Janka wins first-ever Super-G event in Korea

Switzerland’s Carlo Janka is airborne during a men’s World Cup super-G race, also a test event of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, at the Jeongseon Alpine Centre in Jeongseon, Korea, Sunday. / AP-Yonhap

By Nam Hyun-woo

JEONGSEON, Gangwon Province -- Carlos Janka of Switzerland collected the gold medal at the 2016 Audi FIS (International Ski Federation) Ski World Cup Super-G race at Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, Sunday, becoming the first winner in the discipline at the new 2018 PyeongChang Olympic course.

The event at Jeongseon Alpine Center, the venue for the Olympic alpine downhill, Super-G and combined, was the first of 28 Olympic and Paralympic tests for the PyeongChang Winter Games.

The Swiss skier clocked the course in 1 minute 26.16 seconds to claim his first-ever World Cup win in Super-G, besting Christof Innerhofer of Italy with 1:26.98 and Vincent Kriechmayr of Austria who recorded 1:27.22 to come in third.

From left, runner-up Christof Innerhofer of Italy, winner Carlo Janka of Switzerland and third-place finisher Vincent Kriechmayr of Austria pose for photos during the award ceremony for a men's World Cup super-G race, also a test event for the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, at the Jeongseon Alpine Centre in Jeongseon, Korea, Sunday. / AP-Yonhap

Janka collected both the Olympic gold medal in giant slalom at the Vancouver 2010 Games and the overall World Cup title in 2010, but had been far from the top of the podium this season until Sunday.

“It was not an easy Super-G today,” said Janka. “I encountered some difficulties, including the jumps, but I took those risks and everything worked.”

The only Korean skier in the race, Kim Hyeon-tae, clocked 1:33.33 to finish in 42nd place.

Kim Hyeon-tae, the only Korean skier at a men's World Cup super-G race, also a test event for the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, leaves the course after he finished his race at the Jeongseon Alpine Centre in Jeongseon, Korea, Sunday. / Yonhap

Norwegian Kjetil Jansrud, the winner of the downhill race on the same course a day earlier, was among the 11 skiers who did not finish on Sunday. Super-G world No. 3 Jansrud, No. 2 American Andrew Weibrecht and No. 4 Italian Dominik Paris also couldn’t finish the race.