Madonna di Campiglio, Italy December 13, 1999
Men's Night Slalom
Another Norwegian, the 1997 World Champion Tom Stiansen, reached a promising 4th place, his best result this year. Slovenia’s Jure Kosir, a winner here in December 1993, was 5th. Norwegians Kjetil Aamodt and Lasse Kjus also scored points in finishing 8th and 17th.
"Finke" the Fighter
"I won a great battle of oldies this night," he said with a smile, in reference to his 35-year-old Austrian concurrent, Thomas Stangassinger. Stangassinger is the reigning slalom World Champion as well as an Olympic Champion from 1994. In a way, Jagge is also one of the most modern slalom skiers here since he is the only top specialists who dares to use the new short slaloms skis which became popular on the women’s tour. "I tested the new model last summer and I was not convinced that it was a better solution," Jagge explained. "In fact, most of the best specialists preferred to stay on the longer model. But I started to change my mind after the disappointing race at Beaver Creek. I only reached the 20th position there, and I was afraid that my career was going down.
Which skis to use? "I think that it’s possible to win with the medium or the shorter skis as long as you are in good shape," said Thomas Stangassiner. "I had a excellent first leg of the slalom, but then I made a bad mistake in the second run. I’m pleased to be again on the podium, but I’m also thinking about switching to a shorter model. So far I’m more than satisfied by my season-start. I’m consistent which is the most important to clinch the slalom World Cup title again." Benjamin Raich, the Austrian "shooting star" from last winter, was also very happy. After a slow season-start in Tignes and Beaver Creek, the Tyrolian found back his best rhythm to reach his first podium since last January. Last winter, he was the only skier to win in both technical events. "I trained well in the summer, and I felt ready for a strong start, but I didn’t ski as well as expected in the past month," Raich said. "I was very upset to ski out in the slalom at Beaver Creek after clocking the second best time in the first run." "This winter is quite different than last one for me because I’m more known, and I feel that a lot of people want me to win many races. That’s fine because I also wish to be successful, but my first goal is to remain myself and to enjoy my career. The most important is to reach my potential and to be also pleased with a 5th place," Raich added.
First Goal for Sacha Gros
"This is a breakthrough for my career," Gros said after the race. "From now on, it should be easier to go fast and qualify for the second runs. The World Cup tour is much more demanding than the Continental Cup competitions. There is more pressure on the World Cup circuit, and I was much more nervous. Now I feel able to handle those races with a more relaxed attitude. "I was pretty down after the slalom at Beaver Creek. I wanted to do well in front of my home crowd and then I crashed out. I wanted to take a nice revenge today," Gros added. "The conditions were perfect here, the course was excellent and there was a nice atmosphere around the race. It’s fun to race in the night too. Scoring some World Cup points was my first goal now I’m chasing for more. I wish to improve my start-order and then I will aim for the podium." There were no major changes in the Overall World Cup standings as Kjetil Aamodt and Lasse Kjus didn’t score heavy points. Hermann Maier, who didn’t race here, keeps a strong lead before the next men’s competitions, two downhills in Val Gardena on Friday and Saturday.
Patrick Lang, MountainZone.com World Cup Correspondent
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