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Switzerland: Swiss eye skiing boost in Vancouver
Tuesday, 09 February 2010
Posted by http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news
Paris (AFP) - Switzerland, a country with a well-founded reputation for its obsession with alpine sports, have set their sights on a medal haul of 13 from the Olympic Winter Games.
"Based on an analysis of results in previous years, we are aiming for thirteen medals," said a confident Urs Lehmann, president of the Swiss Ski Association.
Lehmann said that the country which boasts some of the world's best known ski resorts would be represented in seven disciplines and a particular emphasis would be on alpine skiing.
"We have our sights set on six medals in alpine skiing - four in men's and two in women's," he told the Swiss Review.
"We were the top nation in the 2009 World Championships for the first time in 20 years."
After the disappointment of the alpine skiers at the 2006 Games in Torino, when they garnered just one silver (Martina Schild in downhill) and two bronze (Ambrosi Hoffmann in super-G, Bruno Kernen in downhill), things turned around at last year's worlds.
Didier Cuche won gold in the super G and silver in the downhill, Carlo Janka gold in the giant slalom and bronze in the downhill, with teenager Lara Gut claiming silver in the women's downhill and super combined.
However, in a big blow to the Swiss team, Gut will miss the Olympic Winter Games after failing to recover from a hip injury along with Franzi Aufdenblatten (knee) and Schild (knee).
For the women, Fabienne Suter, Dominique Gisin and Nadia Styger all have the potential to hit podium while veteran Cuche, Janka and Didier Defago, as well as Silvan Zurbriggen, will all surely threaten in the men's events.
The Swiss team will also be pegging their hopes on their snowboarding and snow cross stars, despite the absence through injury and subsequent retirement of reigning Olympic snowboard cross champion Tanja Frieden.
Fraenzi Maegert-Kohli and Patrizia Kummerin won world championship medals in alpine and Mellie Franco and Olivia Nobs in snowboard cross, but Lehmann warned that it would be tough in Whistler, the Canadian host resort.
"In freestyle skiing, there is, of course, the Olympic champion, Evelyne Leu, and a very talented young men’s team, four of whom finished in the top 10 of the overall World Cup rankings, including Andreas Isoz and Thomas Lambert."
In ski jumping, the Swiss have their own star in Simon Ammann, world gold medallist last year and second in the overall World Cup rankings.
In Dario Cologna, there is another gold medal hope, the cross-country skier having topped the 2009 overall World Cup rankings.
With both curling teams eyeing a podium push and former two-time world champion Stephane Lambiel returning to timely form with a silver medal showing at this month's European figure skating championships, Switzerland has an outside chance of returning with more than its record 15-medal haul at the 1988 Calgary Games.
The Swiss team finished in eighth place overall four years ago with a total medal haul of 14 - five golds, four silver and five bronze, a significantly better return than at previous Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City (11) and Nagano (7).
lp/dj10
Paris (AFP) - Switzerland, a country with a well-founded reputation for its obsession with alpine sports, have set their sights on a medal haul of 13 from the Olympic Winter Games.
"Based on an analysis of results in previous years, we are aiming for thirteen medals," said a confident Urs Lehmann, president of the Swiss Ski Association.
Lehmann said that the country which boasts some of the world's best known ski resorts would be represented in seven disciplines and a particular emphasis would be on alpine skiing.
"We have our sights set on six medals in alpine skiing - four in men's and two in women's," he told the Swiss Review.
"We were the top nation in the 2009 World Championships for the first time in 20 years."
After the disappointment of the alpine skiers at the 2006 Games in Torino, when they garnered just one silver (Martina Schild in downhill) and two bronze (Ambrosi Hoffmann in super-G, Bruno Kernen in downhill), things turned around at last year's worlds.
Didier Cuche won gold in the super G and silver in the downhill, Carlo Janka gold in the giant slalom and bronze in the downhill, with teenager Lara Gut claiming silver in the women's downhill and super combined.
However, in a big blow to the Swiss team, Gut will miss the Olympic Winter Games after failing to recover from a hip injury along with Franzi Aufdenblatten (knee) and Schild (knee).
For the women, Fabienne Suter, Dominique Gisin and Nadia Styger all have the potential to hit podium while veteran Cuche, Janka and Didier Defago, as well as Silvan Zurbriggen, will all surely threaten in the men's events.
The Swiss team will also be pegging their hopes on their snowboarding and snow cross stars, despite the absence through injury and subsequent retirement of reigning Olympic snowboard cross champion Tanja Frieden.
Fraenzi Maegert-Kohli and Patrizia Kummerin won world championship medals in alpine and Mellie Franco and Olivia Nobs in snowboard cross, but Lehmann warned that it would be tough in Whistler, the Canadian host resort.
"In freestyle skiing, there is, of course, the Olympic champion, Evelyne Leu, and a very talented young men’s team, four of whom finished in the top 10 of the overall World Cup rankings, including Andreas Isoz and Thomas Lambert."
In ski jumping, the Swiss have their own star in Simon Ammann, world gold medallist last year and second in the overall World Cup rankings.
In Dario Cologna, there is another gold medal hope, the cross-country skier having topped the 2009 overall World Cup rankings.
With both curling teams eyeing a podium push and former two-time world champion Stephane Lambiel returning to timely form with a silver medal showing at this month's European figure skating championships, Switzerland has an outside chance of returning with more than its record 15-medal haul at the 1988 Calgary Games.
The Swiss team finished in eighth place overall four years ago with a total medal haul of 14 - five golds, four silver and five bronze, a significantly better return than at previous Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City (11) and Nagano (7).
lp/dj10