February 6, 2007
It is times like these when a few seconds make a big difference. The Alpine Combined Downhill Race began with the women’s competition on Park City’s Payday Hi-Speed Six-Pack course infamous for its more difficult runs. Fifteen women skied downhill in bib order in hopes of getting the best time, and best position, for the Picabo’s Slalom run. The combination of both the downhill run and slalom run will be the skier’s final time. Bright blue skies and the shining sun softened the normally powdered snow at Park City’s Mountain Resort, which made it a little more difficult to maneuver smoothly.
The women’s pool featured four Americans – Terry Brill (#4), Carina Crosby (#12), Raeden Zavis (#13), and Kelley Duran (#15). Brill completed the downhill race in 56.85 seconds, while Crosby and Duran posted 59.23 and 54.73, respectively. Unfortunately, Zavis did not get to finish the race. Duran placed 4th, Brill 8th and Crosby 14th.
Czech Tereza Kmochovo (#11) posted the best time in the downhill race, at 53.45, which meant she would be going last in the slalom race, as the skiers were in order from slowest to fastest based on the downhill run. Crosby was first to go, and earned 44.16 seconds for a total of 103.39. Brill was not able to finish the slalom race, but Duran impressed the crowds with her time of 37.44, for a total of 92.17.
Petra Kurkova, another Czech and a veteran Deaflympian, had the second best time in the downhill race with 53.78, and went second to last in the slalom for 34.47 seconds earning a total of 88.25. Kmochovo, who went last, had 35.40 seconds for a total of 88.85.
It was clear who the winner was: Kurkova. She was awarded the gold, while Kmochovo took the silver and Duran the bronze medal. The women’s competition was over as quickly as it had begun.
In the men’s pool, there were 20 contenders including four Americans – Jonas Virnig (#10), Austin Nelson (#16), Nicolas Yopp (#17), and Keith Doane (#20). Virnig, who was the first American to race, earned 54.05 in the downhill, and Nelson finished with 52.48 seconds. Yopp and Doane posted 52.65 and 54.78 seconds, respectively. The best downhill time in the men’s pool was 51.17 seconds by German Matthias Becherer.
As with the women, the men’s slalom race was organized by the slowest to fastest time in the downhill race. Doane had a time of 37.48 for the slalom and a total of 92.56. Yopp earned 35.26, coming up with a total of 87.90 seconds. Nelson had one of the best times finishing the slalom in 34.36 seconds, and a final time of 86.84.
Meanwhile, Becherer slalomed to an easy 33.07 for a total of 84.24 seconds. Swiss Roald Schneider who had the second best downhill time, finished the slalom in 34.98 seconds, combined with his downhill run for a total of 86.53 seconds. Austrian Phillipp Perchtold, who completed the downhill run in 52.55 seconds, finished in the slalom with 34.02 seconds for a total of 86.57, which earned him the bronze medal. Schneider received the silver, and Becherer won the gold.