2012/2013 Winter Sports Thread

[Smallville22]

Snowboard - New start gates for snowboard World Cup

New start gates will be introduced at the opening snowboard World Cup event of the season in Italy this weekend.
The old 'western saloon'-style gates, which were liable to technical problems, will be replaced by a hatch similar to that used in boarder cross.
“We have tested the new gates during our final World Cup event in Valmalenco, Italy, last season," FIS snowboard race director Uwe Beier said.
"As those test turned out well, we confirmed to use the new gates in the 2013 season."
The change is expected to result in a fairer start phase to races.
Movable handlebars have also been installed, which boarders can adjust to his or her preferred size.
Beier added: “The bars are adjustable in both ways, horizontal and vertical. As we also have the possibility to add markers, every racers can benefit from a perfect setting.”
The curtain-raiser to the new season kicks off on Friday in Carezza.

 

[Smallville22]

Ski Cross World Cup

Wins for Smith and Niederer in Val Thorens

Fanny Smith may have had an element of luck as she took her third ski-cross World Cup victory from three in Val Thorens, but there was no doubting the manner in which she eventually won.
The 20-year-old was the woman to beat as the World Cup circuit arrived in France for the third event of the season having won the opening two rounds in Nakiska and Telluride.
And she proved exactly why by winning the big final, although she was given a helping hand after Andrea Limbacher and Marion Josserand both fell not long after coming out of the start gates.
The Swiss skier did trail Marte Hoeie Gjefsen following the Norwegian fine start however she made her move just over a half way down the run for her third win of the season.
Limbacher recovered to take third ahead of Josserand with Smith extending her lead in the ski-cross World Cup standings to 118 over Ophelie David, who failed to make the semi-finals in Val Thorens.

Meanwhile Smith's Swiss team-mate Armin Niederer took his second win of the season in a far less dramatic race to extend his overall ski-cross World Cup lead from 40 to 60 points.
Niederer, third last time out after winning the season opener in Nakiska, held off Brady Leman to come out on top with fellow Canadian David Duncan edged out of third by Joe Swensson.
However second was good enough for Leman to take second outright in the World Cup standings, having been level with Alex Fiva after round two, the Swiss skier not reaching the semi-finals.

 

[Smallville22]

Alpine Skiing World Cup

Rebensburg ends Maze's winning run

Olympic champion Viktoria Rebensburg stopped Tina Maze's unbeaten run when she won a women's World Cup giant slalom in Are.
Setting a combined time of two minutes 28.94 seconds, the German outshone her opponents for her eighth World Cup victory.
Austria's Anna Fenninger was second 0.62 of a second adrift while Maze, winner of the first four giant slaloms of the season, finished third, 0.91 of a second off the pace.
While Rebensburg had already twice made it into the top three this season, she was forced out of the season opener in Soelden and struggled in the last giant slalom held in Courchevel three days ago, finishing 15th.
"It was much different, it was a much better piste here, not too icy. That's what skiing is supposed to be," said the German, who is not taking part in Thursday's slalom on the same piste.
"It's good to be back in the lead, it's a good feeling to win again.
"I can really go home now and have a good time and relax a bit with my friends and my family."
The World Cup giant slalom champion said she had not resented Maze's success this season.
"I'm not looking at what Tina is doing. I ski for myself, I try to stay focused on myself. What's important is that I ski well and it was a real pleasure to ski here," she said.
Rebensburg took a huge 1.12 seconds lead over Maze in the first run, which salvaged her victory in the second when a gross mistake could have been extremely costly for the German.
Maze's third place was her eighth podium spot of the season, which took her points tally in the World Cup overall standings to 859 and her lead over second-placed Maria Hoefl-Riesch of Germany to 351 points.
"If I have to chose between winning races or the World Cup?
"Well I'm looking forward to the overall, I'm longing for a globe. Another highlight is Schladming," said Maze, who will defend her giant slalom world title in the Austrian resort in February.
Overall World Cup holder Lindsey Vonn, who returned home to the United States to take a rest after an exhausting start to the season, was a notable absentee.
The American will also miss next week's races in the Austrian resort of Semmering.

