Austrian
Upset: Ghedina Wins
Kvitfjell, Norway
March 5, 2000
Men's Super G
This next-to-last ski racing weekend before the World
Cup finals at Bormio is a tough one for the Austrian fans,
with no World Cup victory to celebrate in Lenzerheide
or Kvitfjell — a first since the season start. But
even worse, the "Reds and Whites" lost their
first men's super G since February 1997 as Italy's Kristian
Ghedina beat Hermann Maier, with time to spare.
Ghedina
The downhill specialist from Cortina d'Ampezzo certainly
enjoyed one of his most exciting career successes, winning
his first super G ever in front of three Austrian skiers,
including "The Herminator" and Fritz Strobl,
one of the three winners at St. Anton.
Kristian, 2nd in Saturday's downhill behind American Daron
Rahlves, beat Maier by 38/100 of a second and Strobl by
almost a full second — times that hurt the pride
of those racers who have been so dominant in recent months.
Rahlves had another strong race, but he was aiming for
more than 5th place. He fought very hard, but somehow
the magic was gone. He had a clean run, but was not as
aggressive as he was for the past two days in the downhill
races. Nonetheless, this 5th place is the best super G
result of the season.
Norway's Kjetil Aamodt placed 6th — his best result
in a super G in quite a while. But with just a few races
left, his chances of improving his overall standing are
almost over.
"It's quite exciting to finish for once ahead of
the Austrians and to beat Hermann Maier in that specialty.
This really means something because he's not somebody
who gives anything away...." — Kristian Ghedina
(ITA)
Hermann Maier clinched his third super G title in three
years, but not in the way he was hoping. Since Hermann's
first World Cup victory in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, back
in February 1997, the Austrian Armada has not lost a single
super G on the World Cup tour, or in any major medal events.
Norway's Lasse Kjus tied with Maier in Vail during the
last Ski World Championships, but the Austrians have not
lost any of the last 21 super G competitions.
But like Rahlves, Ghedina has good reasons to enjoy competing
on the 1994 Olympic run - in 1995, he was 2nd here in
a super G. The weather was perfect here today, and Ghedina
needs excellent visibility to be able ski his best and
he was quite inspired by what he saw during inspection
prior to the race.
He demonstrated his confidence to his teammate Peter Runggaldier,
winner of the super G World Cup trophy in 1995. After
the inspection, Ghedina told him that he felt ready for
the podium. "You will see, I'm going to beat Maier
today and you better bring your camera," he told
his colleague.
"I had a good feeling this morning because I liked
the setting of the course and I believed in my chances
of reaching a top-3 spot," he said after the race.
"I fought hard and I'm quite proud of myself. It's
quite exciting to finish for once ahead of the Austrians
and to beat Hermann Maier in that specialty. This really
means something because he's not somebody who gives anything
away. It's more than a dream which came true for me. To
win both in downhill and in super G during the same season
is fantastic. This is going to boost my morale for the
finals at Bormio and for the coming years, too. At Bormio,
I will also do my best to defend my 3rd place in the Overall
World Cup standings."
Maier tried to be graceful in his defeat, but he was not
pleased at all. "Well, I did not make a mistake in
the final part where I lost over half a second on Kristian
— apparently the wind didn't favor me once more,"
he said.
Maier"The course was too straight and too simple
for a real super G, it was perfect for the downhill skiers.
But that's okay, I can't complain, since I also won the
super G World Cup title, which was my main goal coming
here. I'm also pleased to have improved Paul Accola's
mark in the Overall World Cup standings. I'm getting closer
to the 2000 points limit now," said Maier.
Adding 80 points to his total with this 2nd place, it's
the 19th time this winter that Maier reached the podium
— another unprecedented achievement he can be proud
of. The skier from Flachau is only 240 points away from
that incredible mark he set himself earlier this season.
He needs three 2nd places at Bormio to reach his target
— or two wins and a 6th place.
Daron Rahlves was sorry to miss his third consecutive
podium by 16/100 of a second here in Kvitfjell. The Californian
had another great run and made no obvious mistake. But
in the middle section, where he was so dominant in the
past two days, he was just not as aggressive this time.
"I tried hard again because I wanted this third consecutive
win here," he said. "The conditions were excellent
again and I had a solid run. For while I was hoping to
remain among the top-3, but some guys did not agree with
my plan. It's okay since it's my best super G race this
season, too, and I have learned so much during this past
week. I will never forget what has happened here and I
will work even harder in the coming summer."
The next men's race is scheduled for the middle of the
coming week — a make-up giant slalom held in Slovenia's
Kranjska Gora. It will be followed by a night slalom in
Schladming and another GS at Hinterstoder. There will
be some interesting races, as Switzerland's Michael von
Gruenigen still believes in his chances of beating Hermann
Maier in the specialty standings. |
