Lake Louise: Hudec wins DH, American Sullivan 2nd

By Published On: November 24th, 2007Comments Off on Lake Louise: Hudec wins DH, American Sullivan 2nd

Canada’s Jan Hudec notched the first World Cup win of his career, and American Marco Sullivan finished second in the best showing of his career to lead a 1-2 North American finish on home snow Saturday in the World Cup men’s downhill at Lake Louise.
      "I've been skiing fast in the last few weeks of the prep period and had some good training runs. I was ready to throw down a good one despite the tough conditions," Sullivan said. "My Nordicas [skis] were on fire today.
       Hudec finished in an official time of 1 minute, 42.79 seconds to edge Sullivan by .24 seconds. Austria’s Andreas Buder was third — also the best finish of his career — 0.34 back. Italy’s Kurt Sulzenbacher finished fourth and Swiss Tobias Gruenenfelder fifth.
    Americans Steven Nyman (15th), Bode Miller (20th) and Scott Macartney (29th) posted top-30 finishes in a solid showing.
   


CANADA'S Jan Hudec notched the first World Cup win of his career, and American Marco Sullivan finished second in the best showing of his career to lead a 1-2 North American finish on home snow Saturday in the World Cup men’s downhill at Lake Louise.   
    "I've been skiing fast in the last few weeks of the prep period and had some good training runs. I was ready to throw down a good one despite the tough conditions," Sullivan said. "My Nordicas [skis] were on fire today.
    "I knew I was having a solid run but I wasn't sure where it would stack up because the conditions were so variable. I was almost two seconds ahead of No. 1. But, then when Hudec came down – Jan and I have raced together for years – and was first, I knew being two-tenths away from him would be good."
    Hudec finished in an official time of 1 minute, 42.79 seconds to edge Sullivan by 0.24 seconds. Austria’s Andreas Buder was third, 0.34 back. Italy’s Kurt Sulzenbacher finished fourth and Swiss Tobias Gruenenfelder fifth.
    "Fantastic," said U.S. speed coach Chris Brigham about the U.S. men's results. He said it was a tough day with flat light and "swirly winds" but he wasn't surprised by the racers' results. He said the American men have been skiing fast during the prep period and in training.
    Steven Nyman (15th), Bode Miller (20th) and Scott Macartney (29th) also posted top-30 finishes in a solid showing for U.S. racers.
    The top story, however, is Sullivan getting his first career podium after breaking both his heels during October's training camp in Chile.
    "He bounced back pretty quick from that," Brigham said. "He was chomping at the bit to get back to skiing."
    Injured in a downhill training crash early in the 2004 season, the podium was another huge step in Sullivan's comeback after two seasons of knee surgeries leading to the 2006 Olympics. A year ago, he was fourth in a downhill at Val Gardena, Italy, just one-hundredth of a second away from the podium. Saturday, Sullivan would not be denied.
    "This [podium] was certainly worth the wait. It sets a good platform for me for the season," Sulllivan said. "I'm heading to Beaver Creek and I'm ready to keep it rolling.
    "I told him in the finish this was a payback for last year in Norway when he skied so well in poor conditions and then they stopped and finally restarted, and he didn't ski as well. What goes around comes around. This was a nice payback for Marco," the coach said.
    Sullivan was recuperating Saturday night. He said his heels are a bit sore, but they clearly aren't affecting his performance. He is starting 59th in Sunday's super G. "I am tired," he said. "Tough work going fast, just trying to relax and get ready for tomorrow."
   U.S. Ski Teamer T.J. Lanning finished just out of the points in a tie for 32nd, improving 30 spots over his start number. "He's really psyched," Brigham said. Fellow American Erik Fisher DNFed but was skiing fast, Brigham said. Fisher lost control going over the last jump and is getting a medical check up, but Brigham said he is likely OK. Teammate Kevin Francis was disqualified after he missed a gate in the flat light.
   
