Hemetsberger a 'happy psychopath' after final downhill training / Photo: Fabrice COFFRINI - AFP
Hemetsberger a 'happy psychopath' after final downhill training
Austrian Daniel Hemetsberger took to Friday's third and final training run for the men's Olympic downhill looking like he had come straight from a boxing match.
A fall on Thursday left the racer with a broken nose, lacerations on his cheek and a badly bruised left eye, as well as a sore leg.
The 34-year-old, who finished 21st in Beijing four years ago, came second in Friday's training, proclaiming himself a very satisfied "psychopath" after overcoming mental and physical challenges.
Times were unimportant, however, as the racers who deigned to take to the Stelvio course finetuned their lines down the course in the kind of flat light that is also forecast for Saturday's medal race.
"I'm happy because I made it today. That was the reason why I was at the start today, to know my body is good enough to ski tomorrow. So mission accepted," said Hemetsberger.
"My face, well, it's a bit of a problem because it's swollen under my eye. So my vision isn't that good on the left eye.
"The right is completely good. It was a bit more difficult than on the other days. But I made it to the finish line, so I'm happy at the moment."
Along with the facial injuries came a toothless grin -- something he explained was not caused by Thursday's tumble.
"I lost them 10 years ago!" Hemetsberger said of his missing teeth. "Yesterday, all teeth were where they had to be."
The Austrian, along with teammates Vincent Kriechmayr, Raphael Haaser and Stefan Babinsky, will look to outgun Marco Odermatt's strong Swiss quartet and an Italian team including Giovanni Franzoni and Dominik Paris for Olympic glory.
Paris had sought Hemetsberger out while waiting at the start hut for a selfie, the Italian veteran grinning deeply as he pointed a finger at the Austrian's battered face before clicking a shot.
"Everyone who takes a look at me is like 'Can I take a picture?'" rued Hemetsberger.
- Relief at finishing -
Paris, a seven-time winner on the Stelvio, joked: "I had to do this picture!
"I'm a bit sorry for Daniel that he had this bad crash yesterday, but he's feeling okay, I think, he was in the start.
"He looks a bit horrible in the face, but it's good he's not injured and hopefully he can do the race tomorrow."
Hemetsberger's delight in completing the training run alone was obvious to see, a fist pumping the air as he came into the finish area.
"I was happy because at the start I wasn't sure if my body is good enough. The possibility to crash was really high because I didn't know at the start how good my leg is," he said.
"I was completely satisfied that I made it to the finish."
He added that his mindset had also been an issue.
"I wasn't sure if I could make it. But I made it, so it's better.
"I had to push because I wanted to know how my body reacts. And that was the mission. And it was successful. So I'm happy at the moment.
"Tomorrow my mind will be better at the start.
"I'm a bit of a psychopath... I wasn't sure at the start if it would be good or not. But I tried and I believed. And it was good enough."
The men's downhill, the prestige event of alpine skiing and the first major competitive highlight of the Milan-Cortina Games, is slated for 1030 GMT on Saturday.
L.Bauer--FFMTZ
