Ganong Matches Career-Best in Super-G with Fourth in Val d’Isere
Travis Ganong showed that he’s still someone to fear on the FIS World Cup circuit this season, crushing the Val d’Isere super-G and matching his career-best in the discipline to take fourth place, just .22 seconds off the podium.
Snow fell heavily throughout the race with Mario Caviezel from Switzerland taking his first World Cup win. Adrian Smiseth Sejersted of Norway was second and Austrian Christian Walder third—both of them also nailing their first World Cup podiums.
This was Travis’ 10th top-five result in his career, who is 32 years old and has been a mainstay on the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team for 15 years. But he’s not letting his veteran status get in the way of speed—he packed in seven top-10s in the shortened 2020 season and with another top-five in his first race back on the World Cup circuit, he showed that he’s still someone to keep an eye on this season. Saturday's fourth-place finish matches his career-best in the discipline of super-G. His previous best in super-G was fourth in November of 2015.
“I’m really happy,” said Travis. “We haven’t raced in so long—we’ve been training a ton and I just kinda forgot what racing is all about. It’s so much more fun to race than train. Being in the start gate and knowing that you have one shot to put it all out on the line and take some risk and see what happens—it’s awesome.”
Travis, who hails from California’s Lake Tahoe, factored in the heavy snowfall to his result. “It feels like I’m back home in California where it snows a lot,” he said. “It’s a very similar vibe and snow. There was no warmup slope so I just skied some powder on the way to the start and it seemed like it was good for me.”
Rounding out the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, Bryce Bennett was the next U.S. man to finish and took 33rd. Ryan Cochran-Siegle, who went down on his hip on the upper section of the course, was 47th and Jared Goldberg 49th. Sam DuPratt did not finish.
The men race downhill in Val d’Isere on Sunday to wrap up the men's first speed weekend of the year.
RESULTS
Men’s super-G
HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.
Sunday, Dec. 13
3:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Streaming Peacock
4:00 a.m. FIS Europa Cup Women’s Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Ahrntal, Italy, Streaming, U.S. Ski & Snowboard
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Streaming Peacock
6:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
6:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Europa Cup Women’s Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Ahrntal, Italy, Streaming, U.S. Ski & Snowboard
10:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Courchevel, FRA, Broadcast NBCSN
