Men's Slalom in Kranjska Gora (SLO) 2008

Ski2b 09.03.2008 16:51 Uhr

08:16:

The men's slalom in Kranjska Gora is one of the last races of this season. The first run starts at 9 a.m. CET.



08:41:

Welcome to this seasons second last slalom World Cup race in Kranjska Gora!



08:48:

The slalom World Cup constellation promises an interesting and exciting race:



08:49 - Grange, Jean-Baptiste (FRA):

Jean Baptiste Grange is leading the slalom World Cup ranking. The French was especially strong in the races which took place in January.



08:53 - Matt, Mario (AUT):

But then the hunter became the prey: Mario Matt, slalom World Champion, was steadily gaining points.



08:54 - Matt, Mario (AUT):

Matt is 57 points behind Grange now in the slalom World Cup ranking.



08:55 - Mölgg, Manfred (ITA):

There is a third one who wants to claim the victory in the slalom ranking: Italian Manfred Moelgg is 71 points behind Grange.



08:57:

But there is not only the World Cup ranking, there are quite a few athletes wanting to bear the palm today.



08:58 - Neureuther, Felix (GER):

Felix Neureuther is one of them: The German has been suffering from a cold the last days, but is now fit again.



08:58 - Ligety, Ted (USA):

Reinfried Herbst, Ivica Kostelic, Julien Lizeroux and Ted Ligety, who won the Giant Slalom yesterday, are among the favorites, too.



08:59 - Raich, Benjamin (AUT):

And then there is of course Benni Raich, who skied a good slalom season and needs to catch up points in the Overall World Cup ranking.



09:00:

Kranjska Gora is known to be a difficult course. The first run was set by Ivica Kostelic's father, which could be of advantage for Ivica.



09:01 - Byggmark, Jens (SWE):

The first one on the course is Jens Byggmark. 53.28 is the time to beat for the rest of the field.



09:05 - Neureuther, Felix (GER):

Felix Neureuther risks a lot - and shows a good run. He is 0.15 seconds behind in the finish.



09:07 - Mölgg, Manfred (ITA):

Manfred Moelgg looks a lot swifter than Byggmark and Neureuther - that's the lead! A great run, he will hardly be beaten.



09:08 - Grange, Jean-Baptiste (FRA):

Or will he? Jean-Baptiste Grange is even faster in the first section. But then he loses time and drops back behind Moelgg.



09:09 - Kostelic, Ivica (CRO):

Ivica Kostelic is in good shape these days. He is having minor difficulties in the middle part - it's the second position for him, 0.65 seconds behind.



09:10 - Matt, Mario (AUT):

Mario Matt is next. He begins well, but can't keep up with Moelgg's sensational run in the middle part. Matt is 0.95 seconds behind in the finish, that's more than he had planned.



09:11 - Raich, Benjamin (AUT):

Benni Raich drops out! He misses a gate and can't finish his run. That's it for the Overall World Cup ranking! Raich is disappointed.



09:12 - Gini, Marc (SUI):

Marc Gini has won a slalom already in this season. Today he loses about a second in the first run and is currently 5th.



09:12 - Lizeroux, Julien (FRA):

There are more and more ripples on the course now. Julien Lizeroux comes in on the last position.



09:15 - Herbst, Reinfried (AUT):

Reinfried Herbst shows a good run. Not too far behind Moelgg, he is 2nd currently, with a margin of 0.31 seconds.



09:16 - Ligety, Ted (USA):

Ted Ligety won't be able to win this slalom today. He is 2 seconds behind in the finish and not happy with his run.



09:17 - Larsson, Markus (SWE):

Markus Larsson is fighting, too. He is 11th currently.



09:17 - Rocca, Giorgio (ITA):

Giorgio Rocca begins well, but his middle part is not as good. Too aggressive there, he loses quite a bit of time.



09:18 - Vajdic, Bernard (SLO):

Quite a few mistakes for local hero Bernard Vajdic. He takes over the last position.



09:22 - Deville, Cristian (ITA):

A good run of Cristian Deville! He copes well with the ripples on the course and is 6th at the moment.