 

[Smallville22]

Alpine Skiing World Cup

Shiffrin celebrates maiden slalom win in Are

American teenager Mikaela Shiffrin made the most of some big name absences to take her first World Cup victory in an Alpine skiing slalom in Are.
With Austrian world champion Marlies Schild injured and overall World Cup holder Lindsey Vonn of the United States taking a break until the New Year, the 17-year-old won with a combined time of one minute and 45.36 seconds.
Sweden's Frida Hansdotter, the first run pacesetter, was second and 0.29 seconds adrift while Slovenia's World Cup leader Tina Maze was third, 0.52 off the pace.
"My heart just stopped and it will take me a year to realise what I've just done. I was just trying to fly," said former junior world bronze medallist Shiffrin, who had only twice before stood on the World Cup podium.
Shiffrin, who was third in a slalom in Levi, Finland, last month and also third in the Austrian resort of Lienz a year ago, delivered a perfect second leg to fend off the challenge of her more experienced rivals in the last race before Christmas.
"Now I'm probably going to hug my mum a lot. My Dad will also be coming over for Christmas. I'll try to calm down and prepare for Semmering," added the skier from Burke Mountain Academy in Vermont.
The women have two more races in the Austrian resort next week before the end of the year.
While she is not the youngest skier to win a World Cup race - several women having done so at 16 - Shiffrin is the second youngest American to do so after Judy Nagel in 1969 and certainly one of the big talents to emerge in recent years.
Maze's third place left her leading the World Cup overall standings with 919 points, 387 more than nearest rival Maria Hoefl-Riesch of Germany.
"It was the last race before Christmas and I really meant to finish on a high note. But now is more than time for me to rest," said the Slovenian.
Schild flew back to Austria for checks after falling in morning practice.
"On one of the bumps, I lost control and I landed on my back. I was blocked by a ski. For the time being I feel pain in the back and in the right knee," she said on the Austrian Ski Team website.
It was a bad day generally for the Austrians as Kathrin Zettel, winner of the previous World Cup slalom in Aspen, failed to complete the first run while the best placed member of the team was Michaela Kirchgasser, who was suffering from flu and finished ninth.

 

[Smallville22]

Alpine Skiing - World champion Schild injured in training

Slalom world champion Marlies Schild crashed in training for a World Cup race on Thursday, injuring knee ligaments.
Schild flew home to Austria from Sweden immediately, the team added without giving any more details about the extent of the injury.
The Austrian, who is one victory short of the record of the 34 World Cup slalom wins held by Swiss Vreni Schneider, had already been doubtful for Thursday's race because of influenza.
"On one of the bumps, I lost control and I landed on my back," Schild said was quoted as saying on the OSV website. "At the moment I feel pain in the back and in the right knee."
Austrian chief trainer Herbert Mandl said the team hoped to have more information on the injury on Friday.
"We don't know anything yet about the rest of her season. We'll discuss it with her when we have more details about the injury," he added.
Schild had endured a disappointing start to the season, crashing out of contention in Levi before finishing second to compatriot Kathrin Zettel in Aspen last month.
The 31-year-old Austrian missed the entire 2008-2009 season after breaking her shin in training in October 2008.


Cross-Country Skiing - Manificat ruled out for over a month

French cross-country ace Maurice Manificat has damaged his knee and faces between four to six weeks out injured.
Manificat, who won the 30-kilometre skiathlon in Canmore last weekend, has torn his quadricep tendon.
The 26-year-old complained of pain in his right knee following his first World Cup victory since Lahti in March 2010 and tests later revealed the extent of the damage.
He now faces a lengthy period of recuperation, which will likely mean he misses the start of the Tour de Ski.
Victory in Canmore took Manificat to eighth on the overall World Cup standings.


Biathlon - Sachenbacher-Stehle to miss German World Cups

Germany's Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle will not race the biathlon World Cup events in Oberhof and Ruhpolding.
The two-times Olympic cross-country ski champion, who is attempting to make the crossover to biathlon, will have to wait to make her debut at the highest level of the sport.
“In January, she will race in the IBU Cup again, to gain mental strength with more competitions," said Gerald Hoenig, head coach of the German women’s national team. "We do not want her to have too much pressure."
Expectations are high for the athlete who has three cross-country golds, seven silvers and one bronze medal from world championships and Olympics to her name, especially following the retirements of superstar Magdalena Neuner and Simone Hauswald.
Following the two meetings in Germany in the first two weeks of January, the World Cup heads to Anterselva in Italy, but even that may come too soon for Sachenbacher-Stehle.
"It is too early to assess that," Hoenig added. "She needs much more competition practice”.

 

[Smallville22]

Snowboard World Cup

Prommegger takes victory

Andreas Prommegger triumphed in the first World Cup parallel giant slalom of the season in Carezza.
Prommegger was too strong as he held off compatriot Lukas Mathies to win the final in comfortable fashion in Italy.
Third was Vic Wild, the youngster surprising Italy's Roland Fischnaller in the small final.
But the day belonged to Prommegger, the 32-year-old scooping the ninth World Cup win of his career.

