The weekend in Beaver Creek offered a thrilling competition filled with surprises and emotions in pristine conditions and weather that was a reward in itself. The firm, icy surface allowed even athletes with higher bib numbers to show their skills, and the downhill and super-G races were as fast as they could be. We have seen a surprisingly high number of DNFs, uncharacteristic mistakes, and, unfortunately, also scary high-speed crashes. The Birds of Prey track proved to be as challenging as beautiful this weekend.
Downhill on the Birds of Prey: The Well-Deserved Reward for the Right Guy
Due to the weather, only two training sessions took place in Colorado. The athletes tasted the course and were quite happy with the conditions. As the downhill took place on Friday, fewer spectators came to cheer on their local heroes, as such a thrilling competition deserved.
The Americans did their best to meet the fans’ expectations; however, Bryce Bennett managed to fit the top 10 with rank 6, followed by Ryan Cochran-Siegle, who finished 12th place. And the rest of the Americans fell farther behind.
The racers on the podium places proved to be as surprising as deserving. Miha Hrobat (SLO), who won the first training, went down the slope with bib number 1. And performed a superb run. This earned him third place and his first podium ever. With bib number 3, Justin Murisier (SUI) pushed Hrobat from the red chair and sat there with a nervous expression. He knew that his run was excellent, but so many great names remained uphill, and he obviously felt that to dream of a victory on such a challenging slope was too much to ask.
So, he sat there with a blank face, waiting. Perhaps all those moments in rehab and hospital rooms played in his head as a scary movie. He might have relived the moments of pain when injury after injury haunted him or experienced once again all those moments when he wanted to quit, only to hold on to his grit and go on.
Justin Murisier saw Cyprien Sarazzin (FRA) make a few mistakes too many. Then, when his best friend Marco Odermatt (SUI) finished second with a 0,20 seconds gap, Murisier allowed himself to hope.
“In the finish, I was angry at first after seeing my time,” Odermatt said in an interview for the Swiss TV SRF. “
But then I saw I was behind Justin, so the anger immediately turned to joy.
And that is how it ended on Friday, with Justin Murisier victorious for the first time at 32, his best buddy Odermatt second, and the first-ever podium for the Slovenian Miha Hrobat.
Super G in Beaver Creek: The Dueling Duo is Back
As the Friday downhill ended on an emotional note, the super-G was also exceptional. First, eighteen athletes did not finish the race, including Miha Hrobat, who nearly landed on the podium again with bib 58. But also more prominent names take a DNF home from America, like Canada’s James Crawford or Norway’s Adrian Smiseth Sejersted.
But this race belonged to the favorites. First, it seemed the Swiss would share the podium between best friends again, as Gino Caviezel nailed his run and remained in the red chair for a long time. The crowd was pleasantly surprised by the fearless run of Alexis Pinturault (FRA), who was returning from an ACL injury at 33. But then another Frenchman returning after a devastating injury proved his class.
Cyprien Sarazzin performed an excellent and kind of crazy run on the demanding track and came first, only to be toppled by Marco Odermatt, who overcame his rival by 0,18 seconds after a similarly fearless ride.
Odermatt’s first victory in three races this season means that this season is not his best. But Sarazzin proved that the game was on, as these two were formidable rivals in speed disciplines last year.
So, the speed season is finally on, and if the following races are half as exciting as those in Colorado, the fans are in for a treat.
