VAL GARDENA, Italy -- Canadas Erik Guay gained a measure of revenge by winning
the prestigious Val Gardena downhill Saturday, a year after missing out on the
victory because of changing weather.
Ugg Bambina Scontati . Guay, from Mt.
Tremblant, Que., clocked one minute 56.65 seconds down a Saslong course lined
with huge jumps and filled with tricky terrain, making up time over the last few
gates to edge Kjetil Jansrud of Norway by 0.12 seconds. "It is sweet," Guay
said. "I skied really well and took the chances necessary." It was the fourth
career World Cup victory for Guay, who also won gold in downhill at the 2011
world championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Johan Clarey of France
finished third, 0.24 back, and overall World Cup leader Aksel Lund Svindal was
fourth, 0.29 behind. Bode Miller placed fifth, 0.39 behind, for his best finish
in a speed event this season. Miller took last season off to recover from left
knee surgery and he is improving race by race as he prepares for the Sochi
Olympics in February. Miller would have made the podium if he was just a bit
faster on the flats and said getting his equipment dialed in after so much time
off was a big factor. "Theres so many details, you never know what it is thats
really causing the problem," the 36-year-old two-time overall World Cup winner
said. "The fact is we just dont have the whole thing together right now. Were
close, and were getting there." Miller made up more than half a second on the
technical lower section. "On the top I didnt feel like I was going fast," Miller
said. "I took a little bit of risk in some parts and pulled off some decent
turns and I skied pretty well but its one of those courses where theres not
enough to it to bring it back in with my technical ability." Guay thought he had
won this race last year until a drastic weather change helped later starters on
a shortened course, with Steven Nyman of the United States taking the win and
Rok Perko of Slovenia claiming second, relegating Guay to third. "I had a great
run last year," Guay said. "In my mind I skied the best that I could have with
my start number and not to take anything away from Nyman and Perko but the
conditions do change and thats the reality of our sport. "I know that ski racing
is like that," Guay added. "Ive been on the good side of the hundredths and Ive
benefited from good weather sometimes. So you take it when you can and you
forget it when youre on the other side." While it wasnt quite as drastic as last
year, when winds played a role, changing light once again made a big impact.
Guay, Svindal and Miller had to deal with less light on the gliding section on
top but then all three racers excelled on the more technical section of the
course. The highlights of the Saslong are the camel bumps, which launch skiers
into the air for nearly 80 metres (90 yards), and the twisty and technical
ciaslat section -- two areas that come one right after another midway down.
There are also numerous little bumps and jumps, making for constant air time. "A
lot of times Val Gardena goes under radar with Wengen and Kitzbuehel getting so
much attention but I think its one of most fun courses on the World Cup," Guay
said. Guays performance was all the more impressive considering that he had
left-knee surgery in the off-season and missed most of preseason training.
Jansrud also had left-knee surgery after a crash in the super-G at last seasons
world championships in Schladming, Austria. Jansrud took silver in giant slalom
at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and Saturdays result matched his best downhill
finish from March, 2012, on home snow in Kvitfjell. Clarey also finished third
in this race four years ago for his only other career podium. He stood first
when the 2011 race was abandoned beause of strong winds after 21 racers had
completed their runs. "Its unbelievable for me," Clarey said. "I almost quit
skiing five months ago after my back injury." In the overall standings, Svindal
moved 175 points ahead of Marcel Hirscher, who does not race downhill. Svindal
also leads the downhill standings, 53 points ahead of Guay. Nyman was an early
starter and made a big mistake midway down and had to make an acrobatic recovery
to avoid injury. But his race ended there. Brice Roger and David Poisson of
France also fell. Poisson slammed into the safety netting at full speed but
eventually got up and skied down. The circuit moves over the Gardena pass for a
giant slalom Sunday in Alta Badia, where Ted Ligety will attempt to duplicate
his dominant win from last season.
Ugg Scontati Italia . Fred Couples, captain
of the U.S. side, put it all into perspective. "We know whos in charge," he
said.
Stivali Ugg Australia . LOUIS -- Rookie
Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be
ready for the St.
http://www.stivalisaldioutlet.it/ . --
Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the
offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a
championship.TAMPA, Fla. -- Yankees captain Derek Jeter says Japanese pitcher
Masahiro Tanaka provides a huge boost to New Yorks rotation. After going 24-0 in
Japans Pacific League last season, Tanaka agreed this week to a $155 million,
seven-year contract with New York. "The game is pitching," Jeter said Friday at
the Yankees minor league complex. "If you have great pitching, you always have
an opportunity to win. From everything Ive heard, hes going to be quite an
addition to our team." Tanaka was 99-35 with a 2.30 ERA in seven seasons with
the Rakuten Golden Eagles, striking out 1,238 in 1,315 innings. He joins a
rotation that includes CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda and Ivan Nova. Following just
the second season in 19 years that didnt include a playoff appearance, the
Yankees also agreed to deals during the off-season with catcher Brian p;McCann
($85 million for five years) and outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury ($153 million for
seven) and Carlos Beltran ($45 million for three).
Ugg Mini Bailey Button. "Our team has been
known to make financial commitments to a lot of people throughout the course of
the year," Jeter said. "Any time you have ownership thats willing to spend money
and trying to do whatever they can to make the team better, it feels good for us
as players." The 39-year-old Jeter finished his first week of on-field work,
which included hitting off a tee in a batting cage and fielding grounders on the
grass in front of the infield dirt. He said he feels good. After breaking an
ankle during the 2012 playoffs, Jeter limited to 17 games last year when he was
slowed by injuries to his right quadriceps and calf. He hit .190 (12 for 63)
with one homer and seven RBIs.
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