ALPINE:

Austrians tops, Guay 10th in Friday downhill training

Nov. 26, 2010      ♦ Photo: Manny Osborne-Paradis (Paul Morrison)

LAKE LOUISE, Alberta — The flat-lining Austrian ski team showed some signs of renewed life Friday by recording the three fastest times and putting five skiers in the top 10 during the final training for this weekend's opening downhill race of the World Cup season.

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Erik Guay of Mont-Tremblant, Que., demonstrated he could be a factor in Saturday's downhill by finishing 10th.

Robbie Dixon of North Vancouver, B.C., who would love to earn his first World Cup podium on home soil, was 13th while Manuel Osborne-Paradis of Invermere, B.C., was 24th.

Klaus Kroell led the Austrian charge, skiing through falling snow and flat light for a time of 1 minute, 50.43 seconds.

Veteran Michael Walchhofer, who plans to retire at the end of the season, was second in 1:50.85 while Mario Scheiber was just .01 behind him.

"We hope tomorrow is the same," said Kroell, 20. "We will see.

"Today it's only training. The Autobahn will push tomorrow."

Guay covered the 3.1-kilometre Men's Olympic Downhill Run in 1:51.85. Dixon was clocked in 1:52.15 while Osborne-Paradis finished in 1:52.81.

A super-G will be held Sunday.

There was frustration in Austria when the men failed to win a skiing medal during the Vancouver Winter Olympics. It would be like the Canadian hockey team returning from the Games empty handed.

Adding to the worry, an Austrian man hasn't won a World Cup downhill race since Kroell's victory in Kvitfjell, Norway, in March 2009.

Walchhofer would love to start his final season with a victory.

"I don't lack the motivation," said the 35-year-old, whose first of 11 career downhill wins came at Lake Louise in 2003. "It would be good, not just for me, but the whole Austrian team.

"There was a lot of pressure last year. We didn't ski so good under this pressure.''

Osborne-Paradis wasn't surprised by the strong Austrian showing Friday.

"I think they are trying very hard to prove something, that they are back on top," he said.

Guay said he feels strong on his skis but is still searching for the mental edge that helped him win the final two super-G races of the season last year as he earned the discipline's crystal globe.

"I felt pretty solid everywhere," said Guay. "It wasn't one of those runs like I had at the finals, where I was really taking the chances I need to win.

"I think tomorrow is going to be more of a head game. I just have to make sure I'm there and ready to go and take those chances."

Dixon has been nosing around the podium the last couple of years. He finished eighth in the downhill here last season.

"I made a few little mistakes today but I cleaned some things up," he said. "I feel pretty confident how I'm skiing.

"Moving into race day I feel good."

Osborne-Paradis has a history of struggling in training, then coming up big on race day. He won the super-G here last year and was second in a downhill in 2006.

"I made a couple of mistakes but that's bound to happen when the light is like this,'' he said.

"I know tomorrow, if the light is like this, where I can tightened up the line and give myself a little bit more room."

Didier Cuche of Switzerland, who won here last year, was 12th in 1:51.88.

"I'm not really in the same position as last year," he said. "I started with really good training last year. It gave me a lot of confidence.

"This year the mental encouragement is not here yet. Hopefully I can find that for tomorrow."

A total of 85 skiers competed the training.

Other Canadian finishers were Dustin Cook of Ottawa, 32nd in 1:53.24; Jan Hudec, Calgary, 42nd in 1:53.53; Benjamin Thomsen, Vancouver, 44th in 1:53.62; Francois Bourque, New Richmond, Que., 56th in 1:54.24; Louis-Pierre Helie, Berthierville, Que., 61st in 1:54.38; Kelby Halbert, Brandford, Ont., 63rd in 1:54.57; and Tyler Nella, Burlington, Ont., 79th in 1:56.18.

The Winterstart World Cup men's downhill is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. MT on Saturday.

CBC's main network broadcast will be showing Saturday's downhill race from 1-3 p.m. MT. CBC will also broadcast Sunday's men's super-G from 3-4 p.m. local time and again 1:30-2:30 a.m. local time. Radio-Canada.ca will be broadcasting races live on both days.

— The Canadian Press and Alpine Canada contributed to this report

S-Magazine

Lake Louise World Cup men's downhill training No. 2 official results