European Report: Strobl and Riesch win training runs, Kjus to see his doctor

European Report: Strobl and Riesch win training runs, Kjus to see his doctor{mosimage}Fritz Strobl of Austria won the first and only training run at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Bode Miller, standing tall to conserve energy for the tail-end of a marathon of World Cup races, was the top American finisher. He was 2.43 seconds off Strobl’s pace, in 12th.

Athletes reported that the course is extremely soft after more than 50 centimeters fell on the track last week. Snow began falling again as soon as the race was over.

“I feel fine,” said Bryon Friedman, who sat out one of the downhills last week at Kitzbuehel after a crash in the super G left him with a concussion. “No headaches or dizziness or anything. I was actually more bummed out on Saturday not racing. Seeing 60,000 fans out there, I wanted to be on course gunning it.”

Friedman injured his foot last year in Garmisch. He cracked a bone spur, ending his season. At the time, he was struggling to earn World Cup start positions. This year he´s aiming for the top 10, and achieved that goal once already at Chamonix, France.

Friday´s training run was eliminated from the schedule two weeks ago, to make space for an additional downhill race (the one that was cancelled in Wengen this year). That race will be followed by the regularly-scheduled super G and downhill this weekend.

Because there is only one training run this week, the start order will be determined according to the World Cup Start List, which ranks athletes by the number of the World Cup points they have earned in the previous 365 days in that discipline.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

Downhill Training

January 29, 2004

1. Fritz Strobl (AUT) 2:01.48

2. Roland Fischnaller (ITA) 2:02.47

3. Josef Strobl (AUT) 2:02.52

OTHER NORTH AMERICANS:

12. Bode Miller (USA) 2:03.91

19. Daron Rahlves (USA) 2:04.36

27. Bryon Friedman (USA) 2:05.34

28. Vincent Lavoie (CAN) 2:05.44

44. Jake Fiala (USA) 2:07.75

>> Riesch sets pace, Rumpfhuber breaks leg in Austria

Germany’s Maria Riesch joined the favorites to win this season’s seventh downhill by setting the pace in final training at Haus Im Ennstall, Austria, on Thursday.

The training run for the two downhills, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, was interrupted for 15 minutes after Austrian Ingrid Rumpfhuber crashed and was airlifted to a nearby hospital.

Rumpfhuber suffered a compound fracture, breaking both bones in her lower left leg, after landing hard off a jump on the Krummholz course, the longest on the women’s circuit at 3.1 kilometers

German Regina Haeusl, who tore cruciate knee ligaments in a crash in the opening training run on Wednesday, will also be sidelined for the rest of the season.

Three Americans finished in the top 10, led by Jonna Mendes in fifth. Kirsten Clark was ninth and Libby Ludlow 10th.

Riesch, one of only a handful of racers to compete and score in all four of alpine skiing’s disciplines, said the course had become much faster as the fresh layer of snow, which had slowed down the racers during the first training, became more compact.

“You’ve got to be a good glider and be able to take the speed with you out of the bends. If you make just the smallest mistake it will be very difficult to make up the lost speed,” the German said.

Riesch, who set a time of 1:41.10, signalled she was ready for her first World Cup win by racing to a career-best third place in St. Moritz, Switzerland, last month.

Olympic downhill champion Carole Montillet was second in Thursday’s training event ahead of Italian Isolde Kostner but 0.56 seconds off Riesch’s pace.

Leading finishers in DH training:

1. Maria Riesch (Germany) 1:41.10

2. Carole Montillet (France) 1:41.66

3. Isolde Kostner (Italy) 1:41.74

4. Nadia Styger (Switzerland) 1:41.99

5. Jonna Mendes (U.S.) 1:42.02

6. Emily Brydon (Canada) 1:42.02

7. Melanie Suchet (France) 1:42.04

8. Brigitte Obermoser (Austria) 1:42.07

9. Kirsten Clark (U.S.) 1:42.11

10. Libby Ludlow (U.S.) 1:42.15

Lasse Kjus to have meniscus examined by doctor

Lasse Kjus, who injured his right knee in the Hahnenkamm downhill, has returned to Norway to have his meniscus examined by a doctor there.

Kjus landed awkwardly below the treacherous Mausefalle jump, but finished the course. He also raced the next day´s slalom, “to try save the sixty points there,” said Norwegian coach Atle Skaardal, referring to the combined event of which the slalom was a part.

“It looks like his meniscus,” said Skaardal. “He will get it checked by the team doctor. He had an injury like this before, but at that time he could ski with it. But he had to go home.”