The final training run for the men’s Olympic downhill was yesterday cut short because of high winds that blew pre-race favorite Aleksander Aamodt Kilde 60m into the air on his run.
Just three racers — Norway’s Kilde, Austrian Matthias Mayer and Christof Innerhofer of Italy — came down the 3.1km “Rock” course before organizers called it a day, to the disgruntlement of some racers unable to take to their skis.
Kilde said that the gusts of wind were “coming from every direction” and had propelled him into the air on some of the five jumps that punctuate the course on artificial snow.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“Due to the present weather situation with high winds and no window in the forecast for decreasing winds, in the best interest of safety, the jury together with the organizers have decided to cancel today’s” training run, a statement read.
According to the official forecast, the wind made the minus-19.5°C temperature feel like minus-28.3°C.
The medal race for the downhill, one of the most prestigious Winter Olympic titles, is set for today, when similar windy and cold conditions are expected.
Racers completed the first two training runs on Thursday and Friday without problem, and Kilde said it was a “pity they sent three guys and then made the decision.”
“We could have waited for a bit,” said Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt, the World Cup overall leader and one of Kilde’s main rivals.
“To allow three skiers to come down, including two favorites, then cancel training at 11:15am without waiting for midday, I find regrettable,” he said.
Of his third training run, Kilde said: “It’s fun to ski, but with the wind it’s kind of crazy because you gain so much speed in some places and then you suddenly lose speed.”
He was thankful he was “in balance” when he was propelled into the air.
“Thank God for that,” the 29-year-old said. “It’s never dangerous when you’re in balance, but if you lose balance and you get even worse wind than I got, then anything can happen and that’s a risk.”
“It’s pretty obvious here that the wind is an issue and maybe we get some results we don’t usually see, but if you are consistently fast and in shape it will go well for you anyway and at least you have the biggest chance to win,” he added.
The decision to allow three racers down before canceling did not, sit well with France’s Matthieu Bailet.
“It’s really pathetic, very unfair,” he said. “We saw there was a lot of wind, but we’re not beginners, we know how to manage our skis, risk, pressure.”
Bailet’s teammate Johan Clarey, at 41 the elder statesman of the men’s elite ski circuit and an official representative of the skiers, admitted it was a “big problem” that the whole field had not had a chance of testing out the course for a third time.
“I tried talking with FIS, but they were having none of it,” Clarey said.
SS Lazio on Monday fired the far-right sympathizer who handles their eagle mascot after he posted online a series of videos and pictures of his erect penis. Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010-2011 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance. Lazio said that they had “terminated, with immediate effect” their relationship with Bernabe “due to the seriousness of his conduct,” adding that they were “shocked” by the images. The Serie A club added that Bernabe’s dismissal
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
HARD TO SAY GOODBYE: After Coco Gauff dispatched Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, she wrote ‘RIP TikTok USA’ and drew a broken heart on a television camera lens Defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while compatriot Chan Hao-ching on Saturday dominated her opponents in the second round, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept into the quarter-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia toppled Hungary’s Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US 6-4, 6-3, hitting 24 winners and converting three of seven break points in 1 hour, 18 minutes at 1573 Arena. Although rivals at last year’s Australian Open — where Hsieh and Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat Ostapenko and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5
RSS