Rebensburg reclaims GS overall lead with win at home in Ofterschwang

It was a beautiful homecoming for German skier Viktoria Rebensburg who won the fifth World Cup race of her career in front of a home crowd today (March 2) in sunny and warm Ofterschwang, Germany. 

Rebensburg held a 0.11-second lead after the first run and only gave up a few hundredths of a second to win by 0.06 seconds today and reclaim the lead in the overall GS standings with a 44-point advantage over the previous leader, Tessa Worley of France (seventh today).

“The crowd was really cool,” said Rebensburg. “I didn’t really have such a good feeling in the second run because it was pretty tough. I’m so, so happy. It’s a wonderful day.”

Slovenia’s Tina Maze continued her impressive season, earning her eighth World Cup podium of the season in second today. She has yet to win a race this season.

It was a crowded podium as Austrian Elisabeth Goergl and Italian Irene Curtoni tied for third, both 0.74 seconds behind Rebensburg. It was Curtoni’s first carer World Cup podium. 

Today’s race, which replaced a contest canceled by snowfall at Courchevel in December and was again pushed back by wind in Soldeu in January, is the first of three races (two giant slaloms and a slalom) scheduled here this weekend. The snow and wind seemed a season or two away today in Bavaria as skies were a cloudless blue and the sun brought temperatures up to 50 degrees by the end of the race.

Sweden’s Jessica Lindell-Vikarby had the best giant slalom result of her World Cup career in fifth place, just two hundredths of a second off of the four woman podium.

One of the most impressive performances of the day came from Italian speed specialist Nadia Fanchini, who with the 57th start, skied into 16th in the first run, then put down the fastest second-run of the day to finish sixth and tie her career high in the discipline.

American Julia Mancuso was in sixth place after the first run, 0.85 seconds back. She held a lead at the top of the second run course but slipped behind the fastest women near the middle of the course to finish ninth and record her second best GS result of the season (she finished third in Aspen in November).

Lindsey Vonn, who stood 1.05 seconds behind the leader in 10th after the first run, had trouble keeping her skis on the snow while navigating the rollers at the top of the second-run course. She finished 10th today and currently stands fourth in the overall GS rankings after winning the first World Cup GS of her career in Soelden in October. Vonn surrendered 54 points of her now 474-point lead in the overall standings to runner-up Maze with just eight races remaining on the women’s World Cup schedule.

U.S.teammate Resi Stiegler just missed the cut for the 30-woman second run in 34th after the first run, 2.83 seconds behind the leader.

World Cup racing continues in Ofterschwag Saturday with a second giant slalom, followed by a slalom on Sunday.

MORE TO COME

Image by Gepa

The SCOOP
by Hank McKee
Women’s World Cup Giant Slalom, Oftenschwang, Germany, March 2, 2012
Equipment
Skier, skis/boots/bindings
1 Rebensburg, Nordica/Nordica/Marker
2 Maze, Stoeckli/Lange/Atomic
3 Curtoni, Fischer/Lange/Fischer
3 Goergl, Head/Head/Head
5 Lindell-Vikarby, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
6 Fanchini, Dynastar/Lange/Look
7 Worley, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
8 Koehle, Voelkl/Tecnica/Marker
9 Mancuso, Voelkl/Lange/Marker
10 Vonn, Head/Head/Head

Women’s World Cup Giant Slalom, Oftenschwang, Germany, March 2, 2012. … It is the 29th race of the women’s 39 race 2012 World Cup schedule. … It is the sixth of nine scheduled GS’s. … It is a make-up race from the twice canceled race scheduled at Courchevel Dec. 17, again at Courchevel Dec. 18 by heavy snowfall and at Soldeu-Grandvalira Feb. 10 by high winds. … It is the 12th World Cup hosted at Ofterschwang and seventh GS, the last in 2009. … It is the first of a three race set at the site this season.

It is the fifth career World Cup win for Viktoria Rebensburg. … all in GS. … It is his second win of the season, the previous coming at Aspen Nov. 26. … Her wins have all come in different countries.

It is the 36th career World Cup podium result for Tina Maze. … Her 15th in GS. … It is her eighth podium of the season without a win. … her second in GS. … She has been second six times this season.

It is the first career World Cup podium result for Irene Curtoni. … Her previous best finish of the season had been tenth in slalom at Kranjska Gora. … She has just four career Cup top 10’s.

It is the 35th career World Cup podium result for Elisabeth Goergl. … her 15th in GS. … It is her third podium in four career scoring results at Oftenschwang. … all in GS. … It is her sixth podium of the season and third in GS.

North Americans: It is the 106th career Cup top 10 for Julia Mancuso. … Her 14th of the season. … It is her second best GS result of the season after a third at Aspen in November. … It is the 18th career Cup top 10 in GS for Lindsey Vonn. … It is her fifth best of six GS results this season.

Standings: Vonn maintains her lead of the World Cup overall standings 1628-1154 over Maze. … Maria Hoefl-Riesch (DNF 1st) is third with 1046. … Mancuso is fifth with 823. … Marie-Michele Gagnon (DNF 1st) is top Canadian overall in 32nd with 204pts. … Rebensburg takes the lead of the GS standings 390-346 for Tessa Worley (seventh in race). … Elisabeth Goergl is third with 281pts. … Vonn is fourth with 275 and Mancuso ninth with 156pts. … Gagnon is top Canadian in 27th with 51pts. … Austria leads the women’s Nations Cup 4729-3148 over the US. … Italy is third with 2318. … Canada in 10th with 360pts.