Advertisement

Alpine skiing-Hirscher, Jansrud set to prosper at worlds

By Mark Lamport-Stokes Jan 29 (Reuters) - Slalom world champion Marcel Hirscher and downhill expert Kjetil Jansrud head the World Cup standings and both men are expected to thrive at the Feb. 2-15 world championships on the snow of Beaver Creek and Vail in Colorado. Austrian Hirscher, winner of the overall World Cup title for the past three years, has triumphed five times in his last 10 races and will certainly fancy his chances of retaining the slalom crown he claimed at the 2013 worlds in Schladming. The 25-year-old from Salzburg has displayed remarkable consistency this season and is also likely to be a major factor in the giant slalom at Beaver Creek, having won in that discipline four times in his last five World Cup races. "It's an important victory for it's my fifth here and the sixth of the season," Hirscher said after winning the giant slalom in the Swiss resort of Adelboden earlier this month. The best skier of his generation, Hirscher delivered a flawless performance to stretch his overall World Cup lead over second-placed Jansrud of Norway. With his 29th World Cup win, he also increased his lead in the giant slalom standings over America's Olympic and world champion Ted Ligety, who is sure to be spurred on by his home fans at Beaver Creek as he bids to retain three world titles. Ligety is acknowledged as one of the greatest giant slalom skiers of all time and the 30-year-old from Salt Lake City will be striving to replicate the form that earned him the combined, giant slalom and Super-G at the 2013 world championships. He will also be banking on home advantage, having clinched his 24th World Cup career win at Beaver Creek last month in the giant slalom down the plunging Birds of Prey piste. In-form Norwegian Jansrud is unquestionably the man to beat in the downhill at Beaver Creek after winning in that discipline three times this season, most recently in Kitzbuehel on Saturday. Fastest in practice, Jansrud beat Italy's Dominik Paris into second place in the most prestigious speed event of the men's alpine skiing calendar, becoming only the second Norwegian, after Lasse Kjus in 1991 and 2004, to win in Kitzbuehel. "You can call it my highlight of the season," said Jansrud, who won Olympic gold in the Super-G in Sochi last year. "To win in Kitzbuehel is an objective I had in mind for several years." (Editing by Frank Pingue)