First of all… how do you feel?
I feel good. It definitely was a long trip over here. But I’m coming off some great results in downhill. So I’m confident. Physically I feel good. Mentally I feel good. I definitely trust myself on the mountain. So now it’s just a matter of stay physically prepared, and ummm, and deal with the weather that’s been presenting itself as a problem lately. But hopefully by the time we race next week, it’ll be back to normal weather conditions, and more of a fair playing field for everyone.
Nobody’s on the same slate?
Yeah wind is always a problem. You know, in ski racing it can really affect the results of the race. And, you know, when you’ve worked so hard for the Olympics and trying to be prepared and you get one gust of wind, your Olympic dreams can be over. It’s definitely frustrating. It shouldn’t happen but it’s an outdoor sport so that happens, like it did in Cortina for me, that’s the way it is. And you have to do under the situation, under the circumstances. Hopefully mother nature cooperates and its fair… but not always the case.
You’re coming from a very good winning series. Did you ever feel that prepared to go to an Olympics before or is this better?
I mean, in 2010 I won 6 races in a row in downhill so I was feeling pretty confident. I was definitely in a lot of pain because of my shin injury, an injury about 2 weeks before the Games. In that regard, I wasn’t quite as confident as I was in pain. But from a skiing perspective it’s very similar to 2010 how I feel now
Those two wins in Garmish, did they put your confidence at the top?
I definitely think it was important for me to win in Garmish. I think I would have had high confidence no matter what, because I know what I’m capable of. But it’s always nice to get those results. Especially right before the Olympics. Just to add that icing to the cake and add that extra level of confidence. That’s always important.
Whats so special about the snow here?
I feel like the snow here is very similar to Colorado. it’s very dry very dense, mostly man made. I like it. It’s grippy, aggressive, with the wind it can get a little more slick. I haven’t been on the downhill track yet, I’m just going off what the men said and how the track was last year. So I think it will be very similar. The wind has become the biggest problem. Two race postponements and it’s kind of interesting… it wasn’t rescheduled for next day, it was rescheduled for quite a few day later.
That’s a really hard position for the athletes to be in. But with weather, you can’t change it, you can’t predict it. You can just hope that it’s good on race day and we have a fair playing field.
What about the wind?
Yeah. The wind has caused problems not just for races but for training as well. The chairlifts aren’t able to run. We’re not able to get the training we hoped for and all around it’s causing a lot of problems. Hopefully it settles down. I’ve never really experienced a place that has consistent wind like this. You get a storm, it’s one or two days and goes away. But this has been pretty high winds since I got here. Hopefully it will change soon.
You seem to have a really good relationship with Sofia Goggia – is it hard to be a friend with someone who is a rival on the track?
No, we have a really good relationship actually. We’re friends. She came over to my house in Colarado and had coffee. We text and talk all the time. I just think we have a lot of respect for each other. She has had three ACL surgeries so she and I both know what it’s like to come back from injury so for that reason we have a really good understanding of each other. She’s also one of those people that just goes 110% every single time, which is very similar to me. I really like racing against her, I know she’s going to give it her all and I think that brings out the best in me as well.
Last year, Sofia beat you twice – both by small margins – what do you think will happen this time?
Hopefully the hundredths will be on my side this time. Last year she beat me by a little bit and I hope I can be a little in front of her this time. I think having my grandfather on my time is a pretty big advantage. I also have a lot of confidence. Now that the schedule has changed because of the cancellations, she’s going to be doing the GS right before the Super G so it’s going to be a tight schedule for her and for the other girls that are skiing the GS so hopefully that gives me an advantage too.
What can you tell us about choosing the perfect pair of skis for the race?
We pretty much have everything picked out already. For Super G we have two options. For downhill, we have to do a little bit of ski testing up there to see what is the fastest but I am already pretty sure what I am going to run on. But that’s up to Heinze as well. Heinze has got to tell me what is fast and from there we’ll work together to figure out what is the best pair.
You missed Sochi, so would it be fair to say you have some unfinished business in South Korea?
Well I definitely feel like I missed out on an opportunity in Sochi. I think I’ve figured out the Olympics, so to speak, after Vancouver. I thought that was a really big step for me as an athlete with my mental strength. So yes I do have some revenge I’d like to take on the Olympics and hopefully I can get some more opportunities and capitalise.
What about the cold? Is it affecting you and your training?
The cold here is very similar to growing up for me. In Minnesota, when I was racing, one year we recorded the lowest ever temp in Minnesota and I think the United states as well, but I raced in my dad’s hunting jacket, so a little bit warmer than a race suit. We are finding ways to stay warm. The coach has got us some extra warm jackets and heated pants we’re wearing and I’ve got two neckies on, multiple layers. I feel I can’t really move when I ski, but at least I’m warm! Hopefully it gets a little but more mild before the races. I’ll do whatever it takes to stay warm and try to keep moving before I race and hopefully that works.
Do you think two golds is possible?
I definitely think two gold medals is possible, but in the Olympics anything can happen, like we’ve seen with the wind. It could be windy. I don’t know exactly what the conditions will be, that’s hard to predict, but I’m definitely going to try as hard as I can to do that.
About the combined – when will you decide to do it?
I’m definitely going to do the combined. It’s perfect, because it’s the very last race of the Olympics on the alpine side, minus the team event. So I’ll be able to focus on downhill and super G, get my main events done, and then I can maybe train a day of slalom going into the combined. The combined is not an event I am expecting to get a medal in, but I know there’s a small chance I could get a medal, so I’m going to go in there and see what I can do, but I’m not expecting a whole lot.
Lindsehava was a good practice combined for me. I had a good super G run and the slalom run was solid but I know I can ski better. Fourth place in that race was good and showed me what I’m capable of. Now I have to give it more for the Olympics. If I can get a bigger lead going into the slalom, hopefully that can set me up and give me a little more wiggle room to get on the podium.
Do you think you can beat Stenmark’s record?
That’s my hope. That was always my plan, that this year I’d focus on the Olympics and then next year I can really focus on the win record. I’ve definitely picked up some steam this year and I’ve ticked away a couple of runs, which is nice. After the Olympics there are a few more World Cup races, but next year I’ll definitely focus on the World Cups and try to get as many wins as I can. I probably won’t do tech any more or the combined and just focus on getting that number as high as I can.
If you had to pick number of wins or OIympics, what would you pick?
I don’t want to pick. I want to get both. I refuse to say one or the other because I think they’re both very much possible.
Who are your main contenders for Super G and downhill?
IO think Sofia is going to be the biggest contender for both the speed events. I think fayrider will be fast as well. Shiffrin I think will be a contender in downhill. Hooter I think in downhill as well. There’s always a chance someone could in like Bassino and get a podium. There are quite a few very good technical skiers, depending on the course set, particularly in super G, who could get in there.
The Olympics are different. Everyone who has a lot of pressure and expectation coming in, those people don’t always win medals. There’s a lot of other things that go on at the Olympics that make it so more difficult to get on the podium, so anything is possible.
(For Norway) You missed Sochi. Do you have unfinished business?
Yes, I definitely feel I missed out on an opportunity in Sochi. I think I figured out the Olympics after Vancouver. I felt that was a really big step for me as an athlete, with my mental strength. I do have some revenge I’d like to take on the Olympic s and hopefully I can get some more opportunities I missed out on in Sochi and capitalise on those.
Eurosport, Casa delle Olimpiadi
