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**truebluefan** · 12-26-2007, 09:25 AM

Val di Fiemme, ITA

**truebluefan** · 01-14-2008, 09:03 AM

WENGEN, Switzerland (Jan. 12) - Bode Miller (Bretton Woods, NH) finished third Friday in a World Cup super combined and Ted Ligety (Park City, UT), laying down the second-fastest slalom run, moved up 20 places to finish fifth.
Jean-Baptiste Grange of France, who was runner-up in the Charles Schwab Birds of Prey super combi Nov. 29 in Beaver Creek, CO, won. He was 27th in the downhill but posted the fastest slalom run for a total time of 2:20.61. Second place went to Swiss favorite Daniel Albrecht, who was 0.06 seconds back. Miller, fourth in the downhill, had a combined time of 2:21.12, including one slalom section where he was spun around and went through a hairpin turn backwards.

Ligety, 25th after the downhill on a sunny day with temperatures in the upper 30s, tore through the slalom but Grange's scorching run put him out of reach. Ligety's time was 2:21.19. Steven Nyman (Provo, UT), sixth the downhill, and T.J. Lanning (Park City, UT), 29th in DH, failed to finish their run of slalom.

"It was exciting watching Bode. He's the only one who could go backwards and still be fast," Ligety said. "I was okay in downhill, just 1.2 out but then [Switzerland's Dider] Cuche came down and blew everything out and I was almost 2.6 back to start the slalom. My downhill's still a work in progress."

Winds forced organizers to lower the downhill start and shadows were troublesome - "but they're pretty much the norm in Wengen," he said. He focused on finishing the slalom, even if it meant having to trim his normally blazing slalom speed. "I'm definitely trying to go as fast as I can, but in Adelboden [last week] I was doing the same and I straddled a gate on the second run, so...I'd rather have the confidence where I could lay it down and still make it to the bottom."

"Ted's been skiing well. He can be so fast," Head Coach Phil McNichol said. "He had a great race, just a little off the mark in downhill and that leaves him so far back for slalom. But he threw it down there. And it was cool to see Bode doing what he can do, especially with a finish in slalom that included going backward through that hairpin in true Miller style.

"We were close. We had some opportunities in the slalom, but Steven and T.J. went out. Still, two in the top five, including one on the podium, is a good day for America."

After 18 races, Austrian Benjamin Raich, who was fourth Friday, leads with 690 points. Miller is fourth overall (466), including third in the downhill and combined standings, while Ligety is sixth (380), including fourth in combined and giant slalom.

Organizers shuffled the weekend racing schedule, pushing back the 78th running of the Lauberhorn downhill, the longest DH on the World Cup tour, to Sunday and moving a slalom to Saturday. WCSN.com will webstream both races live - Saturday at 3:30 a.m. ET and Sunday at 6 a.m. ET.

**truebluefan** · 01-14-2008, 09:04 AM

MARIBOR, Slovenia (Jan. 12) - Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) was 13th and Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA) 20th Saturday in an Audi FIS Alpine World Cup giant slalom. Austrian Elisabeth Goergl snapped Italian Denise Karbon's four-race winning streak in springlike conditions. WCSN.com will provide on-demand webstreaming.

With temperatures in the mid-40s, Goergl had a two-run time of 2:38.49 with Italy's Manuela Moelgg runner-up in 2:38.98. Karbon, who had been unbeaten this season in GS until Saturday, finished third (2:40.21).

Vonn had the third-fastest second run for a total time of 2:41.65. Mancuso's time was 2:42.89.

"There were some huge gaps in the times because of the conditions," Head Coach Patrick Riml said. "Only two girls from outside the first 30 starters made it into the second run. It was just a very difficult race, so crazy because of the weather. The snow was soft, the light was not good and it was so challenging. Lindsey was attacking on her second run and it's good to see her confidence growing in GS."

A warm front, which turned conditions upside down, rolled through the region during the night - as predicted, Riml said.

"Yesterday, the race course was so solid, even icy, and it got warm during the night - no rain, just warm, and everything softened. If the organizers hadn't done such a good job last week in preparing the course, we couldn't have held this race today," he said.

The women have a slalom Sunday and then head to Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, for two super Gs and a downhill.

**truebluefan** · 01-14-2008, 09:04 AM

MARIBOR, Slovenia (Jan. 13) - World Cup leader Nicole Hosp of Austria padded her points lead Sunday by winning a World Cup slalom. Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) was 17th and stands fourth overall. WCSN.com will provide on-demand webstreaming starting at 10 a.m. ET.

Hosp, the defending World Cup overall champion, led the first run and went on to win in 1:40.55, nearly a half-second ahead of Slovakian Veronika Zuzulova. Vonn's time was 1:42.92 while Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA) was 24th (1:43.58).

"Lindsey came from starting 31st in the first run to be 15th, and that was a solid run. And Jules just was hammered in that first run with a downpour and could hardly see, so for her to qualify was good, too. But they both struggled to find the rhythm in the second run," Coach Chris Knight said.

"This was a tough day all around. At least the rain stopped when they got into the 20s in the first run or it would have been a really long day," he joked.

The women's tour heads next to Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, the 1956 Winter Olympic resort town, for two super Gs and a downhill, starting Friday.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2008 AUDI FIS ALPINE WORLD CUP
Maribor, SLO - Jan. 13, 2008
Women's Slalom
1. Nicole Hosp, Austria, 1:40.55
2 Veronika Zuzulova, Slovakia, 1:41.01
3. Marlies Schild, Austria, 1:41.06
4. Sarak Zahrobska, Czech Republic, 1:41.65
5. Tanja Poutiainen, Finland, 1:41.86
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17. Lindsey Vonn, Vail, CO, 1:42.92
24. Julia Mancuso, Olympic Valley, CA, 1:43.58

**truebluefan** · 01-14-2008, 09:12 AM

VAL DI FIEMME, Italy (Jan. 13) - Bill Demong (Vermontville, NY) protected his second-place ranking Sunday as he finished seventh in a nordic combined World Cup sprint. He had the fastest time for the third straight race and moved up 18 places after jumping. Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) was fifth fastest and finished 11th.

Germany's Sebastien Haseney, who was two-tenths of a second behind Demong Saturday in an individual competition, out-skied Jason Lamy Chappuis of France in the sprint. He won by 0.3 seconds with Austrian David Kreiner third, 2.0 behind the winner.

Demong had a lackluster jump and was 25th, 70 seconds behind jumping leader David Zauner of Austria to start the five-lap 7.5K race. He churned through the pack, finishing seventh, just 10.8 seconds off the pace set by Haseney, who had the second-fastest time. Spillane moved up 16 places to finish 11th, shaving a half-minute off his deficit with the leaders as he finished 39.5 second behind.

"This has been the story since coming back after Christmas," said Head Coach Lasse Ottesen. "They jump okay and then have a great ski race, both Billy and Johnny."

"It's nice to have a good result when we're not on top of our jumping," he said. "When they correct these small things that are making a five-, six- or seven-meter difference in their jumping they'll be able to fight for the victory, fight for the podium."

After 11 competitions in the Warsteiner FIS Nordic Combined World Cup, Germany's Ronny Ackermann leads with 671 points and Demong is second (593). Spillane is 14th.

The World Cup schedule resumes next Saturday with an individual event and sprint Sunday.

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