Slovenia's Dejan Kosir and Tomas Knafelj made it a surprising race today and almost shared the podium. In the semi-finals, Kosir was leading in the first run when former ski jumper Knafelj crashed and could not manage to close the gap in the second run, ending up in the consolation round for third place.
Kosir, who took 2nd in Friday's Parallel Slalom, was not among the top contenders in Parallel GS, but he proved his worth in this discipline today. Meeting Nicolas Huet in the finals, Kosir won the first run and finally claimed the gold with a margin of just 1.82 seconds ahead, even though Huet won the second run.
"This really was a great weekend with two times finishing top-3," he said, "I was well prepared and came here for a good result but I was not confident after a 15th place in the qualification. Once it got to the finals it just worked fine and when I reached the quarterfinal, I was happy since that was what I had wanted. The snow was really good with a lot of grip and I felt strong on the board which made me confident. I used my experience and it paid off. However, I did not expect such a result since I am still learning in Parallel GS. Slalom is my favorite and I am safe at that one, but there is some luck needed also and I had it today," Kosir said from the finish.
Pulling 2nd today, Huet claimed his third podium this weekend. "The reason for the French success is the conditions overall," he explained, "we are a professional team with riders and coaches alike having fun training. Accommodation is always convenient and our sponsors support us a lot so there is no reason not to feel good and go for top results. Three days of parallel racing have been very tiring and I was almost dying today but I do not want to let any chance pass by this season and just did my best so I am glad it paid off."
Knafelj looked really strong today and made it to the consolation round where he met Jasey Jay Anderson. The Canadian took the lead after the first run with 47 hundredths of a second and finally claimed the bronze when Knafelj crashed in the second run.
"I've been riding well all week so I expected to do good today," Anderson said, "consistency is what was mostly required so I tried to get the feeling a bit more - doing so many runs, anything can happen."
Kanfelj just could not believe he took 4th: "For the first time I rode like I always wanted," he said, "I knew I was able to beat those guys, but I just couldn't show it so far. It is just great." This is his best result ever after the fifth place in Giant Slalom at Tignes.
So after three races, Huet has increased his lead in the overall Parallel standings, ahead of Kosir and Mathieu Bozzetto, who did not make it to the finals today and ended 27th.
France's Karine Ruby untied her knot today, winning the women's race. She was leading over her teammate Isabelle Blanc after the first run by just 11 hundredths of a second but crashed halfway down the second run. However, she still took it after Blanc crashed further down toward the finish.
"This is my first win in Parallel GS in quite some time," Ruby said. "It means a lot to me that I beat Isabelle since she won the Parallel World Cup last season."
Blanc was disappointed about the way she lost, but was happy with her result: "I knew I could get it together today, but I made a mistake like a beginner. When Karine crashed, I lost my concentration and although I got it together again she was just too fast. With my experience, this should not have happened but I am happy with second place."
For the Italians, Margherita Parini pulled 3rd, ahead of Lidia Trettel. Ruby is now leading the overall Parallel standings ahead of Trettel and Blanc.
The World Cup riders head on to Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, now where the next stage will be held Dec. 8-11, featuring Giant Slalom, Halfpipe and Snowboard Cross.
— Britta Semmler, MountainZone.com Correspondent
