Coach accuses Baxters of lacking hunger after slalom slip-up

Published on Monday 27 February 2006 02:20

BRITAIN'S Alain Baxter was finally released from his Olympic nightmare with his 16th place from the cauldron of Saturday evening's floodlit Men's Slalom but he finished disappointed not to have done better. Also unhappy was the British skiing coach who, after witnessing 16th and 20th-place finishes for Alain and his brother Noel, questioned the Scottish siblings' hunger.

While Austria monopolised the podium, taking all three medals in what is undoubtedly the toughest Olympic medal to win, Baxter still returned the best-ever British men's Olympic Slalom result as he finished two seconds off the podium and 3.01 seconds short of the winning time set by Benni Raich.

Raich added the Slalom title to the Giant Slalom gold he won on Wednesday to complete an Austrian record of nine golds from the entire Games, and joined legends Alberto Tomba, Ingemar Stenmark, Jean-Claude Killy and Anton Sailer as the only men to win both technical disciplines in the same Games.

Reinfried Herbst's redemption after being dropped from the Austrian team after underperforming last season was completed as he unexpectedly won silver, while Rainer Schoenfelder rose from seventh after the first run to complete the medal whitewash for skiing's super power.

Raich won both runs, seeking to extend his first run lead of just one-hundredth of a second over Finland's Kalle Palander. He admitted later that he started not knowing the 1997 world slalom champion had been disqualified for straddling the second gate after a second run which would have given him silver.

On the Giovanni Agnelli piste where he scored his first-ever World Cup top-15 in 2000, Alain Baxter showed clear signs of nerves on the first run.

Starting with bib 33 he finished 1.56 seconds off Raich's first run time in 20th. Significantly he was 24th quickest on the top section of the course, but eighth fastest on the final split.

His second run attack was more convincing but for getting late on his line on the steep offset turns, but he only managed to gain two more places.

"It's a shame, another 16th," said Baxter who finished 16th in the World Championships in 2001 and last year. "Top 15 would have been nice because I would have got World Cup points for it, but it's my own fault. I was a bit passive on some parts of the course where I should have been attacking more, but it was a fast course, coming at you quick and you get what you're dealt. But I skied sections well."

Noel Baxter could not match his combined finish of 14th, skiing to 20th overall, replicating his result of Salt Lake in 2002.

Snowsport GB's performance director Mark Tilston was not pleased with the Baxters' results. "I am very disappointed," said Tilston. "I wouldn't say either of them really risked it. Alain put his foot on the gas once it was too late. There is more there in terms of Alain's skiing, he can do better but, to be honest, I am not exactly sure how you go out and get it out of him. The level of skiing they both can ski at, neither of them are really hungry. I don't know what the motivation is that they require.

"I think I can put my hand on my heart and say that everything has been done that could have been done. The coaches and athletes have worked as hard as they could. We skied to our positions today. We skied to our realistic result and that's the bottom line."