Zagreb: Poutiainen takes Snow Queen Trophy

By Published On: February 15th, 2008Comments Off on Zagreb: Poutiainen takes Snow Queen Trophy

The queen is dead — long live the queen. Finnish skier Tanja Poutiainen ripped a strong second run Friday evening to claim Zagreb's Snow Queen trophy taking the World Cup slalom by a half a second over Marlies Schild.
    Schild, the first-run leader, skied too conservatively in the second heat after watching the racer in front of her, slalom and overall standings leader Nicole Hosp, hook a tip about a third of the way down the lit Sljeme course and DNF.
    It was the seventh career World Cup win for Poutiainen and her first slalom win since the inaugural event in Zagreb in 2005.
    Schild, the winner of the Snow Queen Trophy race the past two seasons, was successful in taking over the slalom standings lead with 540 points. Despite exiting the course prematurely, Hosp maintained second with 465 points, but the standings tightened dramatically with Poutiainen moving into third at 452 and Veronika Zuzulova, the third-place finisher, now fourth in the standings with 421.
    The race had no effect on the top of the World Cup overall standings. Hosp remains tied with Lindsey Vonn, who skipped the race, with 983 points. Maria Riesch, third in the standings, also failed to complete the second run of the race and remains at 891 points. Schild holds fourth at 847.


The queen is dead — long live the queen. Finnish skier Tanja Poutiainen ripped a strong second run Friday evening to claim Zagreb's Snow Queen trophy taking the World Cup slalom by a half a second over Marlies Schild.
    Schild, the first-run leader, skied too conservatively in the second heat after watching the racer in front of her, slalom and overall standings leader Nicole Hosp, hook a tip about a third of the way down the lit Sljeme course and DNF.
    It was the seventh career World Cup win for Poutiainen and her first slalom win since the inaugural event in Zagreb in 2005.
    "It's been three years, a long time," the Finn said. "I just tried to be relaxed, to do what I know I can do and it happened," Poutiainen said. "I knew I had a chance to win and I took it." She said slalom had been a focus for her and her team in the offseason. “Last spring I worked hard with my staff to find out ways to improve my slalom and it soon paid off. I had some promising results at the start of the season, so I knew it was just a matter of time until I could win again. In the first run this afternoon I was very happy to come so close to the leaders despite a few mistakes done at the top and the bottom of my run. I really felt it could be my day again here.”
    She went all out in the second run, then sat back and watched the final two racers, Hosp and Schild, take their shot.
    “I had nothing to lose," Poutainen said. "You have to take chances to be in position to beat skiers as Nicole Hosp or Marlies Schild, so I really let it go in the second run. Yet I felt so confident and sure of myself that I even didn’t need to take extra risks. In fact, I had a really solid run without any problem and here I am – back at the top of the podium. It’s a great day for me and my staff too.”
    When Hosp hooked a tip and exited early in the second run, Schild got skittish.
    "I saw Nicole's crash and it unnerved me a little bit," Schild said. "Tanja had an amazing second run and I was really slow at the bottom of the course. … I was aggressive enough at the bottom [but] I slipped out several times,” she said. “A podium finish is always fine even though I always fight hard for victory. At least I’m scoring big points in the slalom World Cup which I strongly wish to clinch again.”
    Hosp, who lost the opportunity to put some distance between herself and overall tour co-leader Lindsey Vonn was philosophical about her mishap. "Of course I am disappointed. But that's slalom."
    Schild, the winner of the Snow Queen Trophy race the past two seasons, was successful in taking over the slalom standings lead with 540 points. Despite exiting the course prematurely, Hosp maintained second with 465 points, but the standings tightened dramatically with Poutiainen moving into third at 452 and Veronika Zuzulova, the third-place finisher, now fourth in the standings with 421.
    For Zuzulova, the race may have marked a turning point in her career. The result was her seventh World Cup podium, and she said she knows a victory is not far away.
    “I went for it this evening because I wanted more than a seventh place,” she explained. “It was pretty exciting to move at my limits this evening, but I definitely feel ready for my first win,” added the 23-year-old Slovakian.
   There were no American entries in the race. Canadian Anna Goodman just made the cut into the second run and finished 19th.
    Difficult visibility during the twilight contributed to 19 first-run DNFs.
    The race had no effect on the top of the World Cup overall standings. Hosp remains tied with Lindsey Vonn, who skipped the race, with 983 points. Maria Riesch, third in the standings, also failed to complete the second run of the race and remains at 891 points. Schild holds fourth at 847 and Elisabeth Goergl fifth at 841pts.

