Spotlight on: Lara Gut

In case you haven't noticed, Lara Gut is something of a phenom.
The 17-year-old Swiss racer has raced in eight World Cups and in three of them, she's been in the top five. She was third in the downhill at St. Mortitz last year - her first World Cup DH start ever - and she came in third despite crashing through the finish line.
To start the season this year, she came in fifth in Soelden, which was her third World Cup giant slalom and the first in which she qualified for a second run.
Most of her success comes in the speed events. In January of last year she won four Europa Cups in a row at Caspoggio, Italy.
After Soelden though, who knows what she's capable of. Skiing like that could make her an overall contender.
To put her age in perspective, last year she was a second year J2. This year, she's a J1.

Here's the link to Gut's debut downhill where she crashes and still gets third.

Also, check out her journal (if you read German) on her Web site here.

Vonn injured in training

Lindsey Vonn suffered a bone bruise to her left knee while training at Copper Mountain, Colo. today. It happened during a morning super g session. Results from an MRI at the Vail Valley Medical Center showed no ligament damage and there has been no word on whether or not the injury will affect her race schedule. Coaches and doctors will monitor her over the next few days in order to gauge how seriously the injury will affect her.

Miller back in Slalom

It was long, long drought that would have swayed many other racers to lose heart, but not Bode Miller. For the first time since 2004 Miller found his way back to the slalom podium in the year’s first slalom at Levi, coming in second behind slalom phenom J.B. Grange and ahead of Austria’s Mario Matt.
Starting bib 31, it was apparent as Miller came over the first break over onto the pitch that he was back. The biggest difference: the skis. Miller’s tactics had not changed tremendously from last year or even the year before, but it seems Head has finally come up with something that will handle Miller’s attacking style. Word has it Miller is also in tip-top shape, which allows him to physically pull off the dead straight line he skis.
Fellow American Ted Ligety was one one-hundredth of a second ahead of Miller in the first run, but Ligety shot out of the course during the second at a problem gate that also claimed Austrians Reinfred Herbst and Benni Raich.
Jimmy Cochran also went out early in run two after he finished the first in 14th place. Interestingly, Cochran clocked the 60th fastest time on the top flat in run one, then catapulted to third fastest, tied with Grange and behind Miller and Ligety, on the steep.
Miller’s second-place finish brings his slalom podium tally to 12 and Levi was the first since 2004 when he had four top-three results, including 2 wins.

An example of Miller's direct style as he breaks over near the finish line at Levi.

The race in Levi also saw a greater than normal number of skiers from outside the top 30 make into the second run. Eleven total racers (average age 25) hammered from the back of the pack, while only 2 who started inside the top 30 DNFed. That means the conditions were good and the course held up well on the injected slope. Mattias Hargin, a Swedish Nordica athlete, moved from start position 47 to 7th overall, while Mitja Valencic of Slovenia started 59th and finished 9th on his new Fischers.