In the women's race, Japan's Tomoka Takeuchi was the victor with Canada's Caroline Calve second and Germany's Anke Karstens third.
The defending World Cup champion Patrizia Kummer was left disappointed after the Swiss star went out in the last 16.

 

[Smallville22]

Alpine Skiing - Injured Schild to miss world title defence

Austria's Marlies Schild, injured in training for a World Cup slalom in Are, will not defend her world title in February.
Schild, one victory short of the record of the 34 World Cup slalom wins held by Swiss Vreni Schneider, crashed badly in her warm-up practice in Sweden on Thursday and tore ligaments in her right knee.
The injury was confirmed by doctors who checked the knee in Innsbruck, OSV said.
"Marlies will now undergo surgery in Innsbruck and will need at least three weeks before starting intensive rehab," OSV added.
The world championships take place in the Austrian resort of Schladming between February 4 and 17.
Schild had endured a disappointing start to the season, crashing out of contention in Levi before finishing second to compatriot Kathrin Zettel in Aspen last month.
The 31-year-old missed the entire 2008-2009 season after breaking her shin in training in October 2008.

 

[Smallville22]

Freestyle Skiing World Cup

McPhie and Wilson victorious in Kreischberg

Heather McPhie waited almost three years for her second career freestyle skiing World Cup win however she ensured the length of time until the third was just seven days in Kreischberg.
The 28-year-old took victory for the first time since January 2010 at the opening round of the World Cup season last weekend, winning the dual moguls event ahead of Justine Dufour-Lapointe in Ruka.
But, rather than wait another three years to repeat the trick, McPhie claimed her second straight triumph just seven days later as she beat teammate Heidi Kloser in the dual moguls big final.
Dufour-Lapointe had to settle for third this time around, defeating Australian Britteny Cox in the small final, to lose ground on McPhie at the top of the moguls World Cup standings.
McPhie leads with 200 points with Canadian Dufour-Lapointe now 60 behind while Kloser, seventh last time out in Ruka, jumps up to third a further 24 adrift.

Meanwhile in the men's dual moguls Bryon Wilson claimed the win with Alexandre Bilodeau pulling level with Canadian teammate Mikael Kingsbury at the top of the moguls World Cup standings.
Wilson beat Bilodeau in the big final but a second straight second-place finish was enough for him to reel in Kingsbury who finished third ahead of another Canadian Philippe Marquis.
Reigning World Cup champion Kingsbury and Bilodeau are tied on 160 points after two of the 12 rounds with Wilson, much like Kloser, moving into third with the win 42 behind the Canadian duo.

 

[Smallville22]

Ski Cross World Cup

Serwa, Fiva win in Innichen-San Candido
Kelsey Serwa ended Fanny Smith’s unbeaten start to the ski-cross World Cup season in Innichen-San Candido as both the Canadian and Alex Fiva took their first wins of the campaign.

Smith made it three victories from the three World Cup events so far this season in Val Thorens on Wednesday however that run finally came to an end as the tour moved to Italy.
She just about made it into the small final in Innichen-San Candido before finishing last in it, placing her seventh overall, as 2011 world champion Serwa won the big final.
Serwa got the better of Canadian teammate Georgia Simmerling to finish first while Smith’s fellow Swiss skier Katrin Mueller was third in a three-strong big final.
After a ninth, fourth and 15th, Serwa now sits third in the overall ladies’ ski-cross World Cup standings with 195 points with Smith still comfortably in the lead, 129 ahead of Marte Hoeie Gjefsen who was fourth.

And, while there may have been disappointment for Switzerland in the women’s event in Italy, there was success for the nation in the men’s as Fiva came out on top.
Fiva won the big final ahead of Daniel Bohnacker, Victor Oehling Norberg and Tomas Kraus as the overall World Cup standings became a whole lot closer in Innichen-San Candido.
Armin Niederer, leading thanks mainly to two wins so far this season, didn’t event make the quarter-finals, ranking 18th, while Brady Leman won the small final to claim fifth.
Niederer still leads with 273 points with Canadian Leman second on 245 while Fiva’s first win of the season and second podium finish puts him just one point behind in third.

 

[Smallville22]

Figure Skating - Plushenko makes successful comeback in Sochi
Yevgeny Plushenko made a triumphant comeback at the Russian figure skating championships on Wednesday when he eased to his 10th national men's title in his first competition in nearly a year.

