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Notes from Wengen

This year there is a gentleman’s agreement regarding the downhillers who are not serious about the Super Combined. In previous years a number of downhillers have done the downhill section of the race and then pulled out of the Slalom section.  Many have been in the top 30 and this has disrupted the start list for the slalom section. With the downhillers arguing that they want a training run on the downhill course, this year those that want another crack at the course, another training run so to speak, they will start five minutes after the downhill section of the Super Combined has finished.

This week the stars of the Downhill who are just doing the training run include Cuche, Janka, Kroell, Weibrecht and Heel amongst others.

Ted Ligety and Didier Defago were both given permission to miss the public draw for the top 15 racers for the Super Combined. Defago, having crashed in the training run was given the dispensation for treatment to his leg. Ligety did not train today.

Kostelic questions the future of the Super Combined event - he wants to keep it!

Ivica Kostelic is one of the most outspoken racers in the current crop. He is not outspoken for the sake of it but he is super passionate about the sport. There are rumours at the moment of the Super Combined losing its place in the World Cup. Kostelic is adamant that this should not happen and while more and more events are being awarded Olympic Medal status, Kostelic feels that it “should not get to the stage where medals are awarded for throwing snowballs and making snowmen.”

The Combined in its various guises has been around for many years. It is one of the original components of alpine skiing. With this in mind, Kostelic among other racers, feels that it should stay in the structure of the sport. Kostelic has been critical of the Super G in the past and has also commented that the two components of the event of Super Combined should be fair and equal. With a downhill section of the race today at nearly two minutes and an “easy slalom” this questions was raised again. And quietly sidestepped!