Men’s downhill ski race postponed because of high winds
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JEONGSEON, South Korea – It will be a few days before the Alpine skiing speed events take place at the Olympics.
Sunday’s men’s downhill was postponed because of high winds at the Jeongseon Alpine Centre. Training for the downhill portion of the Alpine combined that was scheduled for Monday also was postponed: The downhill was rescheduled for Thursday, and the Alpine combined downhill will be Friday, the International Ski Federation announced on Sunday.
An icy wind whipped the flags at the entrance to Jeongseon as officials stood down from their preparations to hold one of the premier skiing events of the Olympics. The men’s downhill was to have been the first Alpine skiing event of these Games.
The speed events are being held at a mountain south of the heart of PyeongChang’s mountain cluster. The Jeongseon course is nearly 2 miles long, beginning at an altitude 4,494 feet with 2,706 feet of vertical drop.
The technical events are at YongPyong Resort, which is close to the Olympic Village, Alpensia Olympic Park (jumping, sliding and cross-country), and the Main Press Center, which are all in close proximity.
American Bryce Bennett had been scheduled to start second on Sunday, one of four American entries. Jared Goldberg, Wiley Maple, and Thomas Biesemeyer are the others.
Vincent Kriechmayr of Austria was fastest in Saturday’s final downhill training run, but Kjetil Jansrud of Norway was in the top two all three days of practice at Jeongseon.
Bennett has been consistently fast here – seventh on Thursday, sixth on Friday and ninth Saturday. Biesemeyer was 13th Saturday, his best showing of the three days.
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