The 30-year-old, widely regarded as the most gifted skater of his generation, said he was looking forward to returning to Sochi in February 2014 when the Black Sea resort will host the Winter Olympics.
"This is my first competition in a long time so I'm quite happy with my performance here," Plushenko, who won both the short programme on Tuesday and Wednesday's free skate, said at the Iceberg Olympic arena.
"Today I felt pain in my back and my legs were heavy. It was much harder than yesterday, I had to fight to finish my routine. Now I need at least two days to recuperate."
The 2006 Olympic champion has not competed since clinching his seventh European crown in Sheffield, England, in January. He underwent a successful knee surgery the following month.
The flamboyant Russian, who controversially lost the 2010 Olympic title to American Evan Lysacek, said he was planning to compete at next month's European championships in Zagreb as well as the 2013 world championships in London, Ontario, in March.
"Of course, everything depends on my health but right now that is my goal. I know I have to skate much better to have any chance of winning either one," he said.
"But the main thing is to be ready next season. I'm looking forward to coming back here, to this arena in 2014. The atmosphere is great. You're already feeling the Olympic spirit."

 

[Smallville22]

Alpine Skiing - Theaux fastest in Bormio downhill practice

Adrian Theaux topped Thursday’s opening downhill practice in Bormio, where French and Italian competitors dominated.
The Frenchman clocked the fastest time of two minutes and 0.72 seconds ahead of Italian pair Christof Innerhofer (0.23 seconds behind) and Dominik Paris (0.98 behind), leaving another French skier – Johan Clarey – over a second behind the pace in fourth.
“I like it when there is a lot going on at the slope,” Innerhofer said.
“This is where my career kicked off in a way, my first top 10 and my first victory came here so I definitely know the slope really well.
!I am happy to see I am among the best in training and for sure Saturday I will give it all I have in the race.”
Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal, owner of five podium finishes this year, had to settle for sixth-fastest despite matching his best race result on the Stelvio slope.
“If we speak about races where one feels confident, powerful and comfortable on skis, Bormio doesn’t really fit that description,” Svindal said.
“It’s bumpy and dark, there are points where your head is shaking so much that it’s not really easy to see where you are going.
“The course is overall very tough, you get tired in the bottom part but I feel ok, it wasn't a perfect training run but I want to save energy for the race.”

 

[Smallville22]

Alpine Skiing World Cup

Fenninger wins Semmering giant slalom

Anna Fenninger made the most of home advantage to win her second World Cup giant slalom after dominating both runs in Semmering on Friday.
Spending Christmas at home inspired Fenninger to clock a combined time of two minutes 13.09 seconds.
The 23-year-old super-combined world champion, who won her maiden World Cup race in Leinz exactly a year ago, defeated World Cup leader Tina Maze by 1.10 seconds with France's Tessa Worely a further 0.08 of a second behind in third place.
"It was like dancing on the snow," said Fenninger of her immaculate performance in the closest ski resort to the Austrian capital Vienna.
"This is a real leap forward for me because I never managed anything good here in the past. It was hard because it was the first time I was in the lead after the morning run.
"But after my fourth place in Courchevel and my second place in Are, confidence is back. My results are clearly on the way up.
It was Maze's 10th top three placing of the season and the Slovenian again increased the gap in the overall World Cup standings. She now leads second-placed Maria Hoefl-Riesch of Germany by 417 points.
Fenninger was the only skier to fully master the flat course on which it was difficult to gather speed, especially in the windy conditions prevailing on Friday.
"Today, Anna wasn't skiing, she was flying. She was just impossible to beat," said Maze, who won the first four giant slaloms of the season.
A slalom is scheduled on the same course on Saturday and Maze will again be among the favourites in the absence of injured world champion Marlies Schild.

 

[Smallville22]

Alpine Skiing World Cup

Reichelt and Paris share Bormio victory
Hannes Reichelt and local favourite Dominik Paris were joint winners in the closest finish to an Alpine skiing World Cup downhill, with only 0.02 seconds separating the top four in Bormio on Saturday.

Austrian Reichelt and Italian Paris both had the time of one minute and 58.62 for the classic Stelvio course, one of the most demanding pistes in the sport.
World Cup leader Aksel Lund Svindal was 0.01 seconds behind for third place, the Norwegian's sixth top three placing of the winter. Austria's downhill World Cup champion Klaus Kroell was fourth.
It was Paris's maiden World Cup win and Reichelt's sixth but his first in downhill.
"I'm proud to join the list of Austrian downhill winners. It's something that's very important back home. And I picked the right one, the most difficult downhill on the circuit after Kitzbuehel," said Reichelt, the first Austrian winner of a downhill this season.
Paris, a towering skier who has had his technical flaws in the past, said he knew his time would come.
"I didn't ski as well as I did in practice but I gave it my all and in the strong downhill team we have this season, I knew I would have my turn," he told reporters.
It was the 11th tied result in the men's World Cup.
Svindal's third place meant he stretched his lead over defending overall World Cup champion Marcel Hirscher of Austria to 114 points.
"I missed yesterday's practice because I was sick. I was a little bit better today but to be on the podium in these conditions on a piste that never suited me is great, said Svindal.
"Hirscher is so consistent in technical events that every point will count, not only for the big globe but also for the downhill globe, which is becoming one of my goals," he added.
The next men's race is a city event in Munich on January 1, a parallel slalom competition involving the 12 top slalom specialists and the four best overall skiers on the men's circuit.


