gerard
02-20-2006, 04:13 PM
SAUZE D'OULX, Italy (Reuters) - Brotherly love will be left at the top of the mountain when Switzerland's Philipp and Simon Schoch battle for supremacy in snowboarding's Olympic parallel giant slalom on Wednesday.
Philipp, 26, is Olympic champion but his older brother is the World Cup leader and the top duo may have to race against each other on identical, parallel courses.
"Our preparations have been perfect and right now we're feeling really confident," Simon said recently.
Despite 27-year-old Simon's top ranking this season, opponents still fear Salt Lake City winner Philipp more because of his Olympic experience. He carried the Swiss flag at Turin's opening ceremony.
"Philipp Schoch is undoubtedly the strongest, he has won many competitions this year and so he will definitely be on the podium," Austrian parallel giant slalom racer Alexander Maier told reporters. "But this is the Olympics, so we'll see."
The Swiss team are clear favorites in Bardonecchia and have dominated in recent years, partly because of the absence of any top U.S. riders, powerhouses in halfpipe and snowboard cross.
"PGS is not really big in the U.S.," said Tracy Anderson, associate editor of Future Snowboarding, a leading snowboarding publication. "A lot of people don't know it exists. The sport in the U.S. is much more free-riding oriented."
Snowboard cross made a thrilling Olympic debut last week with some exciting finishes, including U.S. favorite Lindsey Jacobellis surrendering a gold medal in the women's race by falling on the penultimate jump as she tried to grab her board.
The success of snowboard cross may further hit the popularity of parallel giant slalom. Several riders were irked that their course was created by flattening the snowboard cross circuit, while heavy snow made training hard on Monday.
"There are still bumps from the snowboard cross," said Daniela Meuli, Switzerland's top female PGS rider and favorite for the women's competition on Thursday.
Despite the rise of snowboard cross, a showdown involving the Swiss brothers should help parallel giant slalom back into the headlines.
Philipp, 26, is Olympic champion but his older brother is the World Cup leader and the top duo may have to race against each other on identical, parallel courses.
"Our preparations have been perfect and right now we're feeling really confident," Simon said recently.
Despite 27-year-old Simon's top ranking this season, opponents still fear Salt Lake City winner Philipp more because of his Olympic experience. He carried the Swiss flag at Turin's opening ceremony.
"Philipp Schoch is undoubtedly the strongest, he has won many competitions this year and so he will definitely be on the podium," Austrian parallel giant slalom racer Alexander Maier told reporters. "But this is the Olympics, so we'll see."
The Swiss team are clear favorites in Bardonecchia and have dominated in recent years, partly because of the absence of any top U.S. riders, powerhouses in halfpipe and snowboard cross.
"PGS is not really big in the U.S.," said Tracy Anderson, associate editor of Future Snowboarding, a leading snowboarding publication. "A lot of people don't know it exists. The sport in the U.S. is much more free-riding oriented."
Snowboard cross made a thrilling Olympic debut last week with some exciting finishes, including U.S. favorite Lindsey Jacobellis surrendering a gold medal in the women's race by falling on the penultimate jump as she tried to grab her board.
The success of snowboard cross may further hit the popularity of parallel giant slalom. Several riders were irked that their course was created by flattening the snowboard cross circuit, while heavy snow made training hard on Monday.
"There are still bumps from the snowboard cross," said Daniela Meuli, Switzerland's top female PGS rider and favorite for the women's competition on Thursday.
Despite the rise of snowboard cross, a showdown involving the Swiss brothers should help parallel giant slalom back into the headlines.