08 FEB 2001 > Men's Giant Slalom
Von Gruenigen Fights for GS Gold
Giant Slalom Results
Switzerland's Michael von Gruenigen, the 1997 World Champ in this event clinched his second gold medal in giant slalom today in the most exciting competition since the start of these World Championships – and no Austrian made the podium.
"I was quite nervous before the first run and I didn't ski so aggressively because of the low visibility. But it may have helped me to win at the end because I had no other choice afterwards but to attack from the first to the last gate," von gruenigen said.
After a tough fight against such favorites as Hermann Maier and Kjetil Aamodt, or outsiders Fredèric Covili of France and Italy's Massimiliano Blardone, the 31-year-old veteran from Schoenried, near Gstaad, finally beat Aamodt, who was leading after the first run, by 35/100 of a second.
"This win may convince me to defend my title in 2003 at St. Moritz...."
Aamodt now has 15 medals won since 1991, including six golds.
Covili conquered a surprising bronze medal by finishing 1/100 of a second ahead of Hermann Maier. "The Herminator," who already tied for 4th place in the first run with von Gruenigen, left St Anton without any gold medals, but he was handicapped after having competed mostly on soft courses during these past weeks. He had no time to train and to focus properly on this GS after spending more time on the downhill course these past days.
"I had no longer the killer instinct today at the start, the fire was gone," he said after the race. "It's okay, I can also accept defeats after having won so much so far."
Italy's Massimiliano Blardone confirmed his potential with a strong 5th place while the defending World Champion Lasse Kjus was 7th.
A five-time medal winner at Vail, Lasse, who caught a flu during these Worlds, leaves St Anton without any top-3 finishes, the first time this has happened to him since the 1993 World Championships in Japan.
In 19th, Daron Rahlves was the best US skier. Erik Schlopy skied out of the course at the third gate. Paul Casey Puckett made it until the second run, but didn't finish it.
It's quite an impressive comeback that von Gruenigen has celebrated this winter after a unsuccessful 2000 winter. A winner in three races so far this season, he came to St. Anton as a strong World Cup leader in giant slalom.
"Mike" is definitely one of the best GS specialists in the history of modern ski racing. Along with his 19 World Cup successes, he has won a total of five medals since 1996 yet his most impressive record may well be his series of finished races. He has not skied out in a GS since 1992 – and his only major failure occurred in 1994 when he didn't end the Olympic first run at Lillehammer after clocking the fastest intermediate time.
He was particularly proud of himself after the race while hugging his wife Ann and his two sons who joined him at St. Anton for this summit of the season.
"It's difficult to compare the emotions created by these two gold medals," he said. "But for sure this one is very special because I came back from behind to reach again the summit. Last spring I was not sure about keeping on racing, then I decided to switch ski producers because I didn't feel any more support and confidence from the previous one," he added.
"I receive great help from Fischer company which worked hard with me to build a an efficient new ski last summer. I spent weeks to test skis at Zermatt from the morning to late afternoon until we found the best product. It's fun to win here with Austrian gear."
"This win may convince me to defend my title in 2003 at St Moritz. Ski racing is still fascinating me a lot."
This is also the case for Aamodt, who confirmed his decision to compete until 2006 – with the hopes of also winning once a gold in downhill, the only missing piece in his fabulous collection of medals.
"I'm quite glad by this 2nd place, I didn't expect it at all before the race after a rather poor season in the specialty," he said. "My best finish this season is a 4th place. Today was the best result since my win at Adelboden in January 1997. It also gives me great momentum before the slalom which is still my best event."
Covili, a former double Junior World Champion, also had a very impressive performance today, winning bronze just ahead of Hermann Maier. So far, the 26-year-old skier from Les Menuires hasn't done better than 4th and 5th at Val d'Isère last December, but he felt ready to give his best today.
"During the inspection of the second run, I saw that there was much time to gain at the bottom of the course and I took great risks there to make up some time. The time differences between the leaders was quite small after the first run and on a given day everybody has a chance," he said. "This bronze medal means a lot for me and my team. It will be a strong boost for the coming seasons."
Covili is the first French skier to grab a World Championship medal in giant slalom since the double success of Guy Perillat and Georges Mauduit at Portillo in 1966.
The next event, the women's GS is planned for Friday when Switzerland's Sonja Nef will try to imitate her teammate after winning five races this season. Among the strong outsiders, Austria's defending GS World Cup champion Michaela Dorfmeister and Sweden's Anja Paerson, the winner in slalom, who has reached four podiums this season. The US's Sarah Schleper will also be fighting for a spot on the podium.
— Patrick Lang, World Cup Correspondent
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