Velez Zuzulova wins Semmering slalom

Veronika Velez Zuzulova gave Slovakia their first victory in a women's alpine skiing World Cup race by winning a slalom in Semmering.
After having achieved 13 podium finishes in 10 years, the former junior world champion finally broke through when she clocked a combined time of one minute 37.28 seconds.
"It's just a lifetime dream come true. I had been on the podium so many times I didn't know if this would finally happen," Velez Zuzulova told reporters.
"I come from a very small country and up to now I was the only one the fans could count on. The pressure was enormous, everybody kept asking me when I would make it at last."
Zuzulova, 28, who married her French coach Romain Velez earlier this year, was 0.10 seconds ahead of Austrian Kathrin Zettel.
Zettel, winner of a slalom in Colorado last month, was cheered wildly by the huge crowd gathered in the closest ski resort to the Austrian capital of Vienna.
Zuzulova said she longed for the day when she would receive a similar kind of support.
"In another life I would love to come back as an Austrian skier to feel what the girls feel here," she said. "It must be great."
Overall World Cup leader Tina Maze was fastest on the first run but skied a little too conservatively in the floodlit second leg and had to be content with third place, 0.20 off the pace.
It was the Slovenian's 11th podium finish of the season and lifted her overall points tally to 1,059, giving her a lead of 427 points over second-placed German Maria Hoefl-Riesch who ended up fourth in Semmering.
There was more good news for Slovakia when Velez Zuzulova's 17-year-old compatriot Petra Vlhova secured 11th position in her first World Cup race.
American teenager Mikaela Shiffrin, who claimed her first World Cup victory in Sweden last week, missed a gate on the second leg and failed to score any points.
The next race is in Munich on New Year's Day, a parallel slalom competition involving the 12 best skiers in the discipline and the top four all-rounders.


Ski Jumping - Jacobsen and Schlierenzauer shine in Four Hills qualifying

Anders Jacobsen topped the list of qualifiers standings for the Four Hill ski jumping event in Oberstdorf, Germany.
Jacobsen's distance of 133.5m was bettered by two jumpers - including third-best qualifier Tom Hilde - but his combination of excellent marks from the judges and high wind and gate compensation factors saw him top the table with 143.2 points.
"I'm really very satisfied with my jumps and my result", said Jacobsen.
Gregor Schlierenzauer, who had already pre-qualified for Sunday's competition, produced the highest score in the qualifying tournament with 149.6 points.

 

[Smallville22]

Cross-Country Skiing World Cup

Randall snatches opening Tour de Ski win
Kikkan Randall edged out Olympic champion Charlotte Kalla to win the opening stage of this season’s Tour de Ski, a 3km freestyle prologue, in Oberhof.

Kalla – the 34th cross-country skier out of the gates in Germany – looked like taking the first stage victory of 2012-13 Tour de Ski amid heavy mist.
She completed the prologue in 7:32.5minutes to lead right up until Randall crossed the finishing line having been among the last three to start.
Randall went 4.4seconds quicker than Kalla, who won Olympic gold in the 10km freestyle at Vancouver 2010, to take the early lead in the Tour de Ski.
There was disappointment as the Tour de Ski began with Marit Bjoergen absent after experiencing an irregular heartbeat but joy at the end for Randall.
She claimed her first stage win in the Tour de Ski in Oberhof and also beat the winner of the last three overall titles Justyna Kowalczyk.
Kowalczyk won this stage 12 months ago ahead of Bjoergen but was down on Kalla, let alone Randall, early on finishing 4.7seconds behind overall in third.
And American Randall is determined to hold onto the leader’s jersey after the second stage, a 9km classic pursuit, on Sunday.
“It feels really hard but it is a big accomplishment and I am pretty happy with the stage victory,” said Randall.
“There is an unbelievable excitement being in this position, it is fun. I know there is a big target on me now.
“But I will try and hang in there in the classic and have anther strong race.”


Northug wins Tour de Ski prologue
Petter Northug got his bid to finally win the Tour de Ski off to the perfect start again after winning the opening stage for the second year in a row in Oberhof.

