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| ALPINE SKI WORLD CUP 1997/98 |
Kvitfjell (NOR) Men's 5th Super-G. 08.Mar.1998
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First season's win for Hans Knauss
Two weeks after he clinched an
Olympic silver
medal in that event in Hakuba,
Austria's
Hans Knauss won his first World
Cup race
of the season in Norway's Kvitfjell
in the
fifth Super-G race of the winter.
The 27-year-old skier from Schladming
beat
by 40/100 of a second Sweden's
Patrik Jaerbyn
and by 45/100 Switzerland's Didier
Cuche,
who tied for second place in
Japan.
Both skiers scored their best
ever result
in that event in which Knauss
has already
been twice successful in past
years.
It's his first World Cup victory
since the
Super-G in Val d'Isere in December
1996.
This result moved him up to 2nd
place in
the Super-G World Cup standings
dominated
by his teammate Hermann Maier
who did not
race in Norway this week end
to rest his
sour back. Yet "The Herminator"
is sure to become the first Austrian
man
to capture the Super-G World
Cup Title since
the creation of this alpine discipline
in
the early 80's by the founder
of the Ski
World Cup, Serge Lang.
His main rival Stefan Eberharter
skied out
in the middle of his run after
having set
one of the fastest intermediate
times.
Eberharter, World Champion in
that specialty
in 1991, has still to win his
very first
World Cup race.
Another Austrian, Josef Strobl,
3rd in the
Downhill race the previous day,
was 4th this
time at 59/100 of the winner.
Daron Rahvles, who was faster
than Knauss
at the first intermediate time,
lost terrain
in the faster middle section
to finish once
more among the top-10.
He will be qualified in that
event for the
World Cup Finals in Crans-Montana
Switzerland,
next week.
In March 1996 Knauss who suffered
from a
bad flue, could not take part
in the Super-G
in Kvitfjell and missed his chance
to win
the World Cup title in that event.
This time the Austrian was plagued
by a strong
headache but he didn't want to
give up again
before the race which took place
by very
cold temperatures.
His determination helped him
to excel on
the demanding "Olimpiabakken"
course
covered with icy snow.
After a average start, Knauss
found the fastest
line in the middle and the final
part of
the run where he skied with great
aggressiveness.
"Since Maier didn't compete
today, a
lot of racers had a strong chance
to win
this competition and I fought
hard to be
the best of them" Knauss
said after
the conclusion of the event.
"I felt
much pain in my head but I didn't
let me
being affected by it. The season
will soon
be over and I wanted to win a
race. I had
to wait a long time for it."
It's the 23rd season's win for
the Austrian
men's team who is aiming for
a clean sweep
in Crans-Montana in winning all
four specialties
World Cup titles together with
the Overall
Trophy.
Only Switzerland's Michael von
Grunigen,
2nd in the Giant Slalom standings
behind
Hermann Maier has a chance to
prevent this
hold up next week in Switzerland.
While other top favorites such
as Andreas
Schifferer, runner-up in the
Overall Standings
or Norways Lasse Kjus, always
among the best
in past year here, had problems
to find their
best rhythm, Jaerbyn and Cuche
had a great
day.
Jaerbyn, who never came among
the best-3
in a World Cup race, was 2nd
in Super-G at
the 1996 World Championships
in Sierra Nevada,
Spain. He was 6th in Nagano where
Cuche came
2nd in Super-G.
The Swiss skier, winner in January
in the
two-run-Downhill in Kitzbuhel,
Austria, confirmed
once more his capacity to become
a new leader
in his team.
The final act of the 1998 World
Cup will
now take place this coming week
in Crans-Montana,
Switzerland.
A total of eight races are scheduled
from
Wednesday to Sunday in all four
specialties.
No women's race could be held
this week end
in France's Morzine because of
heavy rainfalls
on Thursday.
Germany's Katja Seizinger is
now sure to
win the World Cup titles in the
speed events
as well as the Overall Classification.
America's Kristina Kosnick, 3rd
in the Slalom
in Saalbach, Austria, last week,
still has
a chance to conquer the Crystal
Globe in
Slalom against Sweden's Ylva
Nowen.
