Jansrud continues Norway’s winning ways at Lake Louise with super-G win

“Somehow we keep on building on it, especially in super-G,” Jansrud said.

“It’s a cool thing, but mainly for me it’s important I feel like I’m skiing good and that I can ski fast if I take the risk and bring the intensity I want to bring.

“Definitely for everybody including me, it’s better to leave with a win in Lake Louise than not.”

Jansrud and Austria’s Vincent Kriechmayr finished one-two in the overall World Cup super-G standings in 2017-18 and opened this season in the same order Sunday.

Kriechmayr crossed the line just .14 of a second slower than Jansrud. Switzerland’s Mauro Caviezel was third, .21 seconds behind for his second career podium.

“Almost perfect,” Kriechmayr said. “On the top, I made some little mistakes. I lost four-tenths over Kjetil I think. That’s why I’m second and not first.”

Svindal, the reigning Olympic downhill champ, was fifth. Saturday’s downhill winner Max Franz of Austria placed 14th.

Ottawa’s Dustin Cook was the top Canadian in 16th.

“Two-thirds of a good run,” Cook said. “The top I thought was good and the bottom was really good, but the middle, where I feel like I should be better, just didn’t go the way I thought it would go.

“Lost a lot of time there. The way ski racing is right now, you can’t have two-thirds of a good run.”

Jansrud praised Canadian skier Erik Guay, who cut short what was to be his farewell season by announcing his retirement Thursday.

“Erik is, and I’m not saying this just to say it, he’s a real gentleman on the tour,” Jansrud said. “There is a difference between people who don’t acknowledge you as a young skier and not taking their time to talk to you, and there are people like Erik, who is totally the opposite.

“He’s got a warm personality, been an amazing skier. He’s a guy who has a lot of respect on the tour from everybody.”

A ski racing tradition sees successful veterans earn a farewell run wearing attire of their choosing. Julia Mancuso of the U.S., for example, donned a Wonder Woman costume for hers in January.

Guay skied the course prior to Sunday’s race wearing a “Canadian Tuxedo” of jeans, a jean jacket, a lumberjack shirt and an outsized belt buckle.

The two-time world champion and owner of 25 World Cup medals collected a Canadian flag from a course worker en route and carried it to the finish line.

“It was emotional, honestly, especially at the start with all the volunteers and course workers that were up there,” the 37-year-old said.

“Usually you’re just so focused you don’t even notice they’re around and it was fun to just enjoy it.”

A super-G is shorter than a downhill with widely-set gates to combine the speed of downhill and the technical demands of turning.

The Canadian men’s speed team was depleted in the days leading up to the first races this season.

Vancouver’s Manuel Osborne-Paradis broke bones in his leg crashing in the first training run. Broderick Thompson of Whistler, B.C., underwent surgery for a season-ending knee injury earlier in the week.

Toronto’s James Crawford finished 27th on Sunday. Ben Thomsen of Invermere, B.C., was 47th, Calgary’s Jeff Read placed 49th and Brodie Seger of North Vancouver, B.C., was 50th.

The men head to Beaver Creek, Colo., for super-G, downhill and giant slalom races starting Friday.

The women arrive in Lake Louise for downhills Friday and Saturday and a super-G on Sunday.

American ski star Lindsey Vonn will not race on the mountain where she has collected 18 of her 82 World Cups wins. She was injured while training for a super-G in Colorado.

Roni Remmi of Collingwood, Ont., was the top Canadian woman in Sunday’s slalom in Killington, Vt., finishing 13th. Lawrence St-Germain of St. Ferreol-les-Neiges, Que., placed 14th.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Jansrud continues Norway’s winning ways at Lake Louise with super-G win

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