Val Gardena, Italy – Swiss ski racer Sylvan Zubriggen earned his first Audi FIS Alpine World Cup victory on Saturday on the famed Saslong classic downhill in Val Gardena. A barrage of late starters stormed into the points as 10 of the top 30 finishers started from beyond bib 31, including Heber, Utah’s Steve Nyman.nRomed Baumann of Austria was second by. 06 for the first World Cup podium of his career, followed by Swiss great Didier Cuche, who was a mere .10 from the win as single digit temperatures and crystalline skies cleared the way for extremely fast times. Five Canadians finished in the top 20, one of the best performances a Canadian speed team has delivered in its history. The U.S. Ski Team’s Bode Miller, of Franconia, N.H., and Nyman finished 17-18.
“We had some fresh snow yesterday, so it was a matter of finding the polished part,” said Nyman, who was .01 behind Miller. “If you stayed on the polished part, you could make up time. Anyone could attack from the back and win this thing”
One of the most acclaimed downhill victories, the Saslong has been a standard World Cup stop since 1969 with Nyman taking the famed title in 2006. It remains the only time an American has notched the coveted victory.
“This is one of my favorites,” said Nyman. “It just has the most air time. There are five jumps where you fly over 20-30 meters and a couple of jumps where you fly 50-60 meters.”
Miller had trouble in the wide open gliding sections at the top before plunging into the forest to make up more than half a second.
“Bode skied really well on the bottom,” said U.S. Ski Team Head Coach Sasha Rearick. “Actually, he’s been skiing really well all week in the more technical sections where he can use his skills to make turns and work with the terrain. But up top was not competitive.”
The younger racers on the Canadian team, the “Young Bucks” as they like to call themselves, skied to some very impressive results as Louis-Pierre Hélie (Berthierville, Quebec) and Benjamin Thomsen (Invermere, British Columbia) both finished inside the top 20. Hélie had a career best performance by finishing in 13th place, having managed to crack the top 30 at a World Cup event only once before when he finished 22nd at the 2009 Bombardier Lake Louise Winterstart downhill race.
“You know what, that was unbelievable. I just charged from the start to the finish. I attacked really well; I’m only 1.22 seconds out!” exclaimed the 24-year-old Hélie. “I finished 13th in a World Cup race. I couldn’t ask for more right now. I made a few mistakes, but I really attacked like I know I can. I’m really happy about that, because I’ve been struggling a little bit lately. This is the best race of my life. Even with the mistakes, I’m right in there. This is great.”
Thomsen finished in a career-best 16th place in only his seventh World Cup start.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
Audi FIS Alpine World Cup
Val Gardena, Italy – Dec. 18, 2010
Downhill
1. Sylvan Zubriggen, Switzerland, 1:57.21
2. Romed Baumann, Austria, 1:57.27
3. Didier Cuche, Switzerland, 1:57.31
4. Klaus Kroell, Austria, 1:57.32
5. Michael Walchhofer, Austria, 1:57.56