Erik Guay (Mont-Tremblant, QC) has become just the second Canadian male alpine skier to win both a World Cup downhill and super-G race over the course of his career.
The 28-year-old Guay won today’s World Cup super-G in Kvitfjell, NOR, crossing the finish line in an impressive one minute 31.95 seconds.
Guay, who missed a medal in the super-G at last month’s Olympic Winter Games by just 0.03s, won today’s race by a mere 0.02s over Austria’s Hannes Reichelt. Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal tied for third in 1:32.26 with Switzerland’s Tobias Gruenenfelder on the 1994 Olympic Games piste.
Guay’s win in Norway can be seen on www.cbcsports.ca located under “Alpine Skiing” for viewing on demand. It is also being rebroadcast on CBC at 12:30 a.m. local time tonight after being on CBC’s GMC Alpine Ski Series this afternoon at 2:30 p.m. ET (except Atlantic Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador).
“Yesterday during the downhill race, I had a pretty solid run but I did some things that cost me a lot so the race was a little bit of a let down and I knew I had to redeem myself today. I took some chances and it finally paid off,” said Guay. “I have to say though, while I was doing my run I didn’t think it was a winning run because I did some mistakes.”
Today’s results vaults Guay into third place in the overall World Cup super-G standings. With one race remaining Guay has an outside shot at the discipline title, one of only three racers still in the hunt. Austria’s Michael Walchhofer leads with 300 points followed by Svindal with 254. Guay will head to World Cup Finals with 231 points in super-G.
“I’m really excited. It’s been three years since I have been on the top of the podium so it feels good to be back there. It’s a little bit of redemption from the Olympic Games since I was only 3 hundredth away from the podium there and now I am 2 hundredth ahead. Sometimes you win on that side and sometimes you lose, this time I was on top of it and it feels great,” added the 28 year-old athlete.
Guay joins Manuel Osborne-Paradis (North Vancouver, BC) as the only two Canadian men to win a World Cup downhill and super-G in their career. Osborne-Paradis accomplished the feat earlier this year winning the Bombardier Lake Louise super-G.
Guay’s downhill win came in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER in February of 2007.
“This win feels really good. Like in 2007, my win is at the end of the season but I still have two races left. It’s pretty exciting because I never won a super-G race before today,” added Guay. “It’s very soothing but I have to refocus on my game plan because we start training again in Garmisch this Tuesday.”
With today’s result Guay also becomes the second Canadian this week to secure use of a GMC vehicle for the coming year.
The GMC promotion, now in its eighth year, provides a vehicle to any Canadian athlete who wins a World Cup race, podiums in any Olympic or World Championship competition or finishes in the top 10 in the standings in any World Cup discipline.
Brydon will end the season 10th in the super combined standings. Osborne-Paradis also accomplished the feat with his win earlier this season in Lake Louise.
Osborne-Paradis finished in 11th place with a time of 1:32.78. Jan Hudec (Calgary, AB), who finished in 13th place in yesterday’s downhill event, finished in 17th today with a time of 1:33.05.
Benjamin Thomsen, in his first career World Cup super-G, finished in 45th place with a time of 1:36.67.
The World Cup now heads quickly to Garmisch-Partenkicken, the site of Guay’s other World Cup win, for World Cup Finals. Downhill training gets underway for both men and women on Tuesday.