Germany's Martina Ertl and Italy's
Deborah
Compagnoni will fight for the
Giant Slalom
Cup.
|
| Rank |
Name |
Nat. |
Total |
| 1 |
KNAUSS Hans |
AUT |
1:30.80 |
| 2 |
JAERBYN Patrik |
SWE |
1:31.20 |
| 3 |
CUCHE Didier |
SUI |
1:31.25 |
| 4 |
STROBL Josef |
AUT |
1:31.39 |
| 5 |
RUNGGALDIER Peter |
ITA |
1:31.48 |
| 6 |
PERATHONER Werner |
ITA |
1:31.57 |
| 7 |
KJUS Lasse |
NOR |
1:31.65 |
| 8 |
MADER Guenther |
AUT |
1:31.72 |
| 9 |
AAMODT Kjetil Andre |
NOR |
1:31.73 |
| 10 |
RAHLVES Daron |
USA |
1:31.74 |
| 11 |
TRINKL Hannes |
AUT |
1:31.85 |
| 12 |
NYBERG Fredrik |
SWE |
1:31.87 |
| 13 |
SCHIFFERER Andreas |
AUT |
1:31.92 |
| 13 |
ACCOLA Paul |
SUI |
1:31.92 |
| 15 |
GREBER Christian |
AUT |
1:31.93 |
| 16 |
GHEDINA Kristian |
ITA |
1:31.97 |
| 17 |
CAVEGN Franco |
SUI |
1:32.01 |
| 18 |
BURTIN Nicolas |
FRA |
1:32.11 |
| 19 |
PRETOT David |
FRA |
1:32.18 |
| 20 |
FATTORI Alessandro |
ITA |
1:32.22 |
| 21 |
FOURNIER Sebastien |
FRA |
1:32.24 |
| 22 |
DUVILLARD Adrien |
FRA |
1:32.29 |
| 23 |
MAYER Christian |
AUT |
1:32.31 |
| 24 |
PAULSEN Lasse |
NOR |
1:32.37 |
| 24 |
PODIVINSKY Ed |
CAN |
1:32.37 |
| 26 |
MOE Tommy |
USA |
1:32.40 |
| 27 |
SALZGEBER Rainer |
AUT |
1:32.52 |
| 28 |
HERRMANN Markus |
SUI |
1:32.53 |
| 29 |
LOCHER Steve |
SUI |
1:32.55 |
| 30 |
KOBLAR Jernej |
SLO |
1:32.61 |
| 31 |
KERNEN Bruno Ii |
SUI |
1:32.79 |
| 32 |
GRUENENFELDER Juerg |
SUI |
1:32.88 |
| 33 |
ROSENER Jason |
USA |
1:32.89 |
| 34 |
KRAUSS Stefan |
GER |
1:33.00 |
| 34 |
PEN Peter |
SLO |
1:33.00 |
| 36 |
STEMMLE Brian |
CAN |
1:33.01 |
| 36 |
STANKALLA Stefan |
GER |
1:33.01 |
| 38 |
SENIGAGLIESI Alberto |
ITA |
1:33.05 |
| 39 |
KITT A J |
USA |
1:33.08 |
| 39 |
RASMUSSEN Kyle |
USA |
1:33.08 |
| 41 |
HASLER Juergen |
LIE |
1:33.14 |
| 41 |
HOFFMANN Ambrosi |
SUI |
1:33.14 |
| 43 |
PERATHONER Ulrich |
ITA |
1:33.17 |
| 44 |
FILISCHKIN Andrej |
RUS |
1:33.19 |
| 45 |
MARIN-CUDRAZ Frederic |
FRA |
1:33.21 |
| 46 |
CRETIER Jean-Luc |
FRA |
1:33.22 |
| 47 |
SIVERTSEN Kenneth |
NOR |
1:33.41 |
| 48 |
LESKINEN Janne |
FIN |
1:33.42 |
| 49 |
BARNERSSOI Tobias |
GER |
1:33.45 |
| 50 |
MARULLAZ Robin |
FRA |
1:33.55 |
| 51 |
VIK HANSEN Lars Birger |
NOR |
1:33.92 |
| 52 |
FRESHWATER Andrew |
GBR |
1:34.01 |
| 53 |
GALLI Lorenzo |
ITA |
1:34.61 |
| 54 |
HANSSON David |
SWE |
1:35.24 |
| 55 |
GROENVOLD Audun |
NOR |
1:35.31 |
| 56 |
UOTILA Janne |
FIN |
1:37.77 |
| 57 |
FRANZ Werner |
AUT |
1:39.56 |
Did not start 1st run:
MELQUIOND Benjamin (FRA), PUCKETT Christopher (USA)
Did not finish 1st run:
DENERIAZ Antoine (FRA), EBERHARTER Stephan (AUT), STROBL Fritz (AUT)
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