23.20
4. ANTHAMATTEN, GABRIEL SUI 1:23.35
5. ROLLAND, MATHIAS FRA 1:23.72

Americans:
40. Hunter Schleper 1:32.92
Brennan Ruby DNF 1st
Michael Radford DNF 2nd

Women’s J3 giant slalom
Feb. 18, 2006

1. EGGER, ELISABETH ITA 1:04.11
2. GUT, LARA SUI 1:04.20
3. HOOP, BARBARA LIE 1:04.75
4. LIPP, MAGDALENA GER 1:04.91
5. FANKHAUSER, VALENTINA AUT 1:05.41

Americans:
26. Delainey Ackerman 1:08.09
34. Julia Keeler 1:08.86
Angie Elliot DNF

Men’s J3 giant slalom
Feb. 18, 2006
1. SCHWAIGER, DOMINIK GER 1:03.57
2. WALDER, CHRISTIAN AUT 1:04.23
3. FANTINO, ANTONIO ITA 1:04.68
4. ANTHAMATTEN, GABRIEL SUI 1:05.44
5. HEEB, SIMON LIE 1:05.85

Americans:
7. Michael Radford 1:06.12
21. Brennan Ruby 1:08.60
Hunter Schleper DNF