09:26 - Schönfelder, Rainer (AUT):

Rainer Schoenfelder barely avoids a drop-out, but that cost a lot of time. He is 5 seconds behind.



09:26 - Berthod, Marc (SUI):

Marc Berthod is 12th in the finish.



09:27 - Albrecht, Daniel (SUI):

Daniel Albrecht can't keep up with the best either, he has a margin of 3 seconds in the finish.



09:28 - Miller, Bode (USA):

Bode Miller does not compete today, and neither does Didier Cuche. So the decision in the Overall World Cup ranking is postponed.



09:28 - Thaler, Patrick (ITA):

Patrick Thaler hits a ripple and misses a gate.



09:29 - Myhrer, Andre (SWE):

Andre Myhrer shows a solid run and is 13th at the moment.



09:30 - Sasaki, Akira (JPN):

Akira Sasaki tries the kamikaze style again. He almost drops out, manages to step back. He has a margin of 5 seconds in the finish.



09:34 - Cochran, Jimmy (USA):

Jimmy Cochran is over 3 seconds behind in the finish. Enough to qualify for the second run?



09:36 - Dragsic, Mitja (SLO):

Mitja Dragsic does a little better. His margin is about 2 seconds, that's position 16 at the moment.



09:36 - Dragsic, Mitja (SLO):

Mitja Dragsic does a little better. His margin is about 2 seconds, that's position 16 at the moment.



09:36 - Brolenius, Johan (SWE):

Johan Brolenius shows a solid run as well and comes in 17th.



09:37 - Janyk, Michael (CAN):

Michael Janyk isn't in top shape anymore. He is 3 and a half seconds behind after crossing the finishing line.



09:37 - Missilier, Steve (FRA):

Steve Missilier is 20th after his run, about 3 seconds behind Moelgg.



09:38 - Hargin, Mattias (SWE):

Mattias Hargin shows a safe and solid performance and will reach the second run as well.



09:39 - Minagawa, Kentaro (JPN):

Drop-out! Kentaro Minagawa continues his run, but might be disqualified later on.



09:39 - Lahdenperae, Anton (SWE):

Anton Lahdenperae is 17th in the finish - that was a good run!



09:40:

Manfred Moelgg is leading the slalom in Kranjska Gora after the first run. Herbst and Kostelic are chasing him on position 2 and 3.



09:41:

The second run is scheduled for 12 a.m. - we'll be back then, stay tuned!



11:58:

Welcome back to Kranjska Gora!



11:59:

Does Manfred Moelgg win his first slalom in this season?



11:59:

If he does, he'll be back in for the title in the slalom World Cup ranking. Grange is 4th after the first run, Matt 9th.



12:08 - Yuasa, Naoki (JPN):

Yuasa Naoki is first on the fresh course. Not a bad run, he could gain a few positions.



12:08 - Missilier, Steve (FRA):

Steve Missilier does not have a perfect run, he drops behind Yuasa.



12:13 - Andersson, Oscar (SWE):

Oscar Andersson is half a second behind the Japanese even. He is disappointed.



12:13 - Hargin, Mattias (SWE):

Mattias Hargin is on a good run, but he misses the leadership by an instant. The Swede is 2nd.



12:13 - Hörl, Wolfgang (AUT):

Wolfgang Hoerl comes in 3rd.



12:14 - Albrecht, Daniel (SUI):

Daniel Albrecht cannot be satisfied with this run. He is 6th.



12:15 - Brolenius, Johan (SWE):

Johan Brolenius' run is not without mistakes. Yuasa is still in front.



12:15 - Razzoli, Giuliano (ITA):

Giuliano Razzoli cant set a new best time either.



12:16 - Viletta, Sandro (SUI):

Sandro VIletta comes in behind Yuasa, too. Although all these athletes have a leap out of the first run, their margins on Yuasa are growing.



12:17 - Imboden, Urs (MDA):

Urs Imboden is 7 seconds behind in the finish! That means he won't get World Cup points today.



12:18 - Lahdenperae, Anton (SWE):

Anton Lahdenperae was 0.65 seconds ahead of Yuasa in the first run. He, too, loses one second on the Japanese in the final part - what a run of Yuasa!



