U.S. Nationals: Healthy Lanning tops DH podium

By Published On: March 24th, 2008Comments Off on U.S. Nationals: Healthy Lanning tops DH podium

SUGARLOAF, Maine — T.J. Lanning has been oh so close before. On Monday he finally notched a national championship, claiming the downhill at the Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships.
    There was no secret, he said, to winning here. He was just healthy this season for the first time in roughly, forever.
    Lanning has missed all or part of the 2003, ‘04, ‘05 and ‘06 seasons after sustaining injuries ranging from mere broken bones to two ruptured disks. This season has been a workmanlike battle through some of the toughest competition on the planet, and he punctuated that with a Europa Cup downhill win at Crans-Montana Switzerland in January, a race he won by more than a second. Racing at Sugarloaf, he said, was an enjoyable experience, win or lose.
    “It’s less serious,” he claimed, “There’s more camaraderie. It’s just a lot of fun.”
    But then, he admitted, it’s always a little more fun when you win.
SUGARLOAF, Maine — T.J. Lanning has been oh so close before. On Monday he finally notched a national championship, claiming the downhill at the Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships.
    There was no secret, he said, to winning here. He was just healthy this season for the first time in roughly, forever.
    Lanning has missed all or part of the 2003, ‘04, ‘05 and ‘06 seasons after sustaining injuries ranging from mere broken bones to two ruptured disks. This season has been a workmanlike battle through some of the toughest competition on the planet, and he punctuated that with a Europa Cup downhill win at Crans-Montana Switzerland in January, a race he won by more than a second. Racing at Sugarloaf, he said, was an enjoyable experience, win or lose.
    “It’s less serious,” he claimed, “There’s more camaraderie. It’s just a lot of fun.”
    But then, he admitted, it’s always a little more fun when you win.
    Lanning scorched the well-regarded Narrow Gauge trail at Sugarloaf his first National Championship. He has five podiums from previous national title races, but had never before quite managed to punch in a championship winning run. “I got what I was after, it was just a clean run. Not perfect, but pretty clean.”
    It needed to be every bit as clean as it was, for less than three tenths behind was Andrew Weibrecht.
    Weibrecht vaulted into national recognition at the very beginning of the season with a scintillating run in a World Cup downhill at Beaver Creek. Starting back in the pack and finishing in the top 10, his willingness to accept risk had folks scrambling to find video of the run.
    “That raised the expectations,” he said, “but it also helped with the confidence.” He said he was satisfied with the second-place finish, “but I sure wish I could have found a few more tenths.
    “I podiumed at nationals, it’s obviously cool.”
    Claiming third was Chris Beckmann, who said he had been concerned the course might break up before he got to start. It was plenty cold at Sugarloaf, but scheduling difficulties had made it necessary to hold back-to-back super G’s on the track yesterday, and two training runs, plus the women’s downhill before the men got to their race.
    “I thought it would be a little rattlie after the four runs and the chicks racing the same course. It was great, and actually got a little bit faster,” he said.
    Like Lanning, Beckmann recorded a Europa Cup win this season, taking a super G in Italy. This result, he said, would help him carry that success into next season.
    “I had some good stuff going on this year, it’s good to get the momentum going,” Beckmann said. “I’m ready to attack the World Cup circuit for next year.”
    Bryon Friedman had won the training run held in the morning and was considered the favorite to repeat that performance, but he said he had his skis “wash out” beneath him high on the course and suddenly found himself on one ski headed straight into the nets. He needed all of his athleticism to save himself from a nasty crash.

 

