FasterSkier checked in with American sprinter Andy Newell after the first World Cup race of the season. Andy qualified in 14th in the freestyle sprint and was knocked out in the first round of heats, finishing 19th on the day. Last year Andy finished the season 6th overall on the World Cup in sprinting. Given his consistent top ten finishes last year, Andy was a bit disappointed with today’s performance.
FasterSkier: How did you feel about your race today?
Andy Newell: I was disappointed with today’s race. I didn’t qualify particularly fast — for me that is usually a sign that things aren't going my way. I felt a lot better during my heat, but made some big tactical errors. (Ed. Andy was often one of the fastest qualifiers last year, winning several qualifiers).
FS: Your heat was the slowest of the quarterfinal heats. This meant that advancing as a “Lucky Loser†was not really an option for you. Is this something that you think about during the race?
AN: Being a “Lucky Loser†usually isn't going through my mind during the heat…. I’m just focused on getting across the finish line in the first two positions. I’m not sure why the heat was slower. Pettersen (Norweigan Oeystein Pettersen) was flying in the prelim so I thought he was going to hammer, but he let Northug do a lot of the work. I got in a strong 2nd position behind Northug at the start of the second lap but let myself get pinched out to 4th on the final hairpin. I had good speed in the final stretch but couldn't make it up. It was my own fault. Stupid mistakes.
FS: How was the course?