Maze wins St. Moritz super combined, extends overall lead
With the fastest time in both runs, Tina Maze is skiing like she’s trying to make a statement. It was another trademark cartwheel in St. Moritz, Switzerland Friday, as the Slovenian picked up her third win of the season (the other two came in GS) and extended her lead in the World Cup Overall.
After besting Lara Gut by 0.01 seconds and Maria Hoefl-Riesch by 0.05 in the morning’s super G, Maze led the field and proved she’s a contender to possibly win all three races this weekend, a stated goal for the circuit leader.
“I have trained extremely hard and this is my goal,” said Maze.
But it was her slalom run that really put her over the top. Maze skied an aggressive, near-perfect second run to close out the day, finishing well out in front with a total combined time of 2 minutes, 1.76 seconds. Austria’s Nicole Hosp took second on the day (+0.88), while Katherine Zettel, who recently won the slalom in Aspen, finished third (+1.08).
“I wasn’t expecting this result today, because I was imagining the super names like Lindsey and Maria up front,” said Zettel. “I was happy about my super G run and managed to keep the gap also during the slalom race which earned me a podium result today.”
Hoefl-Riesch, third after the first run, scored fourth in the end, while local hero Gut made it to fifth place after she was second in the first round.
Julia Mancuso, skiing with confidence after her second-place result in Lake Louise last week, lost some time throughout the second run, but earned World Cup points and posted the top U.S. finish, 11th. Laurenne Ross was 25th.
Lindsey Vonn, who stood in fourth after the morning’s super G, looked sloppy and lackadaisical from the moment she kicked out of the slalom start. She skied out after hitting the pitch, roughly 15 seconds into the run.
“It’s unfortunate, but it wasn’t my race,” Vonn said afterwards.
Tomorrow, Dec. 8, features the ladies’ super G. Tina Maze, eager to sweep the weekend, has never before reached the top of the podium in a super G.
The SCOOP
by Hank McKee
Women’s super combined, (SG-SL) St Moritz, Switzerland, Dec. 7, 2012.
Equipment
Skier, skis/boots/bindings
1 Maze, Stoeckli/Lange/Atomic
2 Hosp, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer
3 Zettel, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
4 Hoefl-Riesch, Head/Lange/Head
5 Gut, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
6 Duerr, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer
7 Fenninger, Head/Head/Head
8 Gagnon, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
9 Kirchgasser, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
10 Goergl, Head/Head/Head
Women’s super combined, St Moritz, Switzerland, Dec. 7, 2012. … It is the 15th of 74 races on the 2012-13 World Cup schedule. … The eighth of 38 women’s races and the first of two combineds. … It is the 39th Cup race hosted by St Moritz, the sixth combined. … St Moritz first hosted the Cup in 1971 with Walter Tresch winning a downhill and Tyler Palmer a slalom.
It is the 14th career World Cup victory for Tina Maze. … and her third of the season. … It is her second career World Cup combined win, the previous coming at Tarvisio March 4, 2011. … It is her third win at St Moritz having previously won in GS (2004) and in downhill (2008). … It is the 61st Cup win for Slovenia/Yugoslavia.
It is the 51st career Cup podium placing for Nicole Hosp. … her first of the season. … It is her sixth Cup win in combined and her fourth in combined at St Moritz. … the last three all coming in the 2012 calendar year. … She also owns a SG podium from 2006 at St Moritz.
It is the 41st career World Cup podium placing for Kathrin Zettel. … her fourth of the season in four completed races. … It is her fourth Cup podium in combined. … her first in any discipline at St Moritz.
Marie-Michele Gagnon misses her career best Cup combined placing by one, also scored at St Moritz last Jan. 29. … It is her third top 10 of the season. … Julia Mancuso matches her tenth best career Cup combined finish. … It is her second best in combined at St Moritz. … It is her fourth best of five scoring results this season. … It is her seventh best of 13 scoring finishes at St Moritz in call disciplines. … It is the 30th career scoring result for Laurenne Ross. … Her fifth in combined. … and her fifth at St Moritz. … It is her fourth score of the season.
Maze leads the World Cup overall standings 497=369 over Maria Hoefl-Riesch (fourth in race). … Zettel is third with 320pts. … Lindsey Vonn (DNF SL) leads the US in fourth with 310 and Mancuso in fifth with 181pts. … Austria leads the women’s Nations Cup 1185-908 over the US. … German is third with 714pts. … Canada is ninth with 191pts.
