Brydon’s luck goes downhill
Canada’s great hope is determined to stay positive
LAKE LOUISE, Alta. — So poisonous was Emily Brydon’s kismet this weekend at Lake Louise it actually started taking down other skiers.
After a disappointing 35thplace finish in Sunday’s superG, Brydon explained her third consecutive poor result to reporters.
“ It’s frustrating but it happens to everyone,” she said. “ It’s not like I’m the only one who’s ever choked . . . It happens to the winners. Did ( Renate) Goetschl have a great couple of days? No.”
Just as these words left Brydon’s lips, Goetschl flew off the course into a safety net.
“Oh my God,” said Brydon, turning to watch replays of the Austrian skier wiping out on the big- screen television. “ I have all this bad karma. It just made my day worse.”
Actually, Brydon’s seasonopening weekend in the Rockies couldn’t have veered much further from her script. She was 38th and 39th in the two downhills before her super- G flop.
She’s supposed to be Canada’s great hope in the women’s speed events but, clearly, is nowhere near top form.
“ How can I sum up the weekend?” said Brydon, parroting a reporter’s question. “Disappointing. I still believe in myself. Just because of what I did today and the other day doesn’t mean I can’t win. It just means it wasn’t my day. Things didn’t fall into place for me.
“ I’m exhausted physically and emotionally. When you’re struggling, all your energy goes into being positive, staying on top of it and getting motivated for the next day and the next race. That in itself is a challenge.”
Even though dozens of boisterous fans cheered Brydon in the racers’ area near the finish, she can’t wait to get out of town.
She needs to clear her head, get a change of scenery and focus on turning this thing around. The Winter Olympics are two months away and she’s intent on rinsing these results from her palate.
For inspiration, she’ll look to 19-year-old Calgarian Shona Rubens, who came out of the 58th starting spot in Saturday’s downhill to finish 15th.
Austria swept the podium Sunday, led by Alexandra Meissnitzer ( one minute, 21.73 seconds), Andrea Fishbacher ( 1 : 2 1 . 8 3 ) a n d M i c h a e l a Dorfmeister ( 1: 22.56).
BEAVER CREEK, Colo. — Giorgio Rocca of Italy skied a clean second run in icy and snowy conditions Sunday to win the World Cup season’s first slalom, and Ted Ligety of the United States finished a career-best third.
Rocca, who figures to be one of the host country’s top medal hopes in Alpine skiing at the Turin Olympics in February, completed two runs on the Birds of Prey course in an unofficial time of one minute 51.72 seconds.
But his victory and Ligety’s podium placing weren’ t secure until first-run leader Benjamin Raich of Austria, the slalom world champion, skied off course late in the second run. Raich was ahead of Rocca’s pace at the first time interval.
“Beni was fast in the second run, but the race finishes at the finish line,” Rocca said.
Stephane Tissot of France, 20th after the first run, had the fastest second run and finished second in 1: 52.58.
Patrick Biggs of Ottawa was 14th in 1: 54.04.
Eight of the first 20 skiers, and 28 of 74, failed to finish the opening run, including three Canadians — Thomas Grandi of Canmore, Alta., Julien Cousineau of Lachute, Que., and Paul Stutz of Banff, Alta. Calgary Herald, Associated Press