SANTA CATERINA, Italy (Dec. 27, 2016) – The Audi FIS Ski World Cup circuit resumed Tuesday with a make up race on a steep, dark and challenging course. But none of that mattered to Tommy Biesemeyer (Keene, NY), who posted a career-best eighth-place finish to lead five Americans into the top 30 Tuesday.
“Everybody here is a good skier, but I actually believe that I’m a great skier!” Biesemeyer said. “I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but I’m just really trying to focus on my abilities, my skiing characteristics, and a hill like this I think plays to my advantage where I can channel my innate skiing ability into a technical, steep, dark and intimidating hill.”
Originally scheduled for rolling slopes of Lake Louise, Canada, Santa Caterina picked up the event ahead of Wednesday’s downhill and Thursday’s alpine combined, challenging the field with the most technical track of the season so far. Apparently none of that mattered to Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, CA) either, as he scored the first World Cup super G points of his career in 20th place, from the 60th start position.
Bryce Bennett skied to a 20th-place finish in Tuesday’s super G. (Getty/Agence Zoom-Christophe Pallot)
Norway’s Kjetil Jansrud won his 18th World Cup race Tuesday by more than a half second over Austria’s Hannes Reichelt, who finished second. It was Jansrud’s third-straight super G victory this season. Italy’s Dominik Paris was third. Other American finishers included Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, NY) in 12th; Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, CA) 24th; Jared Goldberg (Holladay, UT) 30th; and Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, VT) 33rd.
“The course is just dark from top to bottom. There is a little bit of light in the middle on the flat parts ... it’s tough, it’s all there. It’s actually our toughest course on the tour just because of the way they prepare the snow and the darkness,” said Weibrecht, who was stoked with his finish following last week’s disappointing results and a sprained ankle a few days ago.
“I just relaxed and let it go and tried to make good turns,” Weibrecht added. “I skied really well on top, but down toward the bottom I made a couple of mistakes. But it’s a solid result, so I’m happy.”
Up next, the men race downhill Wednesday in Santa Caterina. Live streaming will be available on NBCsports.com/live starting at 5:45 a.m. EST. Former American Downhiller, Marco Sullivan — who just recently got engaged to former Canadian Alpine skier Anna Goodman — will make his broadcast debut tonight on Universal HD at 7:30 p.m. EST with the super G, and again with tomorrow's downhiill.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Tommy Biesemeyer scored a career-best World Cup result in eighth place to lead four Americans into the top 30.
- Biesemeyer’s previous best World Cup result with 11th in super G at Beaver Creek in 2015.
- Bryce Bennett scored his first World Cup super G points, finishing 20th from the 60th start position.
- Norway’s Kjetil Jansrud won his 18th World Cup race Tuesday.
- Jansrud has won all three super G’s this season and leads the World Cup super G standings with 300 points. Dominik Paris is second with 152 points.
- Road to Aspen: Austria’s Marcel Hirscher, who finished 47th Tuesday, leads the overall World Cup standings with 633 points. Jansrud is second with 482 points.
QUOTES
Tommy Biesemeyer
All in all, I’m really proud of my race today. Since the start of the year, I haven’t really connected my training to racing, and today I felt like I moved in that direction. If I’m going to be stingy and want more, I know that my skiing today wasn’t my true best, so that’s really motivating as well. But to walk away from here with a top 10 is amazing. It feels so good! I’m going to sleep well tonight. I’m really happy that I can build off this event.
Everybody here is a good skier, but I actually believe that I’m a great skier! I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but I’m just really trying to focus on my abilities, my skiing characteristics and a hill like this I think plays to my advantage where I can channel my innate skiing ability into a technical, steep, dark and intimidating hill.
Travis Ganong
I thought it was going to be really tough and really challenging, and it was really easy at the top. So I kind of over-skied it and had the wrong idea going into it. The bottom, I skied pretty well, but the top part was way easier than I thought. It wasn’t a good race for me today.
[Looking ahead to Wednesday’s downhill]
In the only training run (Monday) I tweaked my knee pretty bad on the sixth or seventh gate, and I didn’t finish. My knee hurt a lot (in Tuesday’s super G), so it’s not perfect, but I’ll probably try to do the downhill tomorrow and see how it goes.
The bottom section really suits my style of skiing and I can find a lot of speed there, it’s just a matter of figuring out the top.
Andrew Weibrecht
I just relaxed and let it go and tried to make good turns. I skied really well on top, but down toward the bottom I made a couple of mistakes. But it’s a solid result, so I’m happy.
The course is just dark from top to bottom. There is a little bit of light in the middle on the flat parts ... it’s tough, it’s all there. It’s actually our toughest course on the tour just because of the way they prepare the snow and the darkness.
BROADCAST AND LIVE STREAMING (times EST)
Tuesday, Dec. 27
7:30 p.m. – Santa Caterina men’s super G – UniversalHD
Wednesday, Dec. 28
5:45 a.m. – Santa Caterina men’s downhill – nbcsports.com – LIVE STREAM
3 p.m. – Santa Caterina men’s downhill – UniversalHD
Thursday, Dec. 29
4:30 a.m. – Santa Caterina men’s combined – super G – nbcsports.com – LIVE STREAM
8 a.m. – Santa Caterina men’s combined – slalom – nbcsports.com – LIVE STREAM
7:30 p.m. – Santa Caterina men’s Combined – UniversalHD
RESULTS
Men’s Super G
