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He beats pre-race favorites from Switzerland, Italy. U.S.’ Bode Miller finishes 15th.
Canada’s Eric Guay celebrates the gold medal he won in the men’s downhill, at the Alpine World Skiing Championships on Saturday.
AP photo
GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany — The Canada ski team was a flop at the Vancouver Olympics. Erik Guay made sure it was a different story at the world championships.
Guay won the prestigious downhill title Saturday ahead of pre-race favorites Didier Cuche of Switzerland and Christof Innerhofer of Italy, speeding down the 3.3-kilometer Kandahar course in 1 minute, 58.41 seconds.
Bode Miller also charged down the course, but was at a disadvantage as the 22nd starter in warm conditions on a deteriorating course. He finished 15th and 2.42 seconds behind the winner.
When Guay crossed the line, Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” blared over the loudspeakers. It turned out to be an appropriate tune as one favorite after another failed to match the 29-year-old from Mont-Tremblant, Quebec.
“This is the best feeling in the world,” said Guay, who wore bib No. 10 to start ahead of most top racers. “It’s really amazing. Some of the best skiers in the world came down after me, but my time stood.”
Miller made an error near the beginning of his run, nearly touching his hip to the ground to regain his balance. He appeared to stand up out of his tuck on the lower section, perhaps already aware he was far off the pace.
“It’s disappointing, but some days in ski racing there’s just not much else you can do,” Miller said. “Maybe I could have tucked more, but that’s not going to make up 2 1/2 seconds. I felt like I gave it everything.”
Miller was impressed by Guay’s nearly flawless run.
“You’ve got to be soft on your edges and you’ve got to be real smooth, and Erik is the best in the world at that,” Miller said. “He’s shown it before, and I’m proud of him. It was a great run.”
The top American finisher was Steven Nyman, who celebrated his 28th birthday by finishing 13th. The crowd sang “Happy Birthday” in the finish area and the skier from Sundance, Utah, gave a bow.
“That was cool,” Nyman said. “I skied the Olympics on my birthday once, but there was a lot of people down here today.”
Guay had a touching moment after the race, accepting flowers from 1976 two-time Olympic champion Rosi Mittermaier. Cuche and Innerhofer raised Guay’s arms as he sang along to “O Canada.”
That scene never developed at the Alpine venue in Whistler last year. The highly touted home ski team failed to win a single Olympic medal among the men and women.