ALPINE:

Cook sizzles to downhill win in U.S. nationals race at Aspen

Feb. 17, 2011 — Alpine Canada  

ASPEN, Colorado — Dustin Cook flew the flag for Canada on Wednesday when he raced to victory at the U.S. National Downhill Championships in Aspen, Colorado.

Cook, originally from Ottawa, Ont., edged two skiers representing the U.S. in an incredibly tight race, with the top three separated by only three-hundredths of a second. Cook crossed the line in a time of 1 minute, 12.40 seconds, followed by Will Gregorak in 1:12.42 and Erik Fisher in 1:12.43.

The 22-year-old Cook will have his name etched on the trophy, but Gregorak will be listed as the official U.S. national champion. The race was run the day after the final two Nor-Am Cup downhills of the season, the last of which was also won by Cook, and featured an almost identical lineup of skiers.

"I was feeling pretty confident on the hill after winning Tuesday. I had nothing to lose," said Cook. "It was probably my best run of the trip so far. I think everyone skied a little better. It was the tightest race I've ever been in."

Cook's day could have been over before it began because less than a minute before he was due to start, he discovered he was wearing the wrong bib number.

"Our start coach pulled me out of the gate saying I had the wrong bib on," said Cook. "Kelby (Halbert) was 5 and I was 6, but we had them the wrong way around and we had to quickly change."

There were several strong performances by Canadians at the race. Conrad Pridy of Whistler, B.C., followed up successive fourth-place results in the Nor-Am races by again finishing fourth, in a time of 1:12.70. Halbert, of Bradford, Ont., who secured a World Cup spot for next season by finishing second in the overall Nor-Am downhill standings, was tied for eighth with Ben Thomsen of Invermere, B.C., who finished 18th in the downhill at the World Championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, last week. Both men clocked a time of 1:12.88.

"Dustin had a great run," said men's Prospect Group head coach Kip Harrington. "He kept it rolling, focused and skied great."

Cook has had seven starts in the World Cup this season. His best result came in Wengen, Switzerland, in January, when he finished 28th in the super-combined.

"It's pretty tough to go to World Cups from Nor-Am," he said. "Up until this week things hadn't been going very well this season. Now it's kind of turning around."