    — The Associated Press and Patrick Lang contributed.
 


The SCOOP

By Hank McKee

Equipment
Women's night slalom, Zagreb-Sljeme, Croatia, Feb. 15, 2008
Skier, skis/boots/bindings
1 Poutiainen, Volkl/Tecnica/Marker
2 Schild, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
3 Zuzulova, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
4 Zettel, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
5 Loeseth, Volkl/Tecnica/Marker
6 Zahrobska, Head/Head/Tyrolia
7 Moelgg, Rossignol/Lange/Rossignol
8 Pietilae-Holmner, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
9 Borssen, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
10 Bergmann, Head/Nordica/Tyrolia

  
Women's Slalom, Zagreb, Croatia, Feb. 15, 2008.
… It is the 28th race of the women's 38 event 2008 World Cup schedule. … The eighth of ten scheduled slaloms and first since Ofterschwang Jan. 27. … It is the fourth annual Snow Queen Trophy race with a weekend purse of 330,000 euros. … The race is held at Sljeme, just outside of Croatia's capital city of Zagreb.
    It is the seventh career World Cup win for Tanja Poutiainen and her first since winning a GS at Zweisel March 10, 2007. … Her last slalom victory was also at Zagreb in 2005. … It is her fifth Cup slalom win. … She had been third after the first run.
    It is the 42nd career World Cup podium for Marlies Schild. … Her 31st in slalom. … It is her seventh podium of the season and fifth in slalom with the other four all being wins. … It is her fourth consecutive podium in the Zagreb Snow Queen slalom in the four seasons the race has been held. … She won the race in 2006 and 2007.
    It is the seventh career World Cup podium for Veronika Zuzulova. … all of them in slalom. … It is her third podium of the season. … She has never won a World Cup ra
ce. … It is her first podium at Zagreb having never placed better than ninth previously.
    It is the third career scoring result for Anna Goodman all of them in slalom and all coming this season.
    Two skiers collected their first career points, Swiss Denise Feirabend in 18th and Veronica Smed in 22nd.
    Winning margin is .52 of a second. … Top four are within the same second. … Top nine within two seconds. … There is no change at the top of the overall standings as Nicole Hosp failed to finish and Lindsey Vonn did not attend the race. They remain tied at 983. Maria Riesch, also a second run DNF, holds third at 891. … Marlies Schild is fourth at 847 and Elisabeth Goergl (17th in race) is fifth with 841pts. … Julia Mancuso, also did not attend, is sixth at 750. … Schild takes the lead in the slalom standings 540-465 for Hosp. … Poutiainen moves to third at 452 and Veronika Zuzulova is fourth at 421. … Resi Stiegler, who was injured and has not competed since Dec. 28, is still the top North American in the slalom standings, tied for 13th with 111pts.

