JEONGSEON, South Korea (Feb. 5, 2016) – Steven Nyman (Sundance, UT) nailed the podium in the first test event for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, taking third at the Audi FIS Ski World Cup downhill in Jeongseon.
On a beautiful sunny day in South Korea, the men got a chance to race the manicured PyeongChang downhill course. While there wasn’t much natural snow, the manmade surface held up for the 54 racers. Nyman stomped a fast run on the short track that heralded his gliding specialty, but Attacking Viking Kjetil Jansrud of Norway snuck ahead of him to take first with Dominik Paris of Italy on Jansrud’s heels in second.
"The snow was very responsive. It’s very similar to Beaver Creek and Lake Louise – dry, grippy," said Nyman after his podium finish. "It’s a joy to ski."
Steven Nyman skied to a podium in Korea. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Alain Grosclaude)
Rounding out the Americans in the points, new father Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, NY) finished 16th, with Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, CA) 18th and Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, CA) 22nd. Ganong, a pre-race favorite, landed hard off of the second jump and his left knee, which has a bone bruise, did not react well. Just out of the top 30, Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, CA) was 32nd, Jared Goldberg (Holladay, UT) 34th and Wiley Maple (Aspen, CO) 42nd. Tommy Biesemeyer (Keene, NY) fell, but got up and finished the Olympic downhill course to take 52nd.
Next up, the men race super G down the Jeongseon track. The race airs live on NBCSN and streams live on NBC Sports Live Extra at 10 p.m. EST on Saturday.
HIGHLIGHTS
- The Jeongseon downhill was the first 2018 Olympic test event.
- Steven Nyman took third, his best result of the 2015-16 season.
- It was Marco Sullivan’s best result of the season, topping his 22nd in the Kitzbuehel downhill.
- Andrew Weibrecht and his wife Denja became first-time parents as Denja gave birth to a girl, named Adalina Clune Weibrecht, on Feb. 4 in New York.
- Kjetil Jansrud won both Jeongseon training runs before winning the World Cup downhill.
- The men race super G in Jeongseon next with the event airing live on NBCSN and streaming live on NBC Sports Live Extra at 10 p.m. EST on Saturday.
QUOTES
Steven Nyman
The snow was very responsive. I like the air. It was very similar to yesterday. They have been clearing the piste and you can do anything you want on the snow. It’s very similar to Beaver Creek, Lake Louise – dry, grippy. It’s a joy to ski.
The past few stops have been so brutal on the body. It’s a little shorter course..it’s a sprint. You have to throw everything down and know it’s that way—similar to Beaver Creek. You just have to throw everything on the hill.
RESULTS
Men’s downhill