Northug has won almost everything the sport of cross-country skiing has to offer – Olympic titles, World Championship titles and the overall World Cup crown.
He even has the most Tour de Ski stage wins but he is yet to claim the overall title having finished second three times and third over the past four years.
This season’s Tour de Ski could be Northug’s though as the Norwegian once again proved his dominance in the 4km freestyle prologue to win by six seconds.
Northug clocked a winning time of 8 minutes 28.7 seconds as the mist cleared following the women’s race in Germany although wet conditions allowed for slushy snow.
That affected Northug little, who after taking the opening stage last year did so again on stage four but had to make do with third as Dario Cologna won overall.
Marcus Hellner, runner-up to Cologna last year, led until Northug crossed the finishing line with the Swede 6.1 seconds behind his Norwegian rival in second.
Alexander Legkov was third a further 1.1 back in third while defending champion Cologna was fourth with the 15km classic pursuit to come on Sunday.

 

[Smallville22]

Ski Jumping World Cup

Jacobsen wins Four Hills opener

Anders Jacobsen was a class above a high-quality field to complete his dominance of the opening round of the Four Hills Tournament with victory in Oberstdorf.
The 27-year-old, fresh from a season spent out of ski jumping, was first the best of the qualifiers on Saturday in Germany before building on it 24 hours later.
Leading at the halfway stage after producing the second best jump of 138m for a total of 149.6points, Jacobsen broke the 300-point barrier with his second effort.
Jacobsen recorded the joint-best distance of 139m for a winning total of 308.6 ahead of defending Four Hills champion Gregor Schlierenzauer and Severin Freund.
The Norwegian was the best of the qualifiers on Saturday with a leap of 133.5m and led after a head-to-head knockout first round by over five points.
That first round didn’t go by without a high-profile casualty though as Thomas Morgenstern, the Four Hills champion two years ago, was beaten by Ilya Rosliakov.
The standard rose in the second round, which reverted back to the normal order of 30th in the field to first, but the top three remained the same.
With all four rounds of the Four Hills Tournament also acting as a World Cup event, Jacobsen denied Schlierenzauer edging ever closer to Matti Nykanen’s record.
Had Jacobsen not beaten the Austrian on the last jump he would have taken a 44th career win, two behind Nykanen, however he still leads the World Cup standings.
Schlierenzauer finished second with a total of 297 points with Freund scoring 290.8 while Jacobsen’s win was his first individually on the World Cup stage for almost three years.
Jacobsen takes the early lead in the Four Hills Tournament, which has seen an Austrian winner for the past four years, and couldn’t hide his delight with his last win coming in Oberstdorf.
“I was not sure that I would win but I had a good feeling since qualifying,” said Jacobsen, who will move across Germany to Garmisch-Partenkirchen for round two on New Year’s Day.
“My jump in the trial round was good and at the top of the first round I knew I had an opportunity and I said that I was going to take it and have fun and just enjoy it. I did and it was a perfect day.”

 

[Smallville22]

Cross-Country Skiing World Cup

Vylegzhanin wins 15km in photo finish
Maxim Vylegzhanin won a sprint finish with Alexander Legkov courtesy of a photo finish as Russia controlled the second stage of the Tour de Ski in Oberhof.

Vylegzhanin, Legkov and Ilia Chernousov ensured the 15km classic pursuit would be raced according to their rules after catching Petter Northug early on.
All three took turns in skiing at the front of a leading pack as the race grew to an expected sprint finish, which saw Vylegzhanin and Legkov break away.
Legkov broke first and looked to be the likely winner heading into the home straight however Vylegzhanin had other ideas and stuck with him all the way.
The two Russians were inseparable as the finishing line beckoned with Vylegzhanin’s outstretched ski eventually see him just beat Legkov.
Vylegzhanin’s time was 39.47.0minutes with Legkov narrowly behind in second while Norwegian Northug, who won the prologue on Saturday, took third.
Vylegzhanin and Legkov were too quick for Northug to catch in the latter stages but he did come from behind to edge out Dario Cologna and Alex Harvey.
Northug finished 6.5seconds behind the Russia duo with Cologna, the defending Tour de Ski champion, 0.2 shy in fourth and Harvey a further second adrift in fifth.


Classy Kowalczyk takes control
Justyna Kowalczyk took control of the defence of her Tour de Ski title after storming to victory in the 9km classic pursuit second stage in Oberhof.

