Turin, Italy 2006 Winter Olympic Games

Olympic Alpine Skiing Analysis

SESTRIERE, Italy – What started out as a promising morning for the U.S. favorites turned into a disappointing afternoon. Impressive downhill training runs by Bode Miller and Daron Rahlves brought high expectations to the U.S. team, only to be shattered with small mistakes and equipment issues.

In a textbook upset here Sunday, French downhill specialist Antoine Deneriaz stunned the field by beating Austria's Michael Walchhofer by 72-hundreths of a second. Switzerland's Bruno Kernen finished third.

Last night, the talk within the American team was about a new prototype ski that Bode had tried in Saturday's training run. Bode was fast on these skis and planned to race on them in the Olympic downhill.

Rahlves had not trained on these new skis, but Bode's reviews enticed him to free ski on them Saturday afternoon and forced him into making game-time decision about whether to use them in the race. In the end, Rahlves decided not to, but I'm sure he was questioning his decision.

From a skier's perspective, using brand new skis on race day is risky. You can bet that in Bode and Rahlves' quiver of 20-plus pair of skis, which have all been tested and proven throughout the season, there were the perfect skis for this competition.

Whether or not it was mental, Rahlves never found his groove. His tension showed throughout his run, which caused him to make small mistakes the entire way. Right out of the start he was too hard on his edges, which created more friction on the snow and slowed him down. He couldn't pull it together and finished 10th – one of his worst downhill finishes of the season.

Bode skied well on the top section of the course and was in medal contention until he lost precious time in the bottom sections. He did not make any major mistakes, but looked fatigued. Toward the bottom, he appeared to be skiing too erect and the air resistance slowed him. In the downhill, when skiers reach up to 90 mph, aerodynamics are crucial, and fatigue will often make a skier stand up too much.

On the other hand, Deneriaz was flawless. Thirteen months after a full ACL reconstruction, the Frenchman blew the competition away. Not only did he win the top, steep section of the course, he carried his speed throughout the lower and flatter sections. Compared to Bode and Rahlves, Deneriaz was smooth on his edges and aerodynamic through to the finish.

Deneriaz will be touted as a surprise winner, but he has improved each race this season and won Saturday's training run. When I spoke to him after training, he sounded very calm and confident.

Known for being one of the nicest guys on the World Cup tour, Deneriaz deserves every bit of his Olympic gold.

Updated on Sunday, Feb 12, 2006 11:22 am, EST

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