Svindal: "I'll be very ready" for Sölden

Four months after his horrendous crash at Beaver Creek, Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal celebrated a spectacular comeback this weekend at Verbier where he won the Verbier High Five by Carlsberg fun race in front of some of the leading skiers from the past World Cup season.
    The 2007 World Cup overall champion, who won two of the first four races at the start of last winter, beat downhill World Cup champion Didier Cuche in the final of a dual slalom, the last of a series five races that also included a one-run giant slalom, a short speed test and a skiercross competition.
    “I’m really pleased, this has been a funny and exciting day for me, you can’t compare it to a World Cup race, but for sure it’s a good feeling to have been so competitive throughout the entire day and to reach the final of that parallel slalom,” Svindal said.         "… I feel the fire in me and I’ll work hard to reach the level I had last November. I can’t guarantee if I’ll be right away so fast, it may taks some time, but who knows. … I can only say that I’ll be very ready at the start of the race at Sölden.”
Four months after his horrendous crash at Beaver Creek, Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal celebrated a spectacular comeback this weekend at Verbier where he won the Verbier High Five by Carlsberg fun race in front of some of the leading skiers from the past World Cup season.
    The 2007 World Cup overall champion, who won two of the first four races at the start of last winter, beat downhill World Cup champion Didier Cuche in the final of a dual slalom, the last of a series five races that also included a one-run giant slalom, a short speed test and a skiercross competition.
    Cuche’s Swiss compatriot, Didier Defago, second in the last super G race at Bormio three weeks ago, finished third in the final combined standings of the event that took place for the ninth time above the noted Swiss resort of Verbier, in Valais.
    It was the first real competition that Svindal has entered a month after starting training on snow again and he obviously proved that he has found back part of his momentum and old form which allowed him to dominate the 2006-07 season.
    “I’m really pleased, this has been a funny and exciting day for me, you can’t compare it to a World Cup race, but for sure it’s a good feeling to have been so competitive throughout the entire day and to reach the final of that parallel slalom,” Svindal said. “Winning is always good, whatever kind of competition you’re entering.
    “I would for sure not be ready now to compete at Sölden, but this success shows that I’m on a good way to be soon as competitive as I was prior my accident.”
    Svindal added that he has skied a lot in recent weeks, mostly freeskiing. He said it felt good to feel pre-race tension again and feel his heart beat rapidly once again.
    “When you can’t do what you normally do, you fully realize what you have lost. I have been missing the World Cup atmosphere a lot this past winter and I’ll do my best to be ready for a great race in six months at Sölden,” he said. “I plan to continue skiing sometime now at home and then I’ll see the rest of my program for the summer. I regained power and weight in the gym thanks to a good conditioning plan and the rest is just a matter of time and being patient. I know what I’m aiming for.
    "I feel the fire in me and I’ll work hard to reach the level I had last November. I can’t guarantee if I’ll be right away so fast, it may taks some time, but who knows —  it can also go faster that I thought. I can only say that I’ll be very ready at the start of the race at Sölden.”
    Nearly 300 racers including snowboarders took part in the H5 invitational event at Verbier which is open to recreational skiers and a dozen of active or former ski champions.
    Switzerland Daniel Albrecht, a two-time winner on the World Cup tour last winter and second  in the last slalom at Bormio, speed specialist Marco Buechel from Liechtenstein and reigning Olympic champion Antoine Deneriaz, who gave up World Cup racing last December, were also racing at Verbier.
    Another Swiss, Fraenzi Aufdenblatten, won the women’s event over recently crowned World Cup overall champion Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso. Vonn crashed in the parallel slalom.
    Slovenia’s Spela Pretnar, the 2000 slalom World Cup champion who retired in 2003, came in second in the combined standings ahead of retired Swede Janette Hargin.
    Mancuso and British racer Chemmy Alcott announced at Verbier that they plan to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in June to collect money for charity organization Right to Play,” which promotes sport for underprivileged children around the world. “It will take us a week and it will not be easy but we are all ready and very motivated,” said Mancuso, who came to Verbier after a series of ski tests and a nice break at Hawaii. “We aim to raise $20,0000 dollars. We already have $7,000 so far and we put a lot of our stuff to sale to reach our goal.”
    At Verbier, Alcott presented a Wimbledon T-shirt autographed by five-time winner Roger Federer at an auction party for the organization which fetched $40,000.