12:19 - Albrecht, Kilian (BUL):

Kilian Albrecht is next, his leap on Yuasa: 0.7 seconds. And he, too, is over a second behind the Japanese in the finish!



12:19 - Dragsic, Mitja (SLO):

Mitja Dragsic does the same as all the others before him: he drops behind Yuasa!



12:20 - Larsson, Markus (SWE):

Routined Markus Larsson is on the course. A mistake here, difficulties there - Larsson is 13th only.



12:21 - Yuasa, Naoki (JPN):

Naoki Yuasa has gained 14 positions already - and more are to come, if everything goes on like this!



12:27 - Ligety, Ted (USA):

But now it's Ted Ligety's turn. He has an advantage of one second - and he extends it in the first passage. A little time is lost in the final section, but Ligety is the new leader!



12:28 - Myhrer, Andre (SWE):

Andre Myhrer is next. He can't keep up with Ligety, but stays ahead of Yuasa.



12:29 - Berthod, Marc (SUI):

Marc Berthod performs well in the first part, but he loses some time in the steep section. He is 2nd in the finish.



12:29 - Rocca, Giorgio (ITA):

Giorgio Rocca is 0.6 seconds ahead at the start - but he loses time continuously! He comes in 2nd.



12:30 - Lizeroux, Julien (FRA):

Julien Lizeroux finds a good rythm - but he is not fast enough to catch Ligety!



12:31 - Neureuther, Felix (GER):

A new leader! Felix Neureuther was a second ahead of Ligety in the first run. He loses some of this advantage, but manages to take the lead.



12:32 - Matt, Mario (AUT):

Now the World Champion, Mario Matt. He loses time against Neureuther, won't be able to take the lead. 6th only! That's less than Matt expected.



12:34:

The best times in this run were reached by Yuasa, Ligety, Hargin and Hoerl - who would have expected that this morning?



12:34 - Gini, Marc (SUI):

Marc Gini falls and drops out. He is disappointed.



12:35 - Hirscher, Marcel (AUT):

Marcel Hirscher, the surprise of run 1. He attacks, and extends his leap! The Junior World Champion is the new leader!



12:36 - Deville, Cristian (ITA):

Cristian Deville risks a lot to take over the lead. But he hits two ripples, and is 4th in the finish.



12:37 - Byggmark, Jens (SWE):

Jens Byggmark attacks, despite the ripples and waves on the course. His style is too hard though, he misses a gate and drops out.



12:39 - Grange, Jean-Baptiste (FRA):

A close call! Jean-Baptiste Grange wants to win the slalom World Cup, so he attacks in this second run! And he is fast, sometimes an instant ahead, sometimes an instant behind Hirscher. In the end it's behind again: 0.06 seconds.



12:41 - Kostelic, Ivica (CRO):

Ivica Kostelic is next. A good performance in the steep part, a little time lost in the final section - Kostelic takes over the lead!



12:43 - Herbst, Reinfried (AUT):

Now Reinfried Herbst. Ripples, Herbst does not look as relaxed as in run 1. His time shows, the Austrian is 4th, behind Grange.



12:43 - Mölgg, Manfred (ITA):

The last athlete: Manfred Moelgg. Can he claim the victory today?



12:44 - Mölgg, Manfred (ITA):

Fast in the middle part, then his hand is in the snow...but Moelgg is fast, and saves 0.4 seconds of his advantage! That's the first slalom victory for the Italian in this season.



12:45:

Manfred Moelgg is cheering in the finishing area. Ivica Kostelic is 2nd and youngster Marcel Hirscher reaches rank 3. Congratulations!



12:46:

Felix Neureuther improved from 9 to 6, and Naoki Yuasa made a giant leap from 30 to 14.



12:47:

Jean-Baptiste Grange remains the leader in the slalom World Cup, but Manfred Moelgg is getting really close to him now. The decision will be made in Bormio!



12:48:

That was the liveticker coverage of the men's slalom in Kranjska Gora. We will be back in Bormio, where the World Cup final takes place. See you then!