BORMIO, Italy, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Old rivals and childhood friends alike paired up to gun for Olympic glory on Monday in the debut of the new men's Alpine skiing team combined event.
The Austrians crossed their fingers, the Swiss hugged, and the Finns leaped into each other's arms at the end of the two-stage, two-person competition, which began with one participating in a downhill race in the morning and finished with the other going in the slalom run in the afternoon.
CHILDHOOD FRIENDS ON ONE TEAM
Childhood friends and teammates Kyle Negomir and River Radamus, who competed for the U.S., said they had never had the chance to ski as a team before.
"Me and River have grown up skiing together. I've been getting beat by this dude for the last 10 years of my life,” Negomir said after they finished second last in the event.
"I was probably more nervous than I was for my own racing," he added about watching his friend race the slalom leg later in the day.
Radamus found the experience equally powerful.
"I sat out here and I watched him on the first run and I was sort of moved because he skied so hard,” he said. "We've pushed each other for years now. So getting to race for my brother and for my country is a really special moment."
LONGTIME RIVALS WIN SILVER TOGETHER
World Cup leader Marco Odermatt crossed his fingers and let out a big sigh ahead of Swiss teammate Loic Meillard’s slalom run before meeting his countryman at the finish with a hug.
"We're always competing against each other, with Marco, fighting for top spots on the (giant slalom)," Meillard said of their battles in the discipline where they usually race individually.
There was bitter disappointment for the Italian pair, however, as Alex Vinatzer missed out on a golden opportunity to pick up another medal for the host country when he came home 18th in the slalom after his teammate, Olympic silver medallist Giovanni Franzoni, clocked the fastest time in the earlier downhill leg.
"I told him, ‘Sorry Gio (Giovanni), I tried — you deserved it,’ and he told me, ‘I know how it is, slalom is tough, so you gave it your best.’”
In the end it was downhill Olympic gold medallist Franjo von Allmen and Swiss compatriot Tanguy Nef who took gold, while Odermatt and Meillard tied for second with Austria’s Vincent Kriechmayr and Manuel Feller.
(Reporting by Marleen Kaesebier and Lisa Jucca in Bormio; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