 103090

Rank Bib FIS Code Name Year Nation Total Time FIS Points
 1  8  534567 LANNING Thomas (tj)  1984  USA   1:09.04  10.44
 2  7  530939 WEIBRECHT Andrew  1986  USA   1:09.26  14.74
 3  9  534698 BECKMANN Christopher  1986  USA   1:10.07  30.58
 4  4  533842 FRANCIS Kevin  1982  USA   1:10.25  34.10
 5  3  534539 SWEETSER Samuel  1984  USA   1:10.60  40.94
 6  6 HELIE Louis-Pierre  1986  CAN   1:10.75  43.88
 7  11  530874 GANONG Travis  1988  USA   1:10.79  44.66
 8  16  534959 JITLOFF Tim  1985  USA   1:10.89  46.61
 9  2  534289 FRANK Chris  1983  USA   1:11.00  48.77
 10  25  534040 COCHRAN Jimmy  1981  USA   1:11.06  49.94
 11  10  530165 BRANDENBURG Will  1987  USA   1:11.17  52.09
 12  15  530751 BARTELS Greg  1986  USA   1:11.29  54.44
 13  14  530925 HELDMAN Bump  1988  USA   1:11.31  54.83
 14  1  530731 CASTON Marcus  1988  USA   1:11.32  55.02
 15  34  930107 GREGORAK Will  1990  USA   1:11.48  58.15
 16  19  930024 MAPLE Wiley  1990  USA   1:11.53  59.13
 17  17  530644 HAMMER Maximilian  1988  USA   1:11.61  60.69
 18  29  531452 BIESEMEYER Thomas  1989  USA   1:11.71  62.65
 19  24  534507 CHRISTIANSON Charles  1984  USA   1:11.72  62.84
 20  30  533397 ZAMANSKY Jake  1981  USA   1:11.73  63.04
 21  20  534901 ASOIAN Nathan  1985  USA   1:11.77  63.82
 22  27  533115 MCNEILL Jason  1980  USA   1:11.91  66.56
 23  28  530782 CREMENO Michael  1986  USA   1:12.03  68.91
 23  26  530837 KELLEY Tim  1986  USA   1:12.03  68.91
 25  18  531181 THORSON Tague  1985  USA   1:12.06  69.49
 26  31  532554 PHILLIPS Andrew  1989  USA   1:12.12  70.67
 27  42  930040 BAKER Jake  1990  USA   1:12.21  72.43
 28  32  930285 VEST-BURTON Taylor  1990  USA   1:12.31  74.38
 29  35  532270 MCLAUGHRY Luke  1989  USA   1:12.32  74.58
 30  21  531799 FORD Tommy  1989  USA   1:12.59  79.86
 31  47  530827 ELLIOT Jeremy  1988  USA   1:12.60  80.05
 32  23  530117 SHAMPENY Kristopher  1986  USA   1:12.64  80.83
 33  41  530920 SWENSSON Joey  1986  USA   1:12.66  81.23
 34  55  530729 CARROLL James Finley  1988  USA   1:12.71  82.20
 35  60  532138 KASPER Nolan  1989  USA   1:12.72  82.40
 36  12  530841 KERR Errol  1986  USA   1:12.73  82.59
 37  51  934551 MOFFAT Keith  1991  USA   1:12.77  83.38
 38  38  531145 SPENST Taggart  1988  USA   1:12.82  84.35
 39  48  530641 FINK-DEBRAY Miles  1988  USA   1:12.87  85.33
 40  22  220658 MORTON Kenneth  1986  GBR   1:13.09  89.63
 41  37  532165 LEAFE Trevor  1989  USA   1:13.10  89.83
 42  33  930163 KEMP John  1990  USA   1:13.30  93.74
 43  36  934518 DANIELS Nick  1991  USA   1:13.40  95.69
 44  13  530259 LOVE John  1987  USA   1:13.46  96.87
 45  46  531918 JONES Alex  1989  USA   1:13.53  98.24
 46  52  530262 LUND Jacob  1987  USA   1:13.62  100.00
 47  40  534126 CHRISTOPHER Jason  1983  USA   1:13.64  100.39
 48  61  930234 ROBERTSON Aaron  1990  USA   1:13.67  100.97
 48  44  930170 LAMB Max  1990  USA   1:13.67  100.97
 50  49  534165 JOHNSON Erik  1983  USA   1:13.75  102.54
 51  58  934572 SCHLEPER Hunter  1991  USA   1:13.78  103.13
 52  56  934502 ANKENY Michael  1991  USA   1:13.82  103.91
 53  54  930023 COFFEY Sam  1990  USA   1:13.92  105.86
 54  65  930029 ACOSTA Christopher  1990  USA   1:14.01  107.62
 55  69  534801 MENARD Leo  1984  USA   1:14.26  112.51
 56  50  934643 GOLDBERG Jared  1991  USA   1:14.31  113.49
 57  66  934555 MULHERN Liam  1991  USA   1:14.37  114.66
 57  59  930188 MARSHALL Tucker  1990  USA   1:14.37  114.66
 59  53  934525 FLOWERS Kitt  1991  USA   1:14.39  115.05
 60  39  530645 HARRIS Martin  1988  USA   1:14.40  115.25
 61  43  103515 SYROVATKA Mark  1989  CAN   1:14.63  119.75
 62  67  6530250 MORSE Ben  1992  USA   1:14.74  121.90
 63  71  930160 KELLEY Robby  1990  USA   1:15.10  128.94
 64  57  6530115 CHRISTIANSON Kieffer  1992  USA  &
nbsp;1:15.18
 130.50
 65  68  934681 MASSIE Marc  1991  USA   1:15.28  132.46
 66  63  531392 JAMPOLSKY Grant  1989  USA   1:15.35  133.82
 67  64  930133 HIGGINS Sean  1990  USA   1:15.40  134.80
 68  62  530255 KULLAS Nicholaus  1987  USA   1:16.26  151.62
 69  70  930205 NELSON Joey  1990  USA   1:17.50  175.87

 

Did not finish 1st run :

FRIEDMAN Bryon (USA)

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