Von Gruenigen Ends Drought with Spectacular Victory
Switzerland's Michael Von Gruenigen ended a one-year drought when he picked up speed on the bottom of the treacherous CB's course, surviving some unbelievable mistakes in Friday's men's giant slalom. He won in front of two of the greatest champions of his generation in one of the most exciting races we have ever seen.

Von Gruenigen, the 1997 GS World Champion, beat the 1999 GS World Champion (and 1999 Overall Champion) Lasse Kjus from Norway by 55/100 of a second. Kjus, who missed most of last season after suffering sinus problems and several other ailments, was ecstatic with his podium status. In 3rd place was 1998 GS Olympic Champion, reigning World Cup Overall Champion and multiple GS winner Hermann Maier of Austria, 58/100 of a second behind the winner.

The 4th place finish of hometown hero Erik Schlopy made for another landmark here in Park City on the 2002 Olympic course. Other US skiers skied among the world's elite: Bode Miller finished 10th, Paul Casey Puckett was 22nd and Dane Spencer 25th.

Two other great skiers finished behind Schlopy - Austria's Christian Mayer, the 1994 GS World Cup champion and Italy's Patrick Holzer, who lead after the first leg.

Von Gruenigen's last victory was in March 1999 at the World Cup finals in Sierra Nevada, Spain, which secured him the GS World Cup title. After last season, the Swiss veteran caused a mild sensation by switching from Rossignol skis to Fischer (which, in recent years, has not been so successful in the technical events). While his teammates moved to South America to train in winter conditions, "Mike" spent the entire summer testing up to 10 new pairs of skis daily at Zermatt where he trained alone.

"I knew I had to give it the gas, to go for it."

Admired as one of the most elegant GS skiers on the tour, von Gruenigen fought, determined to win again. This is his 18th win in a major competition since 1993.

"To win this World Cup race with my new skis is fantastic," von Gruenigen said. "I was so nervous in Soelden because I had no idea how to deal with the new skis, but I became quite confident after reaching the 4th place there."

"I have worked hard. I wanted to prove that it was not over, that I still could win races. It's for sure a special victory. Last spring, I was not sure about my future; I was thinking about quitting. But I changed my mind and decided to test skis from other companies. In the end, I choose Fischer because they supplied a great service. They design a perfect ski for me and they supported me warmly. Now I can aim for more great wins in the coming months. I'll be back here in February 2002 to chase another Olympic medal. I have not lost my passion for ski racing."

In the first run, von Gruenigen made a small mistake and was 6th behind Italy's Patrick Holzer. And at the top of the second run, he had another bobble, which, he said, powered him to the victory. "I knew I had to give it the gas, to go for it," he at the finish line after the second run.

It's the second Swiss success in two days after Sonja Nef's win yesterday. The Swiss men's team did not win a single race last winter.

Lasse Kjus, the 1996 and 1999 World Cup overall champion, also achieved amazing comeback by reaching his first World Cup podium in GS since his win in Slovenia's Kranjska Gora in December 1996. He has not entered a major ski race since the slalom at Madonna di Campiglio, Italy on December 13th 1999.

"Today I felt free. I managed to find a position I wanted and nothing was blocking me. I managed to enjoy my skiing," Kjus said. "You loose much energy when you compete in all four events for 10 years - my body needed that rest I guess. Now I'm in great shape and ready for more."

Kjus also said he went through some bad moments because of the illness that kept him from racing last season, but at the same time, he was able to recover momentum and fun for the sport.

"It's a great way to start this season after skipping the race at Soelden because of the flue. I'm looking forward to the Worlds in St. Anton - I like the great events!"

The return of these two champion is also good news for Hermann Maier, who enjoys the rivalry with these great skiers. "The Herminator" was not upset at all by his 3rd place and he smiled during the awards ceremony.

"I was not as focused as usual this morning, and I had a hard time handling the bad visibility in the first run," Maier explained. "It's always good to reach the podium because there is great competition now in this event. I had a better second run, but, again, I didn't handle the hard snow as well as I hoped. I wanted to come through both runs this time. I don't need to win all the races to be satisfied. I will be happy ski some speed events at Lake Louise."

"I was pleased to stand next to Michael and Lasse on the podium - I remember their great duels during the 1995/1996 season which I was watching on TV. Then I never thought I would once be next to them on a stand!"

Erik Schlopy, who lives in Park City, delighted his hometown fans by finishing 4th, the best US men's giant slalom finish since Phil Mahre was 3rd in one of his last races in 1984. It's his best result ever in a World Cup and a great step toward international recognition. He will almost surely qualify for the Worlds in Austria - his main goal before the 2002 Olympics.

The 28-year-old Schlopy gave up a successful career on the pro tour two years ago to return on the US team because he wanted to compete in front of his friends during the 2002 Olympics.

"I feel now that I'm getting there. This is awesome!" he exploded after the race. "I fought hard in both runs to finally enter the top-10, and I was so excited when I saw that I took the lead after my second run. This a great day for me and the team."

Erik has perfectly organized his life to reach his goals - he even rents a house in Austria, near Innsbruck, in order to feel home somewhere during the long European tour. His success is a great boost for the US team which has not seen much success in GS for years.

The women return to action Saturday with a slalom, and the men's slalom will be Sunday.

— Patrick Lang, World Cup Correspondent

Races this weekend: Women's Slalom | Women's GS | Men's Slalom | Park City Preview

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