Top Results for Bennett, Morse in Aspen; Nyman Retires
On day two of Stifel America’s Downhill in Aspen, Colorado, the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team had a tremendous and emotional day. To start the exciting race off, Bryce Bennett skied into his best result of the season with a 10th place finish.
“I’ve been skiing really hard all winter long,” said Bennett. “I've barely taken any time off and today was the first time this season I could really race and it was a good feeling.”
This has been a difficult season for Bennett who had come off of a World Cup victory the season prior in Val Gardena, Italy. He has had a number of top 30s, but this race was a breakthrough for the downhiller.
Jared Goldberg came down right after Bennett, with very fast top splits. Goldberg had some small mistakes toward the end that brought his time up, landing him in 19th place. Travis Ganong placed just above Goldberg in 17th, his final run on domestic soil.
Friends and family rallied at the finish line to congratulate Ganong and give him flowers as he took his final run on domestic snow, before he officially caps off his tremendous ski racing career at World Cup finals later this month. Ganong announced his retirement just earlier in the week.
The excitement continued amongst the home crowd with Sam Morse skiing from bib 38 to an incredible 14th place. This position is his second-best result of his career; his two previous best results were in Val Gardena this season.
“I just tried to stay focused and I think I did a good job of it, and for sure the skis were running up top,” said Morse, who raced his first World Cup in Aspen in 2017. “Today was my best result this year. I stayed calm and kept it simple.”
Aleksander Aamodt Kilde of Norway took the win with a near perfect run down the downhill. James Crawford of Canada was second and Marco Odermatt of Switzerland was third.
The big finale of the day came with racer 60, Steven Nyman, as he skied a victory lap in jeans, the American Downhiller vest, and a live stream of his run on Instagram. Nyman’s team, family and friends stood in the finish corral to welcome him in and celebrate his storied career. It was a special moment for the home crowd, and for the other teams, many of whom also crowded the finish to give their respects to the skiing icon.
“Crossing the finish line and seeing everybody was incredible,” said Nyman. “It’s just incredible to see the guys that changed my life and affected my life. It was so meaningful to me. I saw downhillers from all over the world in the finish and it means a lot."
The fans and crowd were electric at the final race for Nyman, and they are ready for more racing tomorrow, a super-G. Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Kyle Negomir, Jared Goldberg, Erik Arvidsson, Bryce Bennett and River Radamus will start for the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team.
RESULTS
Men's downhill
HOW TO WATCH
1:30 p.m. ET - men's super-G, Aspen - LIVE on CNBC, Peacock and Outside+
