Calgary, Alta. (December 17, 2016) – The men’s speed team was back on the famed Saslong track at Val Gardena, Italy today for a downhill race. Quebec’s Erik Guay narrowly missed out on back-to-back podium finishes, ending up in fifth-place, just 0.15 seconds from third. This is Guay’s best downhill finish of the season, following a sixth-place finish in the downhill opener at Val d’Isère, France, and 27th career top -ive finish in World Cup downhill.  

Val Gardena has held the classic Saslong downhill almost every year since 1969 and it is well known for the "Camel Humps" (or "Bumps"), a series of three small jumps which racers must negotiate in quick succession. Guay has proved six times he’s mastered the terrain on this track well enough to lead to a podium, including three times in a downhill. Today, Guay fell just shy of adding another Val Gardena podium to his decorated career accomplishments. 

Canadian Cowboy Manuel Osborne-Paradis, pushed out of the gate with bib number 28, finishing in 17th-place, for a season best result. Osborne-Paradis finished in a three-way tie for 17th with two Austrians: Hannes Reichelt and Matthias Mayer. Osborne-Paradis won the downhill at Val Gardena in 2009 and has seen a number of top ten and top 20 finishes at this venue. 

Max Franz from Austria stood on top of today’s downhill podium winning by just 0.04 seconds. Aksel Lund Svindal from Norway took second-place and U.S.A.’s Steven Nyman, three time downhill winner on the Saslong track, finished in third-place, 0.41 seconds back from the lead-time. 

The men’s technical athletes will race the classic giant slalom tomorrow in Alta Badia, Italy, while the women’s speed athletes will stay at Val d’Isère for a super-G race.

Canadian men’s results

5 – Erik Guay

17 – Manuel Osborne-Paradis

57 – Tyler Werry

Full results here. 

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