Results — Friday Super Combined, St. Moritz
| Rank | Name | Year | Nation | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total Time | FIS Points | ||
| 1 | MAZE Tina | 1983 | SLO | 1:19.06 | 42.70 | 2:01.76 | 0.00 | ||
| 2 | HOSP Nicole | 1983 | AUT | 1:19.66 | 42.98 | 2:02.64 | 7.73 | ||
| 3 | ZETTEL Kathrin | 1986 | AUT | 1:19.71 | 43.13 | 2:02.84 | 9.49 | ||
| 4 | HOEFL-RIESCH Maria | 1984 | GER | 1:19.11 | 43.84 | 2:02.95 | 10.46 | ||
| 5 | GUT Lara | 1991 | SUI | 1:19.07 | 44.08 | 2:03.15 | 12.22 | ||
| 6 | DUERR Lena | 1991 | GER | 1:19.83 | 43.47 | 2:03.30 | 13.53 | ||
| 7 | FENNINGER Anna | 1989 | AUT | 1:19.65 | 44.01 | 2:03.66 | 16.70 | ||
| 8 | GAGNON Marie-Michele | 1989 | CAN | 1:21.02 | 42.81 | 2:03.83 | 18.19 | ||
| 9 | KIRCHGASSER Michaela | 1985 | AUT | 1:21.13 | 42.95 | 2:04.08 | 20.39 | ||
| 10 | GOERGL Elisabeth | 1981 | AUT | 1:19.69 | 44.54 | 2:04.23 | 21.71 | ||
| 11 | MANCUSO Julia | 1984 | USA | 1:19.56 | 44.94 | 2:04.50 | 24.08 | ||
| 12 | CURTONI Elena | 1991 | ITA | 1:20.42 | 44.15 | 2:04.57 | 24.69 | ||
| 13 | BARTHET Anne-Sophie | 1988 | FRA | 1:20.83 | 43.93 | 2:04.76 | 26.36 | ||
| 14 | GISIN Dominique | 1985 | SUI | 1:20.71 | 44.18 | 2:04.89 | 27.51 | ||
| 15 | WORLEY Tessa | 1989 | FRA | 1:21.16 | 43.84 | 2:05.00 | 28.47 | ||
| 16 | MOWINCKEL Ragnhild | 1992 | NOR | 1:21.15 | 44.03 | 2:05.18 | 30.05 | ||
| 17 | MERIGHETTI Daniela | 1981 | ITA | 1:20.90 | 44.31 | 2:05.21 | 30.32 | ||
| 18 | BRIGNONE Federica | 1990 | ITA | 1:20.58 | 44.71 | 2:05.29 | 31.02 | ||
| 19 | BAILET Margot | 1990 | FRA | 1:20.81 | 44.55 | 2:05.36 | 31.64 | ||
| 20 | HOLDENER Wendy | 1993 | SUI | 1:22.29 | 43.45 | 2:05.74 | 34.98 | ||
| 21 | SEJERSTED Lotte Smiseth | 1991 | NOR | 1:20.63 | 45.31 | 2:05.94 | 36.73 | ||
| 22 | MARSAGLIA Francesca | 1990 | ITA | 1:20.77 | 45.23 | 2:06.00 | 37.26 | ||
| 23 | ALTACHER Margret | 1986 | AUT | 1:20.14 | 45.87 | 2:06.01 | 37.35 | ||
| 24 | STUHEC Ilka | 1990 | SLO | 1:21.24 | 44.85 | 2:06.09 | 38.05 | ||
| 25 | ROSS Laurenne | 1988 | USA | 1:20.25 | 45.88 | 2:06.13 | 38.40 | ||
| 26 | FANCHINI Elena | 1985 | ITA | 1:20.27 | 46.41 | 2:06.68 | 43.24 | ||
| 27 | AGERER Lisa Magdalena | 1991 | ITA | 1:20.84 | 45.86 | 2:06.70 | 43.41 | ||
| 28 | BRODNIK Vanja | 1989 | SLO | 1:22.44 | 44.84 | 2:07.28 | 48.51 | ||
| 29 | BARIOZ Taina | 1988 | FRA | 1:22.80 | 45.03 | 2:07.83 | 53.34 | ||
| 30 | BORSOTTI Camilla | 1988 | ITA | 1:21.54 | 46.43 | 2:07.97 | 54.57 | ||
| 31 | GANTNEROVA Jana | 1989 | SVK | 1:23.79 | 44.83 | 2:08.62 | 60.28 | ||
| 32 | KRIZOVA Klara | 1989 | CZE | 1:22.18 | 46.70 | 2:08.88 | 62.57 | ||
| 33 | MIKLOS Edit | 1988 | HUN | 1:22.63 | 46.97 | 2:09.60 | 68.90 | ||
| 34 | GUTIERREZ Mireia | 1988 | AND | 1:25.21 | 45.47 | 2:10.68 | 78.39 | ||
| 35 | SIMARI BIRKNER Macarena | 1984 | ARG | 1:24.25 | 46.52 | 2:10.77 | 79.18 | ||
| Did not start 2nd run | |||||||||
| FANCHINI Nadia | 1986 | ITA | |||||||
| AUFDENBLATTEN Fraenzi | 1981 | SUI | |||||||
| FORD Julia | 1990 | USA | |||||||
| FISCHBACHER Andrea | 1985 | AUT | |||||||
| YURKIW Larisa | 1988 | CAN | |||||||
| STECHERT Gina | 1987 | GER | |||||||
| SMITH Leanne | 1987 | USA | |||||||
| ALCOTT Chemmy | 1982 | GBR | |||||||
| SUTER Fabienne | 1985 | SUI | |||||||
| Did not finish 2nd run | |||||||||
| HRONEK Veronique | 1991 | GER | |||||||
| COOK Stacey | 1984 | USA | |||||||
| MARCHAND-ARVIER Marie | 1985 | FRA | |||||||
| CIPRIANI Enrica | 1988 | ITA | |||||||
| NOENS Nastasia | 1988 | FRA | |||||||
| BREM Eva-Maria | 1988 | AUT | |||||||
| DETTLING Andrea | 1987 | SUI | |||||||
| VONN Lindsey | 1984 | USA | |||||||
| Did not finish 1st run | |||||||||
| KLING Kajsa | 1988 | SWE | |||||||
| RUIZ CASTILLO Carolina | 1981 | SPA | |||||||
| COLETTI Alexandra | 1983 | MON | |||||||
| MIRADOLI Romane | 1994 | FRA | |||||||
| KAUFMANN-ABDERHALDEN Marianne | 1986 | SUI | |||||||
| MOSER Stefanie | 1988 | AUT | |||||||
About the Author: Geoff Mintz
