Ganong Top American in Kitzbuehel Downhill
Travis Ganong was again the top Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team member in the Hahnenkamm downhill in Kitzbuehel, Austria, taking 12th place. Jared Goldberg also finished in the points in 24th.
After the second downhill was postponed on Saturday due to weather conditions, Sunday’s sun stayed behind the clouds, making it feel like the lights were off for the men on the storied Strief track. But the race got off with only a short delay to see Beat Feuz of Switzerland take his second win of the weekend. He joined a small crew of men that have won two Hahnenkamm downhills on the same weekend—Frenchman Luc Alphand last accomplished the feat in 1995. At 40-years-old (the oldest World Cup podium finisher), Johan Clarey of France was second, and Matthias Mayer third.
Ganong was once again the top American man in Kitzbuehel, having scored 11th place in Friday’s downhill and 12th on Sunday. He was happy with the result but had a small mistake that kept him from finishing higher in the ranks. “It was super dark today, so that was very difficult,” said Ganong. “I had a really good run going and then on the bottom on the traverse—I’ve been nailing that every day—I went in and pushed into the compression and didn’t see the compression or the takeoff or the landing on the Hausbergkante and I had a little mistake there... Super close to having a really good day, but I’m still happy with my results. Two solid results down the Streif and I’m looking forward to super-G.”
The Hahnenkamm—the most lauded race on the FIS Ski World Cup circuit—is normally packed shoulder-to-shoulder with boisterous fans from across the world. However, given COVID-19 restrictions, it was quiet this year with no spectators allowed at the finish. It made the environment tough to read and the men questioned whether they liked it better than a normal year. “The atmosphere was definitely different,” said Ganong. “It was actually easier, I think. It was easier to focus on the skiing and not get too over-excited. It was pretty interesting having a quiet peaceful setting at the start and in the finish. But it was also a little awkward with how quiet it was at the bottom—a little eerie. It was definitely losing some of the energy. But as an athlete, I like performing when there’s less stress and it was definitely a little less stressful this year.”
Rounding out the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, Jared Goldberg finished within the points in 24th. Bryce Bennett was 41st. Sam Morse—who wasn’t able to start in the first downhill due to the race being called early because of wind—was originally scheduled to start, but with the schedule changes, had to travel to the next Europa Cup races.
Ryan Cochran-Siegle, who crashed in Friday's downhill and has been sidelined with a minor cervical spine fracture, came to the finish on Sunday to catch up with media and competitors and cheer on his teammates. When asked about his return, Cochran-Siegle shared that he is heading back to the U.S. on Monday to consult with a specialist and that there is no timeline yet.
“I don’t know, we haven’t talked about a timeline yet,” said Cochran-Siegle, wearing a neck brace in the finish. “I do hope to be back before the end of the season. But I need to be smart about this." Everything that I’ve seen so far and from what I’ve heard from the doctors is that it’s stable. There is still more information to be gathered but, all in all, I think it’s OK. Most of my body is fine, it’s just my neck,” said Cochran-Siegle, adding he was “really not in pain” but had “just a slight discomfort” in his neck.
With the weekend’s schedule shifting a day due to Saturday’s postponed race, the men now race super-G on Monday.
RESULTS
Men’s downhill
HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST
Saturday, Jan. 23
4:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Downhill - same-day broadcast, Crans Montana, SUI, Broadcast NBCSN
6:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - next day broadcast, Kitzbuehel, AUT, Broadcast NBCSN
Sunday, Jan. 24
4:20 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Kitzbuehel, AUT, Streaming Peacock
6:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - LIVE, Crans Montana, SUI, Broadcast Olympic Channel
6:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - LIVE, Crans Montana, SUI, Streaming Peacock
6:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - same-day broadcast, Crans Montana, SUI, Broadcast NBCSN
Monday, Jan. 25
4:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Super-G - LIVE, Kitzbuehel, AUT, Streaming Peacock
Tuesday, Jan. 26
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Kronplatz, ITA, Streaming Peacock
7:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Kronplatz, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Chanel
7:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Kronplatz, ITA, Streaming Peacock
11:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Schladming, AUT, Streaming Peacock
2:45 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Schladming, AUT, Streaming Peacock
11:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill (Sunday), Kitzbuehel, AUT, Broadcast NBCSN
12:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom - same-day broadcast, Kronplatz, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN
