Wind blows world’s best around Beaver Creek

By Published On: February 2nd, 2015Comments Off on Wind blows world’s best around Beaver Creek

BEAVER CREEK, Colo. – After a three-hour delay due to overnight snow and wind, the first women’s downhill training run of the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships finally got underway. American Stacey Cook finished with the fastest run of the afternoon ahead of Swiss skier Lara Gut and Norwegian Ragnhild Mowinckel, who tied for the second fastest run, 0.09 seconds back.

“I was joking with a coach earlier about how this year I’ve typically been fast on the training runs, and the plan today was actually to not be fast. So obviously that didn’t work out,” laughed Cook.

Several inches of fresh snow blanketed the course overnight, pushing the start back to allow time for machines to move snow off the track and re-groom the hill. By the time the training run started, blue skies emerged through the clouds, but a strong, swirling wind still presented a challenging run for the athletes.

Despite finishing with the fastest time on the day, Cook said not to read too deeply into the results from the first day on the Raptor track.

“I think I skied well, and I wouldn’t look at the times too much because it’s so windy up top,” said Cook. “Up there it’s kind of crazy. I don’t think they would have run a race in that kind of wind. So I’m not really looking at the scoreboard.”

Gut is fresh off of her first downhill win of the season in St. Moritz and is riding high on confidence coming into these championships. She won both World Cup speed races held on the modified Raptor last season and was happy to be back on the hill that suits her technically strong skiing.

“It was windy, so I didn’t know what to expect. I just tried to ski clean. This was my goal, to try to ski the way I can and taking it easy,” Gut said. “I mean, we have two more training runs before the downhill, and I don’t think it’s the most important thing to go 100 percent already (in the) first training.”

Mowinckel is fresh off of her career-best downhill result in St. Moritz where she finished 14th. The skier who is better known for her strong giant slalom and super G skills was surprised with her first training run time when she crossed the finish line.

“I don’t know if it was the wind or something, but I felt kind of slow just skiing it … This (course) is a really technical one because you are traversing a lot and there are big arcs,” said Mowinckel. “You’re going across the slope all the time and there’s a lot happening. You don’t have time to think before you’re actually in the finish. But I like it. For me, it suits me better because I’m more of a GS skier anyhow and super G, for sure, but this was super fun.”

The American speed team struggled last season at the test race held on the Raptor, but had a strong four days of training over the first of the year that provided them with confidence coming into the World Championships. Lindsey Vonn was not present for last season’s race and had never skied a downhill run on the course until today. She was clearly feeling the slope out but finished with the fourth fastest run, in a tie with Fabienne Suter at 0.62 seconds behind.

“This was the first downhill run I’ve had on this hill. You know, we trained a couple days of super G and one day of GS, but I never had a chance to run the downhill,” said Vonn. “It was, I think, a little bit different than I expected just as far as the terrain and how they set it. But it was perfect. I really loved it, and I just have to kind of get a better feeling for it over the next couple days.”

Several racers had trouble with the line and missed gates, but they have two more scheduled training runs before the downhill race on Friday. If anything, the first run on the track was used to give the women a feel for the snow and pace of the course ahead of the first race of the World Championships, tomorrow’s super G for the ladies.

“In super G I feel really comfortable and confident, but downhill I think I need a little bit more training,” said Vonn. “But today was a fine start, and hopefully tomorrow is a good day.”

 

