Where to Ski And Snowboard - Double race action from Slovenia

Double race action from Slovenia

30th January 2010, by Chris Gill

Last Wednesday - before the big race

The men’s World Cup racing series has been taking place in Kranjska Gora this weekend, with double action from the 49th Vitranc World Cup and the Adelboden giant slalom race – rescheduled to Slovenia when fog forced its cancellation in the Swiss resort.

Kranjska Gora has been preparing for the races all week, with the steep Poligon black run in good shape for the event. Training began last Tuesday, when several runs were closed to the public ahead of the team training. Up to 10cm fresh snow fell on Friday night to help things along too, though snowmaking has been plentiful in the cold weather.

American Ted Ligety won Friday’s Adelboden replacement giant slalom, followed by Austria’s Marcel Hirscher in second position and the Norwegian Jansrud in third. It had been Norwegian Svidal who was leading in the first round, but Ligety was just too good in the second. Ligety claims the Slovenian course as one of his favourites and usually providing him with good results on the day.

The Austrian Marcel Hirscher was also in top form for Saturday’s Vitranc Giant Slalom, claiming victory in a combined time of 2 minutes 31 seconds. The 20 year old had been lying in fifth place after the first run, but put in a strong second burst in the second run to win. The top three men from Friday’s event took the podium again, this time with Jansrud second and Ligety third.

Disappointingly for the Swiss team, Didier Cuche was injured during Friday’s giant slalom – he fractured his thumb in a crash on the Poligon course, and is hoping that this won’t be a major setback for his Olympic bid next month. The team coach was confident that Cuche, would be back on the slopes shortly following surgery.

The Kranjska Gora event sees the final races before the Winter Olympic Games, with the athletes taking every opportunity to increase their series points and rankings. Austria’s Benjamin Raich remains top of the men’s standings, with 903 points. And while the men race in Slovenia, the women are in St Moritz. American Lyndsey Vonn maintains her overall lead, despite finishing third in the super combined event – now over 100 points clear of nearest rival Germany’s Maria Reisch.