Subject: Vonn Wins Challenging Birds of Prey SG

Date: Monday, December 04, 2000 4:09 PM

U.S. Ski Team News Bureau

http://www.usskiteam.com

Monday, Dec. 4, 2000

Contact: Scott Flanders, 801.557.2813

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VONN WINS CHALLENGING BIRDS OF PREY SUPER SERIES SG

BEAVER CREEK, Colo. (Dec. 4) - U.S. Ski Team member Thomas Vonn

(Newburgh, NY) conquered an extremely challenging Birds of Prey course

to win a Chevy Truck Super Series super G race Monday.

Outdoor Life Network will air coverage of the Beaver Creek Super Series

March 8 and 15 at 9 p.m. EST.

Vonn took the win with a time of 1:24.28 on the infamous course.

Russia's Andrej Filischkin was second in 1:24.73 and Australian AJ Bear

was third with a time of 1:25.01.

The Birds of Prey course has seen its action over the last week as a

World Cup downhill and super G were recently run on it. Due to the World

Cup, Vonn may have had an advantage over a majority of the other

competitors as he was a forerunner for the World Cup races.

"I actually thought today's set was more difficult than the World Cup,"

said Vonn. "You had to have a better inspection and it was a lot more

random. The World Cup was more evenly set and a little bit turnier."

Vonn spent over an hour inspecting the course due to its length and

tricky sections.

"I was getting lucky in places," said Vonn. "Things were falling my way.

I was getting late and then suddenly I'd make a recovery."

The course, which features near-legendary steeps and huge air sections,

claimed its share of prey during today's race as 23 of 76 racers did not

finish.

Unfortunately, one of the 23 was U.S. Team member Dane Spencer (Boise,

ID), who was taken down the hill via sled after crashing. Preliminary

reports indicate a questionable rupture of the anterior cruciate

ligament of Spencer's right knee. There was also an indication of

possible meniscus damage, which will be confirmed as soon as the MRI

test results are complete.

The race also marked the return to International Ski Federation (FIS)

racing for Bill Johnson, who won a gold medal in downhill at the 1984

Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Johnson had not competed in a

FIS-level race since the 1989-90 season. On Birds of Prey, he finished

in 51st place with a time of 1:33.70 while racing in the same speedsuit

that crossed the finish line with him at the '84 Games.

"I love it (ski racing). I just love it, it's just a lot of fun," said

Johnson. "I have an opportunity to race in my own country in 2002, so I

have to give it my best shot. I haven't been able to get much training

in because I'm funding the whole thing by myself, but it felt good. Some

turns up there were good, some not so good."

Brett Fischer (Winter Park, CO) finished just off the podium in fourth

with a time of 1:25.20. Fischer has had an impressive week as he took a

29th place finish out of the 57th start spot in Saturday's World Cup

downhill on Birds of Prey.

The Chevy Truck Super Series continues Tuesday with a second super G. It

will conclude Wednesday with a giant slalom.

Please visit

http://www.usskiteam.com/events/2001/alpss/alpssbeavercreek.htm for

complete results and other information about the Chevy Truck Super

Series at Beaver Creek.

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