SPORTS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2015 Reichelt finally claims gold

BEAVER CREEK: A long and challenging road alpine ski world championship Super-G on his daughter covered her eyes before he was for Hannes Reichelt, so often the nearly man Thursday, exiting in the attacking style that helped up and skied down the hill despite an in alpine skiing, reached a perfect summit on has become his trademark. open wound. Thursday when the veteran clinched his A shaken Miller was able to ski to the bot- “Bode was skiing outstanding, he was maiden world championship gold medal. tom of the hill where he was greeted by a going for it absolutely sending it from top to The 34-year-old Austrian made a storming thundering ovation from the packed grand- bottom and putting down a run that inspired start to the men’s Super-G at Beaver Creek stand, who just might have witnessed the Americans, inspired the world,” said U.S. and did just enough on the bottom stretch of final chapter in a remarkable career. He exited team head coach Sasha Rearick. the plunging Birds of Prey course to beat his the hill and was taken to hospital with a grue- “Unfortunately in the Abyss he caught his closest challengers. some gash cutting across his right calf. arm on the gate, the force spun him around “That’s sounds really good-world champi- on,” Reichelt smiled after finishing 0.11 sec- onds ahead of unheralded Canadian Dustin Cook with Frenchman Adrien Theaux taking third. “To be at the top of the podium is a dream come true. “When I started, I said, ‘Ski aggressive and do what you can to make a good result here.’ I was pushing hard at the top ... to make the win is amazing.” SAN DIEGO: Nicholas Thompson reacts as his eagle Reichelt, who missed the 2014 Sochi chip lips out on the par-5 14th hole of the north Olympics because of back problems, won a course at Torrey Pines, during the first round of the World Cup Super-G on the same Birds of Prey Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament. —AP piste in December, but he knew he still had something to prove at the elite level of the sport. Thompson tops Though he claimed the World Cup season title in the Super-G in 2008, he had earned Torrey as wounded just one medal, a silver, from his previous five world championship appearances with some saying he lacked the ability to deliver when it Tiger quits again mattered most. LA JOLLA: Former world number one Tiger Woods withdrew “Some of the media guys said that BEAVER CREEK: Austria’s Hannes Reichelt celebrates on the podium after 11 holes of his opening round at the Farmers Insurance Reichelt at the big events, like world champi- after he won the men’s super-G competition at the alpine skiing world Open on Thursday because of a back complaint, with onships or Olympics, has some problems to championships. —AP American compatriot Nicholas Thompson leading the way at ski fast,” he grinned. “So I am really happy Torrey Pines. Woods, coming off his worst score as a profes- with this result today so that those guys are Competing in his first race of the season in an instant and he took a nasty crash. A real sional at the Phoenix Open last week, had been favouring his now quiet. after missing the start of the World Cup cam- nasty crash.” back throughout his round after being forced to sit and wait “Here it was really tough. I was one of the paign following back surgery, Miller took a Asked if he thought Miller would race out a lengthy fog delay. veterans and the pressure from outside was deep breath and pushed out of the start hut again at these championships Rearick was The 14-times major winner, who continued to struggle big but the pressure from myself was even onto a sun-kissed Birds of Prey layout to loud cautious but hopeful, “I hope so, we’re wait- with his swing and short game, was two-over-par on the bigger. That’s what makes me so happy cheers. ing for evaluation”. North course when he decided to pull out, his third withdraw- today.” With his wife Morgan and two children Long a favorite performer on the White al in his last nine tournaments. Thompson headed the field Reichelt, who made his world champi- looking on from the finish area, the 37-year- Circus, Miller has spent his career entertain- with an eight-under-par 64 on the North course, good enough onship debut in 2003 at St. Moritz, said he was old American launched into one of his patent- ing fans and bristling at authority often at for a one shot lead over Michael Thompson, who shot 65 on inspired as a child by fellow Austrian Rudolf ed charges, leading by more than half second odds with the US ski team and the the same layout. Forty two players failed to finish their round Nierlich, a three-times gold medallist at the at the