Norwegian Aksel Lund Svindal claimed gold in
the men's downhill and Sweden's Andre Myhrer won the slalom as
experience came to the fore in the pressure cooker atmosphere of
the Games.
Both men had tasted Olympic success in the past with Myhrer
winning slalom bronze in Vancouver eight years ago where Svindal
claimed gold in super-G, silver in downhill and bronze in giant
slalom.
The fact that no man has successfully defended an Olympic title
in downhill or slalom illustrates how the sport has produced
many champions who were unable to last through several Olympic
cycles.
In the past, a major knee injury could end a career but
improvements in medical science have allowed skiers like Svindal
to come through multiple surgeries and still compete at the very
top.
"I think coming into an Olympics it is good to have routine,"
Myhrer told reporters.
"This is my fourth Olympics. Being third in Vancouver, coming
into this, it is good to have some experience."
Svindal became the oldest man to win a gold medal in Alpine
skiing but had to come through plenty of pain to achieve his
goal.
"I realize now that age doesn’t matter," he said.
"Since the last Games, I haven’t had a single season where I
have finished without injury. This is the first time I have
skied in February for four years – I have been in hospital every
other year."
Austrian Marcel Hirscher, who has won the World Cup overall
title for the last six years, entered these Games without an
Olympic gold and - at the age of 28 - he ended that anomaly.
Hirscher, stunningly smooth between the gates, danced his way to
the giant slalom title and the combined gold although he failed
to finish his first run in the slalom.
Once upon a time that would have been that but now it would not
be a major surprise if he were to return in Beijing at the age
of 32 and claim that missing gold in his favorite event.
Another Austrian, 27-year-old Matthias Mayer, won the super-G
title to add to his downhill gold from Sochi, not a bad return
for a man who has only four World Cup race wins to his name.
(Reporting by Simon Evans, editing by Ed Osmond)
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|