We couldn't be happier for Swiss skier Daniel Albrecht, who won the first race of the 2007 Birds of Prey World Cup events at Beaver Creek, edging second-place finisher Jean-Baptiste Grange of France and the Czech Republic's Ondrej Bank for the super-combined gold.
Putting together a tricky mix of high speed for the downhill portion and slowing down for the ultimate in technical prowess for slalom, Albrecht said he didn't recall having any special corn flakes for breakfast or saying any magical chant before his win.
The Swiss skier, despite his gold in last year's world championship super-combined race and silver in giant slalom, had never stood at the top of a World Cup podium until Thursday. You'll never guess who he chose as a hand-off for his award roses. That's right ... the hard-working girls of Plum Vail were the lucky recipients. Needless to say, those flowers will hold a special and boastful spot here at headquarters.
For Grange and Bank, the silver and bronze are by far the best result either skier has ever landed in his respective racing career. Hats off, boys.
The Americans had a decent showing. Crowd favorite Bode Miller came in a respectable fourth Thursday, while Ted Ligety took eighth and TJ Lanning landed in 10th.
Tennis icon Andre Agassi did the honor of doling out awards and handshakes.
Keep watch at Plum for more Birds of Prey coverage.
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