Defending champion Thomas Morgenstern will once again be the man to beat as the 2008-2009 ski jumping World Cup gets under way in Kuusamo, Finland, today.
The 21-year-old Austrian wrapped up the 2007-2008 title with six legs of the season to spare, having secured 10 victories and 16 podium finishes over the course of the campaign.
And despite his dominance of the event, the dual Olympic champion still feels there is room for improvement.
“Day after day I progress and I become stronger,” he told the press in his native country, where he was elected sportsman of the year. “Theoretically, I hope to win 10 races like I did last season and retain the crystal globe.”
Despite his intentions for the World Cup, Morgenstern said the World Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic, in February are his No. 1 priority.
“I have a mission to accomplish at Liberec, a jump which suits me the best,” said the world No. 1, who has already recorded four wins in the Czech Republic, including his first ever World Cup victory.
Before next year’s World Championships, Morgenstern faces another important assignment in the form of the Four Hills, the most prestigious competition in the sport and one which Austria’s feted Wunderteam have not won since 2000.
Equally important to Austria’s hopes of ending that drought is the prodigious Gregor Schlierenzauer, who became world ski flying champion at just 18.
One competitor who will not be troubling Morgenstern and Schlierenzauer is Janne Ahonen, the Finnish great having retired from ski jumping in the spring after claiming a record five victories in the Four Hills.
■ ALPINE SKIING
AFP, LAKE LOUISE, CANADA
Reigning overall champ Bode Miller posted the fastest time in Wednesday’s training run for the season-opening World Cup downhill.
The 31-year-old American finished ahead of a pair of Austrian rivals, Klaus Kroell and Michael Walchhofer.
Miller took advantage of sunny conditions on Wednesday, charging down the 3,025 metre course in a time of one minute, 47.22 seconds.
Kroell was just eight-hundredths of a second behind, while Walchhofer was third in 1:47.40.
Aksel Lund Svindal, the 2006-2007 World Cup overall champ, was 10th in 1:47.95, while Austrian legend Hermann Maier placed 22nd with a time of 1:48.66.
The top Canadian was Erik Guay, who placed 20th in 1:48.59.
Miller is hoping to repeat his past success in Lake Louise where he won the downhill and super-G in 2004.
Temperatures hit minus 2˚C at the start of the training run and the forecast is for snow showers for tomorrow’s downhill. A Super-G is scheduled for Sunday.
The men returned to the slopes for a second training run yesterday. The final training run is today, before the season-opening speed races.
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