Jansrud, Paris and USA Pair Shine in Speed Events as January Landmarks Loom
The early speed events of the men's FIS World Cup season have been an absorbing reminder of just about any competitor's ability to progress in the right situation.
The injury-enforced absences of reigning downhill and super-G titleholder Aksel Lund Svindal, as well as other discipline stalwarts like Erik Guay and Bode Miller, meant there would be room for others to shine. Those skiers to have particularly capitalised, though not without previous, have done so in a fashion which might have been less likely otherwise.
With the World Championships in February and—even sooner—the traditional season landmarks of the Wengen and Kitzbuehel downhill races looming ahead, even greater opportunities to expand on positive starts to 2014-15, and achieve notable career breakthroughs, await.
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Sunday's first run for the men on the Deborah Compagnoni slope in Santa Caterina (for which the starting point was lowered because of higher winds further up the mountain) was taken by a first-time winner. Travis Ganong made it two downhill victories in a row for the U.S. Ski team after Steven Nyman's similar success on Italian snow a week earlier in a notably grueling day's work at Val Gardena/Groeden (most who finished were doubled over in exhaustion by the time they crossed the finish line). The latter has a particular affinity for the venue—it has been the stage for all three of the 32-year-old's World Cup wins.
The 26-year-old Ganong's own career has been a slow burn, a testament to the rewards of patience. Not one of his sport's more precocious athletes, 2014 has seen lessons learned in previous years translated into podium-bothering performances.
Fifth place in the Olympic downhill at Sochi was quickly followed by his first World Cup podium in the same event at Kvitfjell later in February. As the calendar turned to March, the Californian took a commendable fifth at the same venue the following day. He finished the season ninth in the downhill standings.
The kick-start to this fledgling campaign for both Ganong and his veteran teammate Nyman (without a win of his own since late 2012) came at the second downhill race of the season at Beaver Creek. Fifth and third place, respectively, set the tone for their glorious Christmas week a month later. Coupled with the Lindsey Vonn-led speed success enjoyed by the women, the U.S. Ski team look in good shape for February's Vail-hosted World Championships.
Unsurprisingly, both Ganong and Nyman have talked up their hopes to ski well in front of a supportive crowd.
"I really want to peak for world champs—that's the one race this year that I want to be ready for, so it's all just building to there," Ganong told USA Today's Brian Pinelli.
"Having Worlds at Beaver Creek is huge," Nyman agreed. "Getting my friends and family out there will be a lot of fun and I know that I can perform on that track."
Even accounting for the seeds sowed by the U.S. pair throughout the year (perhaps to result in an even greater harvest soon enough, particularly from the younger Ganong), their success feels more akin to the delightful, often thrilling one-off surprises Alpine skiing offers. The ones which, cherished for their rarity, keep more established winners on their toes.
Albeit coming from different places themselves, at this stage Italy's Dominik Paris and Norway's Kjetil Jansrud feel more like the men set to define downhill and super-G this season.
Paris has yet to follow up his first career win in the Lake Louise downhill from November 2013. A top-five finisher in all seven of this season's speed events, though, the fifth-year World Cup racer's form suggests he could be primed for a landmark victory on the famous slopes of Lauberhorn or Hahnenkamm in January.
A single place in front of Paris in the downhill leaderboard and two in the super-G and overall tables, Jansrud's four victories (two apiece in the aforementioned disciplines) and two second-place finishes have established the Norwegian as the man to beat.
Jansrud will have been as sick as most in the sport were he to see his compatriot Svindal's year as disrupted as severely as it was. Nonetheless, off the back of his super-G Olympic gold and first World Cup victories for two years at Kvitfjell, the prolific Svindal's absence has worked in the former's favour.
Since he secured the Lake Louise downhill in electrifying style—his time narrowly held off the later charges of joint second-place Manny Osborne-Paradis (Canada) and Guillermo Fayed (France)—he has hit some extraordinary heights.
"It is an amazing feeling to come down, turn around and see the green light on the scoreboard yet again," Jansrud told the official FIS website after winning the Val Gardena/Groeden super-G on December 20. "You always want to win, fight every day, always attack. And somehow this year I seem to succeed in being at the top in every race. It’s almost unreal and surrealistic."
A surprise 12th place last weekend in Santa Caterina slowed the 29-year-old's gathering momentum just a bit, though.
Disappointed as Jansrud was, the setback could prove a valuable reminder of the need to remain focused.
Technical specialist Marcel Hirscher is only 46 points behind in the overall competition. His Austrian teammates have served notice of their intent, too.
One of the sport's most consistent podium placers, Hannes Reichelt won the Beaver Creek super-G to confirm his return to full fitness following last February's season-ending injury. Meanwhile, Olympic downhill champion Matthias Mayer took second behind Ganong on Sunday. Both will have their eye on moving up the World Cup tables, while Wengen, Kitzbuehel (which also include combined races) and the Worlds hold obvious attraction.
There is also the prospect of the return of the absentees listed at the start of this article.
Svindal (who recently took an extra-curricular visit to Silicon Valley) making it back at all is a long shot. Guay and Miller are expected to return from surgery in the New Year, however, and will be keen to make up for lost time as soon as possible.
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