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Sweden’s
Patrik Jaerbyn fastest in downhill
training
Chamonix, France, Jan.7th 2004. Sweden’s
Patrik Jaerbyn clocked a surprising
fastest time today in the first training
run hold on the legendary “Verte
des Houches” course in Chamonix,
one of the oldest “Classics”
in the international ski calendar.
The 34-year-old veteran, 10th last
December in Beaver Creek, came down
the French course with a time of 1
minute 59,06 seconds, beating by .22
USA’s Bryon Frydman, already
very fast in Val Gardena last month.
They were followed by two more established
specialists, Austria’s Stephan
Eberharter, the defending downhill
World Cup champion, and Daron Rahlves,
a winner in Beaver Creek, Colorado.
France’s Antoine Dénériaz,
the great dominator in Val Gardena
in the last two years, proved again
his determination and his excellent
gliding skills in coming 7th at .81
second without taking too many risks.
He waits the race-days to express
all his potential.
Norway’s Lasse Kjus was 11th,
Hermann Maier, the winner here in
January 2000, 21st followed closely
by his team-mate Michael Walchhofer.
USA’s Bode Miller took it easy
and was a far 53rd.
Jaerbyn is since years the best downhill
skier in his country. He is the only
Swedish male racer to have clinched
a World Championship medal in a speed
event back in 1996, when he was 2nd
in a Super-G in Sierra Nevada, Spain,
He was also five times among the top-6
in a World Cup Super-G, including
a 2nd place in Kvitfjel, Norway, in
March 1998. In downhill, he skied
eight times among the best 10. A 7th
place in Val Gardena in December 1998
is his best result so far in that
event. He was also 6th in super-g
at the 1998 Nagano Olympics.
His career faded somehow in recent
years and he was only 86th last winter
in the final overall World Cup standings.
The managers of his Federation thought
it was about time for him to move
on in another direction and they asked
him to leave the team.
But Jaerbyn, who broke his left cheekbone
and lost four teeth in a bad crash
in summer 1996, didn’t agree
and fought hard to stay on the World
Cup tour. With the support of a lawyer
and the advices of the President of
the International Ski Federation,
Mr. Gianfranco Kasper, Jaerbyn was
able to save his spot on the team.
But he decided to train by himself
in the summer and to change equipment
too.
“It has been a tough fight this
spring but I was happy to train last
summer with foreign teams, the Norwegians,
the Germans and the Americans. I had
my first training camps in the Alps,
then in Norway and Colorado. They
all helped me a lot to improve my
level” Jaerbyn explains. “I
often worked very hard by myself too”.
“I was incredibly motivated because
I wanted to prove to my former trainers
that I deserve my place on the World
Cup tour” he added. “After
all, I was 45th in the world downhill
list and 26th in Super-G!”
“My preparation cost me over
30,000 Euros and I need to get more
good results to reimburse my expenses.
It’s just too bad that I had
a problem in the super-g in Beaver
Creek – I was the fastest on
course when I hooked a gate and finished
far from the podium. I could have
used the prize money!”
“But I feel able to excel in
the coming “Classics”. I’m
pretty proud to have become the first
Swede to win a downhill training run
on the World Cup tour – and hopefully
I’ll also be the first to reach
a podium”.
The best Swedish result in a men’s
World Cup downhill was the 6th place
reached by Lars-Bjoern Erkisson in
Leukerbad, Switzerland, in January
1988.
On the women’s tour, Pernilla
Wiberg was more successful with a
couple of victories in downhill to
become one of the very few skiers
to win races in all alpine specialties.
Her successor Anja Paerson, whose
father Anders was a former trainer
of Jaerbyn, is also ready to excel
in downhill very soon.
“At the beginning of the season,
I had to prepare my skis by myself
and I didn’t stay with the team”
Jaerbyn added. “Now things have
cooled down. I stay in the same hotels
than the team which also takes care
of my travel and food expenses. Some
servicemen from Atomic skis also provide
me an excellent support and prepare
my racing skis which helped me a lot
to”.
Atomic built for years the best downhill
skis – and won most of the speed
races and gold medals with champions
as Maier, Walchhofer, Rahlves or Deneriaz
who won the four previous downhill
races this winter.
Another training run is planned for
Thursday followed by two downhill
races
on Friday and Saturday. The first
counts along Sunday’s slalom
on Sunday for the famous Arlberg-Kandahar
combined, created in 1928 by Briton
Arnold Lunn. The points given in that
combined will also be valid for the
overall World Cup standings.
Patrick Lang
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