    — USSA contributed to this report    

Lake Louise Men's World Cup downhill results

     
Rank Bib FIS Code Name Year Nation Total Time FIS Points
 1  5  102271 HUDEC Jan  1981  CAN   1:42.79  0.00
 2  2  533131 SULLIVAN Marco  1980  USA   1:43.03  3.15
 3  29  50695 BUDER Andreas  1979  AUT   1:43.13  4.47
 4  7  291641 SULZENBACHER Kurt  1976  ITA   1:43.29  6.57
 5  6  510747 GRUENENFELDER Tobias  1977  SUI   1:43.30  6.70
 6  4  292514 HEEL Werner  1982  ITA   1:43.31  6.83
 7  41  102873 KUCERA John  1984  CAN   1:43.33  7.09
 8  35  192746 THEAUX Adrien  1984  FRA   1:43.39  7.88
 9  33  50858 STREITBERGER Georg  1981  AUT   1:43.40  8.01
 10  11  50451 GRUBER Christoph  1976  AUT   1:43.43  8.41
 11  34  51215 BAUMANN Romed  1986  AUT   1:43.44  8.54
 12  18  350032 BUECHEL Marco  1971  LIE   1:43.50  9.32
 12  13  560332 JERMAN Andrej  1978  SLO   1:43.50  9.32
 14  20  50041 WALCHHOFER Michael  1975  AUT   1:43.51  9.46
 15  9  533866 NYMAN Steven  1982  USA   1:43.60  10.64
 16  12  50423 MAIER Hermann  1972  AUT   1:43.62  10.90
 17  22  421328 SVINDAL Aksel Lund  1982  NOR   1:43.68  11.69
 17  21  510030 CUCHE Didier  1974  SUI   1:43.68  11.69
 17  17  102263 GUAY Erik  1981  CAN   1:43.68  11.
69
 20  16  532431 MILLER Bode  1977  USA   1:43.75  12.61
 21  8  51005 SCHEIBER Mario  1983  AUT   1:43.82  13.53
 22  25  510727 DEFAGO Didier  1977  SUI   1:43.87  14.18
 23  48  421400 MYHRE Lars Elton  1984  NOR   1:43.99  15.76
 24  24  191591 BERTRAND Yannick  1980  FRA   1:44.00  15.89
 25  38  291399 GIRARDI Walter  1976  ITA   1:44.07  16.81
 26  30  191740 CLAREY Johan  1981  FRA   1:44.09  17.07
 27  43  192932 FAYED Guillermo  1985  FRA   1:44.21  18.65
 27  15  191116 DALCIN Pierre-Emmanuel  1977  FRA   1:44.21  18.65
 29  3  532490 MACARTNEY Scott  1978  USA   1:44.25  19.18
 30  26  50753 KROELL Klaus  1980  AUT   1:44.27  19.44
 31  32  560447 SPORN Andrej  1981  SLO   1:44.29  19.70
 32  63  380260 KOSTELIC Ivica  1979  CRO   1:44.34  20.36
 32  62  534567 LANNING Thomas (tj)  1984  USA   1:44.34  20.36
 34  42  102814 BOURQUE Fr
ancois
 
1984  CAN   1:44.37  20.75
 34  14  510767 HOFFMANN Ambrosi  1977  SUI   1:44.37  20.75
 36  58  293006 INNERHOFER Christof  1984  ITA   1:44.44  21.67
 37  51  510498 ZUEGER Cornel  1981  SUI   1:44.59  23.64
 38  59  510207 HARI Konrad  1978  SUI   1:44.73  25.48
 39  44  190930 DENERIAZ Antoine  1976  FRA   1:44.79  26.27
 40  10  102899 OSBORNE-PARADIS Manuel  1984  CAN   1:44.80  26.40
 41  46  191911 NOCENTI Cyril  1982  FRA   1:44.81  26.53
 42  19  292455 FILL Peter  1982  ITA   1:44.90  27.71
 43  65  510307 BRAND Olivier  1980  SUI   1:44.91  27.84
 44  57  150398 BANK Ondrej  1980  CZE   1:44.93  28.11
 45  1  510890 ZURBRIGGEN Silvan  1981  SUI   1:45.00  29.03
 46  28  50625 RAICH Benjamin  1978  AUT   1:45.06  29.81
 47  61  201542 STRODL Peter  1982  GER   1:45.13  30.73
 48  36  191964 POISSON David  1982  FRA   1:45.15  31.00
 49  37  501076 OLSSON Hans  1984  SWE   1:45.16  31.13
 50  40  510165 HOFER Beni  1978  SUI   1:45.19  31.52
 51  52  40171 BRANCH Craig  1977  AUS   1:45.37  33.88
 52  60  501026 RAINER Niklas  1983  SWE   1:45.41  34.41
 53  31  50833 GRUGGER Hans  1981  AUT   1:45.46  35.07
 54  49  191462 PAQUIN Pierre  1979  FRA   1:45.51  35.72
 55  56  293141 VARETTONI Silvano  1984  ITA   1:45.52  35.85
 56  55  102947 SINE Gareth  1985  CAN   1:45.57  36.51
 57  23  290998 STAUDACHER Patrick  1980  ITA   1:45.67  37.82
 58  66  102961 DIXON Robbie  1985  CAN   1:45.68  37.96
 59  64  420911 SOLBAKKEN Bjarne  1977  NOR   1:45.72  38.48
 60  50  291389 FISCHNALLER Roland  1975  ITA   1:45.82  39.79
 61  45  201606 KEPPLER Stephan  1983  GER   1:46.05  42.82
 62  68  201987 STRODL Andreas  1987  GER   1:46.26  45.57
 63  69  501324 OLSSON Matts  1988  SWE   1:46.66  50.83
 64  54  292291 THANEI Stefan  1981  ITA   1:46.91  54.11
 65  70  410252 BRIDGWATER Mark  1985  NZE   1:47.55  62.52