Kowalczyk is bidding to win her fourth straight Tour de Ski title over the next week and started by finishing third in the opening prologue stage on Saturday.
That meant she began the 9km classic pursuit in Germany 5.3 seconds behind 2008 Tour de Ski winner Charlotte Kalla and 14.7 shy of Kikkan Randall.
Randall won the opening stage to take the early lead with Kalla second, however there was to be no denying Kowalczyk victory second time out in Oberhof.
Kowalczyk bridged the gap between herself and Kalla not soon after the start before overtaking Randall seven minutes into the 9km classic pursuit.
The Polish cross-country skier then broke away building a lead of over 30 seconds by the last and final lap to win in a time of 25:01.4 minutes.
Kowalczyk’s winning margin was 41.4 seconds by the finish with Norway’s Therese Johaug taking second 3.6 ahead of Finland’s Anne Kylloenen in third.
Johaug’s performance was impressive in the absence of Norwegian team-mate Marit Bjoergen as she made up a deficit of 32.2 seconds to finish second.
She finished 13th in the 3km freestyle prologue but stormed to second in the pursuit while Kalla was 11th and American Randall was 14th.
With the bonus seconds applied for finishing first, Kowalczyk now leads the Tour de Ski after two stages by 46.4 seconds ahead of Johaug.
Kowalczyk and the rest of the field now have a rest day before the sprint in Switzerland something she is vowing to make the most of.
“It feels great to win but I am so tired. The conditions were hard and the race was hard but it is amazing to have won,” said Kowalczyk.
“My skis were working perfectly, they were fast and I was really good uphill.
We now travel to Switzerland and I may look at the track and do some skiing but not too much.”

 

[Smallville22]

Ski Jumping World Cup

Jacobsen doubles up with Garmisch win
Anders Jacobsen jumped within half a metre of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen hill record as he staged a remarkable comeback to make it two from two in the Four Hills Tournament.

The 27-year-old won the Four Hills opener in Oberstdorf on Sunday but it looked liked he would be off the podium after a less than impressive first-round leap placed him ninth overall.
However it didn’t prove costly at all as Jacobsen’s second-round effort of 143m, 0.5m off Simon Ammann’s hill record, promoted him all the way to first and denied Gregor Schlierenzauer once again.
Jacobsen, who took a year out from ski jumping last season, took his points total from 128.4 to 277.7 with defending champion Schlierenzauer scoring 276.8 overall in Germany.
Anders Bardal beat off competition from Norwegian teammate Tom Hilde to take third by 0.8 points as Four Hills leader Jacobsen refuses to get ahead of himself with two rounds two go.
“It was not in my mind to extend my lead,” said Jacobsen, who with all four rounds of the Four Hills Tournament acting as World Cups denied Schlierenzauer a 44th career win.
“I knew I could have good jump despite the problem with my skis in first round and in the end it was a perfect second round.”
Much like the head-to-head knockout first round in Oberstdorf, there was an early casualty in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the form of Wolfgang Loitzl.
Loitzl, the Four Hills champion from 2009, lost to Germany’s Maximilian Mechler and didn’t advance while Lukas Hlava fall’s paved the way for Matjaz Pungertar.
Kamil Stoch produced clear the best leap of round one with his effort of 142m just 1.5m off Ammann’s hill record but that didn’t produce the best score.
Stoch scored 134.3 points to tie second overall with Hilde as Austrian Schlierenzauer impressed the judges most after jumping 134m for 137.1.
Jacobsen, who won the Four Hills opener in Oberstdorf , was almost a high-profile casualty himself after a severely disrupted flight phase.
The Norwegian recovered to beat Andreas Kofler and progress to the second round as an outright winner but ninth looked to have put him out of contention.
It didn’t though as Jacobsen came out firing in the second round as Norway’s ski jumpers came to the fore to dramatically alter the top three.
Schlierenzauer went from first to second and Stoch joint second to sixth with reigning world Cup champion Bardal moving up from fifth to third.

 

[Smallville22]

Cross-Country Skiing World Cup

Randall bosses Tour de Ski sprint for second stage win

American Kikkan Randall won her second stage of this season’s Tour de Ski at a canter – beating Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg in the 1.4km sprint by nearly nine seconds.
Randall, who won the opening prologue stage, dropped from first overall to 14th after the pursuit but comprehensively took victory in the sprint in Switzerland.
She led the final in Val Mustair from start to finish breaking away from the rest of the field in the latter stages to win a time of 3:37.0minutes.
Norway’s Oestberg took second 8.7seconds behind Randall while Norwegian teammate Heidi Weng finished third a further 1.9 adrift.
Justyna Kowalczyk, who has won the past three Tour de Ski titles and took a dominant victory in the pursuit, failed to make the final but still leads overall.
She tops the standings with an overall time of 35:08.0 with Therese Johaug, who was knocked out of the same semi-final as Kowalczyk, still second with 35:58.3.
Randall’s yo-yoing up and down the overall standings continues as she now sits fifth in 36:26.1 and the American was more than satisfied with her win.
She said: “The crowd out there were great. The course was really tough but really fun and I am happy to have had a great day on my skis.”


