Tandem wins for two of the greatest skiers of all time
Beaver Creek, CO- Bode Miller and Lindsey Vonn laid down two
of the finest downhill runs of all time within two hours of each other on
Friday and added to their already sizeable legend along the way. Miller’s win
on Beaver Creek’s Birds of Prey course brought him all the way back to the top
after several tumultuous seasons while Vonn’s 1.95 second victory at Lake
Louise, Canada was nothing less than mind blowing.
Miller was all in when it came to his approach to the Birds
of Prey downhill on Friday.
“Bode was committed to win this race.” said U.S. Ski Team
Vice President Luke Bodensteiner, who witnessed the race in Beaver Creek. “He
was nervous this morning and he said that the line he was going to try and ski
was do or die.”
To say that this race was vintage Bode is an understatement.
It was a new standard of excellence from the wise old veteran that is still
oozing with talent and has the nerve to use it.
“It was an absolute
risk filled run.” said Miller after the finish.
Yet the skiing flowed and at times looked effortless. For a
skier that has made a career out of riding the ragged edge, Miller showed a
maturity and panache we have rarely seen. When he crossed the line Miller took a
sizeable lead and gave a victorious fist pump of both relief and happiness.
“When I crossed the line I was 100% satisfied.” he said
after the race.
Didier Cuche, last years World Cup champion in the Downhill
was still to attack the Birds of Prey, as were several other contenders. Cuche
could only manage 9th after a couple of mistakes in the top half
while Switzerland’s Beat Feuz and Austria’s Klaus Kroell, with the help of
excellent skis, challenged Miller in the final third of the course and finished
just behind the American star.
Meanwhile, in Lake Louise, Alberta, Vonn was making her own
kind of history. Starting within two hours of Miller’s winning run, Vonn;
stunned, embarrassed, blew away, dusted off, and took to school, the class of
what was supposed to be the same league as her. It took an unbelievable run
from bib #40, Tina Wierather from Lichtenstein, to keep the winning margin
under two seconds.
Vonn’s main rival from last year, Maria Hoefl-Riesch
struggled as did many other favorites. The course conditions were variable and
high winds with intermittent sun led many to consider the race a “wax race”,
where technicians and ski companies can spell the difference in the final
results.
Even TV analyst and former Olympic Champion Picabo Street commented
on the situation after Julia Mancuso, who started just in front of Vonn, took
the lead at half-way and then faded to 16th.
“It really does appear to be a bit of a wax race.” Street
said after Mancuso’s finish.
Then Vonn charged out of the gate with a couple of powerful
skates and settled into a winning run that was a clear cut above the rest. Her
split times leapt away from the field and half way down, with over a second
lead, Street was beside herself.
“This is embarrassing, embarrassing for the field. Riesch is
going to be pissed.”
Vonn crushed the field, finishing over 2 seconds ahead of
the next skier at the time and her final winning margin of 1.95 seconds is a
career best. Her run was strong and in
control the entire time. Maybe it was a wax race and maybe it wasn’t, but when
you’re as good as Vonn it rarely matters.
Bodensteiner talked about Vonn, arguably the greatest woman
ski racer of all time, and discussed her current form.
“She is ultra-motivated this season. I think losing the
World Cup by such a close margin allowed her to find even another gear. She is
a totally determined woman right now and you can see for yourself the results.”
Beaver Creek will host several more races over the coming
days and Bodensteiner didn’t hesitate to throw in a plug for Team USA fans.
“The team is super strong right now. We saw Vonn and Ligety
win a GS earlier this season. It is really fun right now to be a part of this
and it’s going to be a great week at Beaver Creek. You should come check it
out!”
Mike Trecker is a freelance writer and can be reached at nordictrecker@gmail.com and followed on Twitter: @nordictrecker
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