 


Rank Bib FIS Code Name Year Nation Run 1 Run 2 Total Time FIS Points
 1  6  185140 POUTIAINEN Tanja  1980  FIN   55.12  57.71  1:52.83  0.00
 2  2  55590 SCHILD Marlies  1981  AUT   54.74  58.61  1:53.35  2.81
 3  5  705287 ZUZULOVA Veronika  1984  SVK   55.56  57.95  1:53.51  3.68
 4  13  55838 ZETTEL Kathrin  1986  AUT   55.51  58.21  1:53.72  4.81
 5  14  425771 LOESETH Nina  1989  NOR   55.80  58.37  1:54.17  7.24
 6  7  155415 ZAHROBSKA Sarka  1985  CZE   55.88  58.52  1:54.40  8.49
 7  16  296259 MOELGG Manuela  1983  ITA   55.78  58.65  1:54.43  8.65
 8  11  505760 PIETILAE-HOLMNER Maria  1986  SWE   56.09  58.62  1:54.71  10.16
 9  1  505610 BORSSEN Therese  1984  SWE   55.98  58.76  1:54.74  10.33
 10  12  205636 BERGMANN Monika  1978  GER   55.53  59
.57
 1:55.10  12.27
 11  18  515619 GINI Sandra  1982  SUI   56.47  59.04  1:55.51  14.49
 12  15  505483 PAERSON Anja  1981  SWE   55.50  1:00.42  1:55.92  16.71
 13  24  206035 CHMELAR Fanny  1985  GER   56.71  59.48  1:56.19  18.17
 14  32  516005 HANGL Celina  1989  SUI   57.08  59.24  1:56.32  18.87
 15  23  385027 FLEISS Nika  1984  CRO   56.57  59.85  1:56.42  19.41
 16  28  206160 RIESCH Susanne  1987  GER   56.87  59.60  1:56.47  19.68
 17  31  55576 GOERGL Elisabeth  1981  AUT   56.69  1:00.02  1:56.71  20.98
 18  54  515997 FEIERABEND Denise  1989  SUI   57.45  59.60  1:57.05  22.81
 19  38  106633 GOODMAN Anna  1986  CAN   57.74  59.65  1:57.39  24.65
 20  26  355040 NIGG Marina  1984  LIE   57.51  59.89  1:57.40  24.71
 21  55  295265 CERESA Annalisa  1978  ITA   57.47  1:00.14  1:57.61  25.84
 22  35  505908 SMED Veronica  1988  SWE   57.15  1:01.18  1:58.33  29.73
 23  44  206078 FERNSEBNER Carolin  1986  GER   57.16  1:01.40  1:58.56  30.98
 24  19  505679 HANSDOTTER Frida  1985  SWE   57.55  1:02.87  2:00.42  41.03

Did not finish 1st run : NOVOSELIC Sofija (CRO), PERSYN Karen (BEL), GASIENICA DANIEL Agnieszka (POL), BERTHOD Pascale (SUI), RUBENS Shona (CAN), KURFUERSTOVA Eva (CZE), NOENS Nastasia (FRA), LOLOVIC Jelena (SRB), LOESETH Lene (NOR), JAZBEC Katja (SLO), GRAND Rabea (SUI), MUELLER Anne Marie (NOR), PERNER Nina (GER), KARASINSKA Katarzyna (POL), DAUTHERIVES Claire (FRA), CAMASTRAL Aita (SUI), DE LEYMARIE Florine (FRA), JELUSIC Ana (CRO), KIRCHGASSER Michaela (AUT)
Did not finish 2nd run : GIUS Nicole (ITA), RIESCH Maria (GER), COSTAZZA Chiara (ITA), HOSP Nicole (AUT)
Disqualified 2nd run : STRENG Simone (AUT), BONJOUR Aline (SUI)
Did not qualify 2nd run : SIMARI BIRKNER Maria Belen (ARG), ROBNIK Mateja (SLO), SIMARI BIRKNER Macarena (ARG), PITTIN Alessia (ITA), DUERR Lena (GER), ZAKOURILOVA Petra (CZE), ROBNIK Petra (SLO), SPRINGL Monika (GER), FERK Marusa (SLO), CURTONI Irene (ITA), DUERR Katharina (GER), AUBERT Sandrine (FRA)


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