Krogh wins Tour de Ski sprint as Cologna falls

Finn Haagen Krogh made the most of a rare tumble from defending Tour de Ski champion Dario Cologna to win the men’s 1.4km sprint and third stage in Val Mustair.
Cologna, who has won the past two Tours, was looking to lay down a marker in the sprint having finished fourth in both the prologue and the pursuit to rank fourth overall.
And that appeared to be more than a possibility as he stormed into the final – however his hopes of a first stage win of this Tour de Ski came crashing down at the death.
The Swiss cross-country skier appeared to clip the flag of a fan on the final climb on home soil and fell to the ground with Krogh making his move at that exact moment.
He couldn’t be caught as he won in a time of 3:21.3minutes with Italian Federico Pellegrino exactly a second behind in second and Canadian Len Valjas 0.6seconds adrift third.
Britain’s Andrew Musgrave didn’t make the final but he did record the best-ever result by a Brit on a Tour de Ski stage by reaching the semi-finals in Switzerland.
Russia’s Maxim Vylegzhanin, who also wasn’t involved in the final, still leads overall just 2.1seconds ahead of Cologna as Krogh hailed an unlikely victory.
“I didn’t expect to win; my goal was to get to the semi-finals. To reach the final was satisfying and it was a big bonus to win,” said Krogh.
“It was a tricky course but I liked the track and of course when you win you can’t say you don’t like it. There was a good atmosphere too and I liked that.”

 

[Smallville22]

Alpine Skiing World Cup

Neureuther and Zuzulova win Munich city event

Germany's Felix Neureuther won the men's World Cup parallel slalom competition in Munich on New Year's Day while Slovakia's Veronika Velez Zuzulova won the women's equivalent.
The two knockout events featured the 12 best slalom skiers together with the top four all-rounders.

Men's results

1. Felix Neureuther (Germany)

2. Marcel Hirscher (Austria)

3. Alexis Pinturault (France)

4. Andre Myhrer (Sweden)

5. Mattias Hargin (Sweden)

5. Fritz Dopfer (Germany)

5. Jens Byggmark (Sweden)

5. Ivica Kostelic (Croatia)

9. Luca Aerni (Switzerland)

9. Reinfried Herbst (Austria)

9. Aksel Lund Svindal (Norway)

9. Ted Ligety (U.S.)

9. Manfred Pranger (Austria)

9. Mario Matt (Austria)

9. Stefano Gross (Italy)

9. Cristian Deville (Italy)

Women's results

1. Veronika Velez Zuzulova (Slovakia)

2. Tina Maze (Slovenia)

3. Michaela Kirchgasser (Austria)

4. Tanja Poutiainen (Finland)

5. Viktoria Rebensburg (Germany)

5. Julia Mancuso (U.S.)

5. Maria Pietilae-Holmner (Sweden)

5. Mikaela Shiffrin (U.S.)

9. Bernadette Schild (Austria)

9. Carmen Thalmann (Austria)

9. Erin Mielzynski (Canada)

9. Frida Hansdotter (Sweden)

9. Therese Borssen (Sweden)

9. Nicole Hosp (Austria)

9. Kathrin Zettel (Austria)

9. Maria Hoefl-Riesch (Germany)

 

[Smallville22]

Williams tips Yarnold for 2014

Olympic champion Amy Williams insists her tenant Lizzy Yarnold can follow in her footsteps at Sochi 2014 but only if there is absolutely no let up in her preparations.
Yarnold, who rents a flat off Williams in Bath, is fast becoming a contender to continue Britain’s fine tradition in skeleton at the Winter Olympics in Russia in just over a year’s time.
Coming up to just a year competing on the World Cup circuit, Yarnold has four podium finishes including four wins while she also won bronze on her World Championship debut.
She won the world junior title last year and is the best Brit in this season’s World Cup, sitting fourth with compatriot and last year’s overall winner Shelley Rudman sixth after five of nine rounds.
Rudman is one of three Brits to have won a skeleton medal since it was put back on the Olympic programme at Salt Lake 2002, where Alex Coomber took bronze, winning silver at Turin 2006 four years before Williams’ gold at Vancouver 2010.
And, while Rudman’s hopes of a second-career Olympic medal are far from slim, Williams, who retired from the sport citing injury in May, is talking up Yarnold’s chances but with a warning.
“Lizzy had more runs in one month than I had in my first three years after I began in 2002,” said Williams. “Training with Lizzy, I saw how confident and powerful she is.
“She has seen there is nothing to stop her doing the same as I did if she works hard, keeps her head down and doesn’t allow herself to be distracted."