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5th
downhill victory for Hilde Gerg
A
week after her first season’s
win in Aspen’s Super-G, Germany’s
Hilde Gerg celebrated her first victory
in Lake Louise where she often reached
the podium in recent years.
The Bavarian beat by 20/100 of a second
France’s Olympic Champion Carole
Montillet and by 33/100 the first
representative of an outstanding US
team – Kirsten Clark.
Caroline Lalive was 4th ahead of the
1999 Overall World Cup Champion Alexandra
Meissnitzer, who brilliantly confirmed
her comeback from Park City where
she was 2nd.
Goetschl is back
Also on her way back up her teammate
Renate Goetschl, a double winner here
in 1998 – nine months after he
dramatic crash in Lenzerheide where
she injured herself at a knee, the
1999 downhill World Champion and 2002
Overall World Cup winner is an impressive
7th.
Other favorites had a disappointing
day as Michaela Dorfmeister, the 2001
World Champion in the event, only
12th, or Canada’s Mélanie
Turgeon, excellent in training but
a far 31st in that race.
Janica Kostelic too expected more
than her modest 18th place –
she was 7th here three years ago!
Apparently the Croat superstar had
a hard time to handle the icy course
after some impressive training runs.
Yet she keeps a strong hand on the
Overall World Cup.
Germany’s Martina Ertl skied
once more among the top-10 proving
that she is on her best way back at
the top after switching skis and choosing
Rossignol
Sooner or later, the reigning combined
World Champion should get back on
a World Cup podium.
Gerg at the top
As
Kostelic, Gerg is the dominating skier
in this early part of the winter.
The 1998 slalom Olympic Champion was
herself surprised and delighted by
her latest achievement in Canada.
“I like this course a lot and
I have often done well here but I
never could win so far – it’s
nice to reach this goal at the beginning
of my last season” she said after
the race.
“The conditions were really demanding
– it was cold and the snow was
icy. I don’t mind it so I did
the best I could yet I’m surprised
too”.
“It’s a strong first step
in direction of the downhill World
Cup title- The season is still long
and I hope that Isolde Kostner will
soon join us on the tour”.
Montillet is pleased
Satisfaction
too for Montillet, also 2nd here in
the past. No French skier ever won
a race here and she was very close
to end this drought after clocking
one of the fastest intermediate times.
But she lost two tenths on Gerg at
the end yet without making a big mistake.
“I tried as hard as I could but
Hilde was just better at the end”
she said.
“I’m happy the same because
this rough conditions don’t favor
me. I had to fight all the time to
sty on line because the pace was much
higher!”.
“I have two more chances in the
coming days. I feel fine. This is
a good result to start my downhill
season”.
3 US skiers in the top-10
With
three skiers among the top-10, the
US delegation achieved an excellent
team performance, the best for years.
Four more US girls scored points behind
them – it’s just too bad
that Lindsey Kildow crashed on her
way down the mountain. She was transported
to the Mineral Springs Hospital for
further examinations.
Clark the last US athlete to have
won a downhill – in Lenzerheide
in March 2001 – has achieved
several good results now so far this
winter. She was 4th in Aspen’s
Super-G where the talented Lalive
was 9th.
Kirsten who is enjoying her best season
start ever, ended twice among the
top-10 here in past year . No she
aims for much more until Sunday.
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