Zagreb: Vonn crashes, Riesch wins

Germany’s Maria Riesch is not only the new Snow Queen, she also nailed a slalom hat trick with her victory in Zagreb, Croatia, on Sunday. Riesch rocketed down the course in a two-run combined time of 1 minute, 58.96 seconds for her third straight slalom win.

Lindsey Vonn, who led after the first run, .43 seconds over Riesch, was the last racer down the course. Despite a mistake at the top, Vonn powered on, was gaining speed through the first two intervals and was winning by nearly a full second, but crashed near the bottom. For her best World Cup slalom result to date, Italian Nicole Gius landed in second with a time of 1:59.40 and Czech racer Sarka Zahrobska rounded out the podium in 1:59.59.

“I’m sorry for her,” Riesch said of her good friend Vonn after the race. “She was doing a great race and in the lead. I couldn’t beat her today if she didn’t go out. But that’s how skiing is.”

Germany’s Maria Riesch is not only the new Snow Queen, she also nailed a slalom hat trick with her victory in Zagreb, Croatia, on Sunday. Riesch rocketed down the course in a two-run combined time of 1 minute, 58.96 seconds for her third straight slalom win.

Lindsey Vonn, who led after the first run, .43 seconds over Riesch, was the last racer down the course. Despite a mistake at the top, Vonn powered on, was gaining speed through the first two intervals and was winning by nearly a full second, but crashed near the bottom. For her best World Cup slalom result to date, Italian Nicole Gius landed in second with a time of 1:59.40 and Czech racer Sarka Zahrobska rounded out the podium in 1:59.59.

“I’m sorry for her,” Riesch said of her good friend Vonn after the race. “She was doing a great race and in the lead. I couldn’t beat her today if she didn’t go out. But that’s how skiing is.”

Riesch went on to say that the first run was much more comfortable and that she felt she was fighting the whole time to maintain the pace in the second.

“I felt much better in the first one compared to the second,” she said. “You really have to ski clean. I had a hard time in the second run. My skis were going the whole time and that’s what’s important.”

Allegedly, race organizers attempted to make the course softer than it has been in previous years, when it was viewed as one of the icier venues on the slalom circuit.

The softness was evident in the first run, as margins became notably vast in finish times after the first racers – Vonn and Riesch – went down the course.

“The track is disastrous,” Anja Paerson, who finished fourth in 2:00.20, told Javno press after the first run.

Austrian Nicole Hosp was meant to start the race wearing bib No. 1, but injured her knee in warm-up and spent the race in the hospital.

Though Vonn was the last racer to be claimed by the course, she was certainly not the first. Of 76 racers, only 52 so much as finished the first run. Among the early casualties was American Julia Mancuso, who hooked a gate near the top of the course and went down hard. After Sarah Schleper, despite a valiant hike in the first run, failed to make the cut to the second and Kaylin Richardson DNFed, Hailey Duke was another hope for the American team, finishing the first run in 21st place. She missed a gate near the bottom of the second run, however, and ended her race with a sigh.

It had to be heartening for Riesch to see her kid sister, Susanne, post her first ever World Cup top 10, with a 10th place on Sunday. Maria Riesch now holds the overall World Cup lead with 607 points, followed by former Zagreb snow queen Tanja Poutiainen, who finished seventh Sunday, with 535 points. Vonn is now in third place with 530 points and second to Riesch in the slalom standings, 400 points to Riesch’s 290.

Women’s World Cup racing continues Saturday and Sunday with giant slalom and more slalom in Maribor, Slovenia.

The SCOOP
By Hank McKee
Equipment
Women’s slalom, Zagreb, Croatia. Jan. 4, 2009
Skier, skis/boots/bindings
1 M. Riesch, Head/Lange/Tyrolia
2 Gius, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer
3 Zahrobska, Head/Head/Tyrolia
4 Paerson, Head/Head/Head
5 Zettel, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
6 Hansdotter, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
7 Poutiainen, Volkl/Tecnica/Marker
8 Gini, Head/Lange/Head
9 Moelgg, Rossignol/Lange/Rossignol
10 S. Riesch, Head/Lange/Tyrolia

Women’s slalom, Zagreb, Croatia, Jan. 4, 2009. … The Snow Queen Trophy Race. … It is the 13th race of the women’s 36 race 2009 World Cup schedule. … It is the fifth of nine scheduled slaloms. … It is the sixth Cup race held at Zagreb, all of them slaloms and the fifth women’s slalom in five seasons. … It is the first woman’s slalom at Zagreb not held at night. … Coming into the race Tanja Poutiainen and Marlies Schild had each won twice at the site.

Nicole Hosp is injured in warm-ups. … left knee.

It is the ninth career World Cup victory for Maria Riesch and her fourth career slalom win. … It is her third win of the season. … All in slalom and all in consecutive slaloms. … It is her first Cup result at Zagreb.

It is the fourth career World Cup podium for Nicole Gius. … Her second in slalom, but first since placing third at Semmering Dec. 29, 2002. … It is her first podium in any discipline since Jan. 6, 2007 when she was second in GS at Kranjska Gora to Nicole Hosp.

It is the seventh career World Cup podium placing for Sarka Zahrobska. …  All in slalom. … It is the second time she has finished third at Zagreb, the other Jan. 4, 2007. … It is her second podium of the season following a win in Aspen Nov. 30.

No North Americans completed both runs with both Lindsey Vonn and Hailey Duke skiing out in the second run. … Vonn led after the first run and had a margin on nearly a full second in the second run before exiting the course. … German skiers claimed eight scoring finishes in the race.

Riesch gains control of the women’s World Cup overall standings 607-535 over Tanja Poutiainen (seventh in race). … Lindsey Vonn (2nd run DNF), the previous tour leader, drops to third at 530. … Riesch strengthens her lead in the slalom standings to 400-290 for Vonn. … Zahrobska is third at 284.