Final jump on women's course to be lowered
WHISTLER (AP) -- The final jump on the women's Olympic Alpine ski course will be changed for safety reasons after a series of crashes marred Wednesday's downhill race.
Sweden's Anja Pärson, a former downhill world champion, seemed headed for a silver medal but flew 60 meters through the air before landing badly and sliding over the line. Paerson bruised her left calf and was shaken up, but otherwise appeared OK, said Sweden team official Uls Lars Emilsson. Switzerland's Dominique Gisin; fell on the same jump. One of the later starters, Edith Miklos of Romania, hit the safety nets at high speed and was taken off the course by helicopter. Race director Atle Skaardal said an icy crest where racers launch into the jump -- known as Hot Air -- would be lowered before Thursday's super-combined. The downhill portion of the super-combined is also being shortened to lower racers' speed. A few moments after American Lindsey Vonn had a blistering run that soon won her the gold, Vonn's smile turned to a frown, as she watched Paerson lose control off the final jump, getting a huge amount of air and sliding through the finish headfirst. Paerson bruised her left calf and was shaken up, but otherwise appeared OK, said Sweden team official Uls Lars Emilsson. German contender Maria Riesch skied immediately after Paerson and may have been affected psychologically by the Swede's crash. The French skier who started before Paerson, Marion Rolland , fell before she even got to the first gate. "(Rolland) got brought up and got treatment right next to the start," Riesch said. "It was not perfect for me." See the women's downhill course, Franz Run, from the skiers' point of view. Feb. 17, 2010: Edith Miklos of Romania crashed during the women's Olympic downhill and was evacuated off course by helicopter.
Due to the extended run of bad weather in Whistler over the past week, only one official downhill training session was held before the race, and all the fresh snow prevented organizers from creating a perfectly smooth surface. Even with sunny weather on race day, the course appeared extremely bumpy from top to bottom, creating a serious fitness test for skiers' legs -- resulting in several crashes.
"It was a little bit ragged the whole way," Vonn said, adding that the conditions weren't ideal for her injured shin. "It's so painful to ski, especially on this course because it's so bumpy. It's so tough to ski down, but I did and it's awesome. "I was really lucky with the weather and the postponements. I needed those days off." The difficulties were evident from the start as the first skier, Klara Krizova of the Czech Republic, fell midway down and got spun around as she slid into a gate at high speed. Her skis remained attached, though, and she was able to get back up and complete her run. Several other early starters collapsed in exhaustion upon crossing the finish line, and Gisin also crashed while landing the final jump. She slid downhill, then was launched back into the air when she hit a bump on the side of the course and landed hard on her back. She sat right up, though, and eventually walked away under her own power. The next skier, Daniela Merighetti of Italy, fell right before the final jump and went head first through a gate, losing both of her skis. She ended up sliding downhill on her backside, waving to show she was OK to the delight of the fans. [ 22 Фев 2010: Сообщение исправлено: WarGo ]
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наш ведущий фристайлист Кравчук Станислав, который неоднократно
Линдси - молодца!!! Жаль Аню, а после ее падения, соревнования превратились просто в участие. Но главное безопасность!