Did not start 1st run:

MICKEL Finlay (GBR)

Did not finish 1st run:

FRANCIS Kevin (USA), FISHER Erik (USA), PERKO Rok (SLO), BOTTOLLIER-LASQUIN Marc (FRA)

THE SCOOP
By Hank McKee

Equipment
Men's Downhill, Lake Louise, Nov. 24, 2007
Skier, skis/boots/bindings

1 Hudec, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
2 Sullivan, Nordica/Nordica/Marker
3 Buder, Head/Lange/Tyrolia
4 Sulzenbacher, Fischer/Lange/Fischer
5 Gruenenfelder, Stoeckli/Lange/Atomic
6 Heel, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
7 Kucera, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
8 Theaux, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
9 Streitberger, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer
10 Gruber, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer

Men's Downhill, Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada, Nov. 24, 2007. … It is the third of 41 events on the men's 2007-08 World Cup schedule. … It is the first of 10 scheduled downhills. … It is the 62nd World Cup event at Lake Louise. … the 39th downhill. … Winning margin is .24 of a second. … Top 20 skiers are with a second of the winning time. … Top 38 within two seconds…. It is the first career win for Jan Hudec, his previous best a fifth at Garmisch Feb. 24, 2007. … Of 11 career scoring results, it is his fifth at Lake Louise, having placed as high as eighth previously (Nov. 27, 2004). It is the first DH win for a Canadian at Lake Louise. … John Kucera won a super G at the site Nov. 26, 2006. … Erik Guay was the last Canadian DH winner, winning last season at Garmisch, but prior to that the last Canadian DH win had been Cary Mullen at Aspen in 1994.
    It is the first career World Cup podium for Marco Sullivan. … His previous best had been fourth in DH at Val Gardena Dec. 16, 2006. … He is the eighth American to claim a podium placing at Lake Louise.
    It is just the second career podium for Andreas Buder. … He was also third at Garmisch Jan. 28, 2006. … It is the first podium of the season for an Austrian male. …
    Seventh is the fourth best career result for John Kucera… and his career best result in DH the others coming in super G and GS. … His only career win was at Lake Louise in SG last November. … Fifteenth matches the tenth best career result for Steven Nyman, and is his second best ever at Lake Louise. … It matches his seventh best in result in DH. … Seventeenth matches the 37th best result of Erik Guay's career. … It matches his sixth best result at Lake Louise and his third best in DH at Lake Louise. … Twentieth is the third best DH result at Lake Louise for Bode Miller. … He won in DH at the site, Nov. 27, 2004 and was seventh Nov. 30, 2002. … He was 29th a season ago. … It is the 23rd career scoring result for Scott Macartney.
    Kalle Palander of Finland (did not race) maintains the lead of the World Cup overall standings 140-134 over Aksel Svindal (17th in race). Race winner Jan Hudec is in a three way tie for third in the overall standings with Manfred Moelgg (did not race) of Italy and Marc Gini (did not race) of Switzerland with 100pts.

 

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