First of all, congratulations on your sprint race. I know you were hoping for more, but your result is still impressive.
You finished second in the prelim. Did your prelim finish affect your approach to the heats? Does it give you more confidence, or add more pressure, or not change anything?
For me, having a fast prelim only adds confidence for the heats. It makes you know that you can ski faster than the guys your up against and also gives you the fist lane choice in the quarterfinals. Their are so many fast skiers over here that no matter where you qualify there will be tough racers in your heats but thats what makes it so exciting. Its a little like gambling and getting the luck of the draw in the first heats but I think that makes it more fun too.
Tell us about your quarterfinal heat. You had a tough group of skiers. What was your strategy, and how did it play out?
It was a tough heat but I think I had as good a chance as any with that group of skiers. My strategy was to take control and if I was in the lead at the top of the hill to do a stop and go type of thing to get a gap into the downhill. I knew If a got a gap it would come back together on the downhill but that I could still remail in front. Unfortunatly three skiers were able to get by on the transition. I tried to pass back Tobias going up the gradual hill into the stadium, but prabubly should have tried to be more patient and wait until the lanes to make my move. Live and learn right?
Sprint racing is unpredictable. The fastest skier isn't always the one who wins. Over the past year or so, you seem to have figured out how to advance through the heats at the highest level of competition. Do you enjoy the unpredictability? Does it get frustrating at times?