second interval when disaster struck. International ski Federation. before darkness fell. worlds. As always, Miller raced on the edge He broke away from the US association Phoenix Open winner Brooks Koepka and Cameron “He was a great slalom skier and I watched searching for the most direct line possible to and started his own team travelling to races Tringale shared third at six-under on the North, while when he won a race in the world champi- the finish but clipped a gate with his left arm in a recreational vehicle that became known Columbian Jhonattan Vegas had arguably the best round of onships in Saalbach in ‘91 and it was remark- as he roared into the section of the course as the Bode-mobile and once threatened to the day as the only one of six players at five-under who played able to see him winning,” Reichelt recalled. known as the Abyss. He was twisted back- start his own race circuit. But above all Miller the South course. Woods was due on the tee after an already “For me, he was a hero and when I saw it, I wards, flying spread-eagled into the air was a ski racer, unorthodox and brilliant lengthy delay before more Thursday fog rolled over the hoped my day would also come and I would before slamming violently onto the snow his winning medals in all five alpine disciplines. coastal course, causing another suspension. also enjoy such a moment. But I had to fight skies exploded from his boots. His resume includes six Olympic medals “When we had that break. It just never loosened back up for it.” Miller tumbled down the hill before slow- (one gold), five world championship medals again. And when we went back out, it just got progressively Meanwhile, American showman Bode ly coming to a stop and managed a small (four gold), 33 World Cup wins and has tighter,” Woods told reporters. Miller, one of the greatest and most contro- wave to the crowd. While coaches rushed to twice been crowned overall World Cup “It’s frustrating that it started shutting down like that. I was versial skiers of all-time, crashed out of the Miller’s side his wife looked on in horror while champion. —Reuters ready to go. I had a good warm-up session the first time around. “Then we stood out here and I got cold, and every- thing started deactivating again. And it’s frustrating that I just can’t stay activated.” Sharapova targets Olympics FedEx Cup champion Billy Horschel, who was playing with Woods, noticed something was wrong early in the round and PARIS: Maria Sharapova leads Russia in their Fed Cup World Group 2012. Attention will also be focussed on her new team captain even started picking up tees for him. opener against Poland this weekend looking to take a step closer to Anastasia Myskina, who a decade ago threatened to pull out of the “If I didn’t see it on 10 (their first hole), I saw it on 11,” the 2016 Olympics. It will be the first meeting between the two coun- Russian team if Sharapova was selected. Horschel said. “Then I asked him when I walked off 12 tee, I tries and a rare Fed Cup appearance by 2012 Olympic silver medallist Myskina, the first Russian woman to win a Grand Slam at Roland said: ‘back hurting you again?’ He said: ‘Spasms’. It was unfor- Sharapova, who must compete in the women’s team event if she Garros in 2004, the year she spearheaded their first Fed Cup victory, tunate. wants to bid for gold in Rio next year. The Russian star, runner-up to retired as a player in 2007 and took over the Fed Cup captaincy in “He’s a fighter. He wants to get the reps in, he wants to Serena Williams at the Australian Open last Saturday, has played just 2014. Russia are favorites with world number two Sharapova joined by play well, and he kept trying to play through it, hoping that three ties for Russia since her 2008 debut and has a 3-1 singles record. 27th-ranked Sveltana Kuznetsova, a two-time Grand Slam winner, it would loosen up and I think it was getting there. “It was Champions the Czech Republic open their defence against Canada Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (34), and Vitalia Diatchenko (82). World real tough to see him walk and even make swings.” The 39- in Quebec City, as 2014 runners-up Germany host Australia in Stuttgart Group newcomers Poland will be led by former Wimbledon finalist year-old Woods now has six withdrawals in 304 PGA tourna- and France travel to play Italy, last year’s semi-finalists, in Genoa. The Agnieszka Radwanska, ranked eighth, after her run to the fourth round ment starts but all of them have come in the last five hardcourt clash on Saturday and Sunday at Krakow Arena will see 27- of the Australian Open, alongside her younger sister Urszula, ranked years.—Reuters year-old Sharapova return to Fed Cup for the first time since February 135. —AFP