Some notable Shredders from this weekend’s men’s World Cup slalom race in Levi Finland were Filip Trejbal who started with bib 47 and climbed to a 17th place finish (huge!), Ted Ligety who is looking to score some points and finished 18th with a super solid 2nd run, and Will Brandenburg who after his amazing first run was in position 8 amongst the world’s elite. He ended up hooking a gate in the second run, but this day had to have been a huge confidence booster for him, no doubt.
Next races to make note of are: Lake Louise, Canada for the men between the 24th and 28th of November (Downhill and Super G) and the ladies out in Aspen, Colorado on November 27th and 28th (Slalom and Giant Slalom).
Here’s an informative press release from the US Ski Team on this weekend’s men’s performance…
Levi, Finland – Olympian Will Brandenburg (Spokane, WA) was 8th after the first run and well on his way to his first Audi FIS Alpine World Cup top 10 Sunday, when he was disqualified after straddling a gate on the steep part of the course. Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) climbed eight slots in the second run to top the Americans with 18th. Jean-Baptiste Grange of France, who missed most of last season with an ACL tear, earned the wire-to-wire slalom victory.
“Will absolutely showed he’s got world class speed,” said men’s technical Head Coach Mike Day. “He’ll make his way into the 30 and into the 15. He was on a good line and skiing solid, it was just an unfortunate straddle and that happens in slalom.”
A tricky top section in the first run played havoc on the field as 30 of the 80 starters when out in the first run, including Olympic champion Bode Miller (Franconia, NH), Nolan Kasper (Warren, VT) and Tim Jitloff (Reno, NV). World Cup rookie Colby Granstrom (Lake Stevens, WA) showed promise on the top before hiking after missing a gate down the pitch.
“You could see there was a lot going on at the top of that first run,” added Day. “Our guys fell into the same traps as the majority of the guys going out there. It was challenging, especially for the first race of the year. Unfortunately we didn’t execute tactically.”
The Vancouver slalom podium did an Olympic shuffle as slalom bronze medalist Andre Myhrer of Sweden put the second run pedal down to finish second ahead of Croatian silver medalist Ivica Kostelic. Grange won the 2009 World Cup slalom title, but was sidelined for most of season after tearing his ACL during a giant slalom in Beaver Creek, CO.
“Ted did a better job in the second run,” Day said. “He knows he has a ton more speed and can do a better job. It’ll just take some more time and he’ll be right in there. It was a solid result and didn’t do any damage.”
“Neither run was spectacular, but I tied my best at Levi, which is very mediocre,” said Ligety. “The skis are getting better, it just takes time to fully adjust especially in slalom. With things being as quick as they are, even with a little mistake, you can lose a lot of time fast.
Ligety and Co. return to Colorado for another week of training before the World Cup speed season opens in Lake Louise, Canada on Thanksgiving weekend followed by the storied Birds of Prey race week in Beaver Creek.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
Levi, Finland – Men’s Slalom
1. Jean-Baptiste Grange, France, 1:46.64; 2. Andre Myhrer, Sweden, 1:46.97; 3. Ivica Kostelic, Croatia, 1:47.61; 4. Cristian Deville, Italy, 1:47.89; 5. Manfred Pranger, Austria, 1:47.99.
American Top Finishers
18. Ted Ligety, Park City, UT, 1:49.89; DQ 2nd Run: Will Brandenburg, Spokane, WA; DNQ 2nd Run: Colby Granstrom, Lake Stevens, WA; DNF 1st Run: Bode Miller, Franconia, NH; Nolan Kasper, Warren, VT; Tim Jitloff, Reno, NV.
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