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www.worldskinews.com/Beaver
Creek (USA) 02.12.2004
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Men
Super G - Race report
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Standings ] [ Overall
Standings ]
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| First
season win for Stephan Goergl
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by
Patrick Lang
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Beaver Crede,
Colorado, Dec. 2nd. Austria's Stephan
Goergl stunned himself and his colleagues
in Beaver Creek treacherous Super-G
race today. He
achieved quite a remarkable performance
capturing his first World Cup race beating
by 24/100 of a second USA's Bode Miller.
Another young Austrian also reached
the podium in that thrilling competition,
his teammate Mario Scheiber, while Switzerland's
Tobias Grünenfelder and Italy's
Fattori came in 4th and 5th.
Among the defeated favourites are Hermann
Maier, 2nd in Lake Louise and an 8-time
winner on that course since 1997. Maier
only finished 8th while Benjamin Raich
was a solid yet far 10th.
Great progression for Stephan
It's the first time ever that the 26-year-old
Austrian from Styria, only 17th last
week in Lake Louise, reached a podium
in his World Cup career which started
in January 2001 in Germany's Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
He celebrated many victories in other
FIS competitions - a total of 36 including
on the Europa Cup tour. He won the Europa
Cup Super-G standings in 2001 and was
3rd in 2002 and 2003. He was also 2nd
in the Overall Europa Cup standings
in 2001 and 2002! Last year, he finished
23rd here after almost missing the start
because a change in the race program.
"I'll need some time to realize
all of what happened today, this is
incredible" said Stephan, the brother
of Elisabeth Goergl, one of the best
GS/SL specialists on the women's tour.
Their mother, Traudl Hecher, was twice
3rd in an Olympic downhill in 1960 and
1964 and she collected twelve top-10
finishes on the World Cup Tour including
a 3rd place in giant slalom in Jackson
Hole, Wyoming, in 1967!
“I needed a good result to stay
on the World Cup team for the coming
races after my average race in Canada,
but I didn't think about such a performance
this morning. Before to start, I was
mostly aiming for a strong and clean
run down the Birds of Prey course. It's
only the second time that I race here
- I remember often watching this race
on TV when I was younger and I always
hoped to do well here. It's a great
course and this win is huge. It's awesome
to finish ahead of Bode Miller who has
dominated the season start.”
A good start-number
“It was certainly an advantage
to race with a low number today. The
conditions were perfect for me and I
was quite relaxed. This helped me to
achieve a solid and smooth run. My equipment
worked out perfectly. I felt fast and
sure during my entire run. I was really
happy to see that I took the lead after
my arrival, I already felt great at
that point. The waiting at the finish
area was nice and exciting! I was just
happy to be in the lead and I was looking
for a top-10 before Miller's start.
After I saw I beat him, I started to
believe in a better result but there
were still many top-skiers at the start!”
“I was tense before the arrival
of Maier and I could not believe that
I beat him to! I didn't dare dreaming
about something like this happening.
I'm also pleased for my suppliers who
trust in me last spring when I had to
leave Atomic factory after the arrival
of Bode Miller. It was a great idea
to follow Hans Knauss's advices and
ski with Fischer and Lange. I own him
a lot. In fact, I share his room and
I'm very happy that he strongly supports
me. I even call him “Papa Hans”
when we are together.”
“I have been inspired a lot last
season by the great achievements of
my sister who came so close to win her
first race. We are both very competitive
and we were fighting hard for the first
World Cup win.”
Stephan will skip the downhill but plans
to race the giant slalom on Saturday.
Miller's great recovery
Bode Miller was pleased by his finish
but not by his race. In fact, he was
really upset to have made a big mistake
at the middle of the course where he
came out of the fastest line and skied
over some snow cookies. After this error,
he took again all risks to try to save
his race. An aggressive final allowed
him to reach his fourth consecutive
podium this season, another impressive
performance for the American. He has
now 380 points in the Overall standings
in which Maier is second with 168.
"To be 2nd is fine, I'll take that
any day," Miller said after the
race. "My streak wasn't going to
last forever. I'm totally psyched with
this 2nd place because it's great for
me to reach three consecutive podiums
in speed events. But I also know there
was more in today for me. I blew it
in that Pumpstation turns where I lost
the best line. I skied the old Bode
Miller way at the bottom to make-up
some time. It was really fun and I'm
pleased to have recovered part of my
lost time.”
“I'm not surprised by Stephan result.
It has been a while that I saw that
he is a great skier. He is a nice guy
too, very relaxed and not so distant
than the older members of the Austrian
team.2
“It's good to be at the arrival
of this difficult race,” added
the skier from New Hampshire who slightly
injured his left hand in hurting a pole
while fighting his way down the course
with the same determination than Hermann
M Maier during the 1999 World Championships.
“I'll be quite motivated for the
downhill. Super-G is a tough event because
you can't check the course during a
training run. I could be at least a
second faster if I would come down the
mountain again. I'm looking forward
for the next races here, I'm having
much fun.”
Scheiber aims for more
His teammate Mario Scheiber is hoping
to score again some points in Friday's
downhill. Last week, the 21-year-old
Austrian finished 30th in Lake Louise
in his very first World Cup race and
then 7th the next day in Super-G. He
qualified for the National Team in excelling
on the Europa Cup circuit last season
after winning the Austrian Nationals
in the same event in 2003. In December
2003, he also clinched a Europa Cup
downhill in Italy. The Tyrolian has
been considered for a long time as a
great talent after finishing 2nd and
1st in downhill at the Junior Worlds
in 2002 and 2003.
“I had to take my chance today
after my good races in Canada, I felt
in good shape and you never know how
good I'll ski later on this season,”
he said at the press conference. “To
be on the podium at my second World
Cup Super-G in amazing. I'll be quite
motivated for the downhill tomorrow.”
A tough day for the favourites
It was a tough day for some of the favourites
as Michael Walchhofer who crashed spectacularly
yet without hurting himself. Daron Rahlves
gave his best but made too many mistakes
and finished out of the top-10, quite
a disappointment for the Californian
who seemed able to join Bode Miller
on the podium. “It's one of these
days, I have to focus now on the downhill”
he said after his run.
Hermann Maier gave up much time when
he clipped a gate and lost his left
ski pole. "It was not a good run,"
he shrugged. “It was tough and
I struggled. At a certain point I was
thinking to give up because I felt so
bad. The course was OK, still good enough
for a podium with a strong run, but
I didn't ski that well. I still need
to find the best adjustments for my
equipment,” added the defending
Overall World Cup champion.
Maier, who has won at least one competition
each year he raced here, may have a
hard time to increase his record on
this course on which he won eight races
since 1997. He is not a favourite in
the downhill - but with him, everything
is always possible.
Patrick Lang
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