Results

 1  13  537582 COOK Stacey 1984 USA  1:48.16
 2  21  516138 GUT Lara 1991 SUI  1:48.25  +0.09
 2  5  425929 MOWINCKEL Ragnhild 1992 NOR  1:48.25  +0.09
 4  10  537544 VONN Lindsey 1984 USA  1:48.78  +0.62
 4  8  515766 SUTER Fabienne 1985 SUI  1:48.78  +0.62
 6  9  355050 WEIRATHER Tina 1989 LIE  1:48.96  +0.80
 7  12  538573 ROSS Laurenne 1988 USA  1:49.10  +0.94
 8  20  565243 MAZE Tina 1983 SLO  1:49.34  +1.18
 9  6  55690 HOSP Nicole 1983 AUT  1:49.41  +1.25
 10  2  55970 SCHMIDHOFER Nicole 1989 AUT  1:49.52  +1.36
 11  22  55947 FENNINGER Anna 1989 AUT  1:49.72  +1.56
 12  4  565360 STUHEC Ilka 1990 SLO  1:49.74  +1.58
 13  7  537545 MANCUSO Julia 1984 USA  1:50.33  +2.17
 14  26  538685 MCKENNIS Alice 1989 USA  1:50.39  +2.23
 15  25  196968 BAILET Margot 1990 FRA  1:50.41  +2.25
 16  17  205218 REBENSBURG Viktoria 1989 GER  1:50.64  +2.48
 17  3  296729 FANCHINI Nadia 1986 ITA  1:50.70  +2.54
 18  11  106849 YURKIW Larisa 1988 CAN  1:50.86  +2.70
 19  15  505886 KLING Kajsa 1988 SWE  1:50.92  +2.76
 20  14  296472 FANCHINI Elena 1985 ITA  1:50.95  +2.79
 21  37  516219 NUFER Priska 1992 SUI  1:51.29  +3.13
 22  28  515806 JNGLIN-KAMER Nadja 1986 SUI  1:51.42  +3.26
 23  29  196460 JAY MARCHAND-ARVIER Marie 1985 FRA  1:51.46  +3.30
 24  1  245066 MIKLOS Edit 1988 HUN  1:51.68  +3.52
 25  38  297702 MARSAGLIA Francesca 1990 ITA  1:51.86  +3.70
 26  36  197295 PIOT Jennifer 1992 FRA  1:52.28  +4.12
 26  16  55576 GOERGL Elisabeth 1981 AUT  1:52.28  +4.12
 28  27  296427 SCHNARF Johanna 1984 ITA  1:52.31  +4.15
 29  33  426043 TVIBERG Maria Therese 1994 NOR  1:52.38  +4.22
 30  32  196928 WORLEY Tessa 1989 FRA  1:52.51  +4.35
 31  42  105269 GAGNON Marie-Michele 1989 CAN  1:52.71  +4.55
 32  34  565333 BRODNIK Vanja 1989 SLO  1:52.78  +4.62
 33  35  155563 KRIZOVA Klara 1989 CZE  1:52.79  +4.63
 34  39  206367 HRONEK Veronique 1991 GER  1:53.36  +5.20
 35  30  515782 ABDERHALDEN Marianne 1986 SUI  1:53.53  +5.37
 36  23  495318 RUIZ CASTILLO Carolina 1981 SPA  1:54.09  +5.93
 37  40  375018 COLETTI Alexandra 1983 MON  1:54.36  +6.20
 38  43  107613 GRENIER Valerie 1996 CAN  1:54.71  +6.55
 39  18  296008 MERIGHETTI Daniela 1981 ITA  1:54.99  +6.83
 40  41  297910 CURTONI Elena 1991 ITA  1:55.01  +6.85
 41  45  45331 SMALL Greta 1995 AUS  1:55.28  +7.12
 42  47  35089 SIMARI BIRKNER Macarena 1984 ARG  1:56.12  +7.96
 43  48  115115 BARAHONA Noelle 1990 CHI  1:56.48  +8.32
 44  51  385096 POPOVIC Leona 1997 CRO  1:57.90  +9.74
 45  46  565401 BUCIK Ana 1993 SLO  1:59.54  +11.38
 46  49  385092 KOMSIC Andrea 1996 CRO  2:00.20  +12.04
Did not start 1st run
 50  465098 CAILL Ania Monica 1995 ROU
 44  55759 KIRCHGASSER Michaela 1985 AUT
 31  55838 ZETTEL Kathrin 1986 AUT
 19  539536 WILES Jacqueline 1992 USA
Did not finish 1st run
 24  56128 HUETTER Cornelia 1992 AUT

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About the Author: Jessica Kelley

A 10-year veteran of the U.S. Ski Team, Kelley collected three NorAm titles, won GS silver at the 2002 World Junior Championships, and was a member of the 2007 World Championships team during her professional career. She resides in Park City, Utah, with her husband, Adam Cole.