Schild takes fourth World Cup win of the season in Zagreb slalom

Austrian tech specialist Marlies Schild made history in Zagreb, Croatia today becoming the first women to ever win the coveted Snow Queen crown three times.

“It’s a wonderful feeling to win this race here, it’s a very, very good race with a great audience,” said Schild, who is the first woman to collect four victories this season including the last three consecutive World Cup slaloms. “I was not easy to ski but, it is a really good feeling.”

A slick course and fog made the night race even more interesting for racers and the 10,000 spectators in attendance as Schild led all day after being the second racer out of the first-run start gate.

Schild, who earned her 25th career World Cup victory, finished with a two-run combined time of 2:01.08 beating second place finisher Maria Riesch of Germany by 0.75 seconds.

“I just wanted to do my best skiing, that was the only strategy,” said Schild of her 0.19-second advantage going into the second run. “If it works it works and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”

Riesch, the current overall leader, led five German women into the points with her eighth World Cup podium of the season and fourth in slalom.

Italy’s Manuela Moelgg rounded our the podium in third to secure her 10th career Cup podium. She has never won a World Cup race.

Finn veteran Tanja Poutiaenen slashed her way to the fastest run of the day (1:00.64) in the second run to finish fourth for her seventh top-five result of the season

Fog at the top of the course (978 meters) cleared toward the bottom as racers descended 210 meters into the packed finish arena.
   
The mixed lighting (setting sun, artificial lights) that challenged racers during the first run was no longer an issue as bright floodlights evenly lit the 74-gate course that runs around eight seconds longer than any other course the women see all season.

Sarah Schleper, the only American in the second run, slipped from fifth in the first run to eighth on the day for her best result in over a year (fifth in Lienz Dec. 2009) and her first top-ten result of the season.

“She had an incredible first run, just went like crazy and full-on attacked the hill, in difficult fogy conditions,” U.S. women’s head coach Alex Hoedlmoser said of Schleper. “The second run, her plan was to attack again and get on the podium, it wasn’t as perfect as the first run but still a very good job in the second run. Eighth place is a very good result for her, it’s something she can build on.”

Four other U.S. skiers were taken out in the first run as Hailey Duke and Resi Stiegler were both well over four seconds behind the leading pace and American top guns Julia Mancuso and an under the weather Lindsey Vonn were unable to finish in the slick first-run conditions along with 23 other racers.

Vonn recorded her third consecutive first-run DNF in a World Cup slalom. The three-time overall champion has only finished two of five slaloms this season, her best result coming with a sixth-place finish in Levi in mid-November. Her last slalom World Cup podium also came in Levi during the 2010 season with a second place finish.

“Lindsey wasn’t 100 percent today, she was feeling sick and not on top of her game,” said Hoedlmoser.”She was missing some energy and not feeling well and on this icy course you needed to be 100 percent to perform.”

Mancuso has only made one second run in a World Cup slalom thus far this season with a 21st-place finish in Courchevel, France two weeks ago.

Vonn, who was 106 points behind Riesch in the overall standings before today’s race, now trails her good friend by 186 points with 21 races remaining on this season’s World Cup schedule.

Standing 22nd after a lackluster first run, defending Snow Queen Sandrine Aubert of France solved the equipment issues that plagued her first run and charged down the second run to hold a 1.69-second lead on all previous skiers. She finished tenth for her best result of the season after holding the lead through the next 11 racers.

Zagreb local Ana Jelusic fed off of the rowdy crowd to notch 11th place. It was her first top 15 result of the season.

The slick conditions and tight first-run set baffled all five Canadian starters, none finished.

The women’s World Cup tour now moves to Zauchensee, Austria for downhill and super G races Jan. 8-9.

Images by Gepa.

The SCOOP
by Hank McKee

Equipment

Women’s World Cup slalom (night), Zagreb, Croatia, Jan. 4, 2011
Skier, skis/boots/bindings
1 Schild, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
2 Riesch, Head/Lange/Head
3 Moelgg, Rossignol/Lange/Rossignol
4 Poutiainen, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer
5 Pietilae-Holmner, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
6 Noens, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon
7 Zettel, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
8 Schleper, Rossignol/Lange/Rossignol
9 Zuzulova, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon
10 Aubert, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic

Women’s World Cup night slalom, Zagreb, Croatia, Jan. 4, 2011. … It is the 15th race of the 37 race women’s 2011 World Cup season (plus a city event). … It is the fifth of ten scheduled slaloms and the second of three consecutive night slaloms. … It is the tenth Cup slalom at Zagreb and seventh women’s slalom. … Winning margin in .75 of a second. … Top two skiers within the same second. … top five within two seconds.

It is the 28th career World Cup win for Maries Schild. … Her 25th in slalom. … And her third (a site record) at Zagreb. … It is her fourth win (all in slalom) of the season and third consecutive slalom win. … She is second all-time (among women) in slalom victories behind Vreni Schneider’s 33.

It is the 50th career World Cup podium result for Maria Riesch. … and 18th in slalom. … It is her second Zagreb podium after winning two seasons ago. … It is her eighth podium of the season and sixth second place finish. … It is the third time this season she has finished second to Schild in a slalom.

It is the tenth career World Cup podium result for Manuela Moelgg without a win. … It is her second career slalom podium. … It is her second podium of the season having placed third in GS at Soelden Oct. 23.It is the 38th career top 10 Cup result for Sarah Schleper. … her second at Zagreb. … It is her best result of the season and best since placing fifth Dec. 29, 2009 in slalom at Lienz.

Riesch holds the lead of the World Cup overall standings 833-647 over Lindsey Vonn (DNF 1st in race). … Elisabeth Goergl (did not race) sits third overall with 483pts. … Tanja Poutiainen (4th in race) is fourth at 480pts. … Marie-Michele Gagnon (DNF 1st) is top Canadian overall in 25th place with 130pts. … With half of the Cup slaloms completed, Schild leads Riesch in the slalom standings 400-320 with Poutiainen in third at 300pts. … Vonn in the top American on the slalom list in 14th with 72pts. … Gagnon the top Canadian in 28th with 31pts. … Austria leads the women’s Nations Cup 2224-1863 over Germany. … The U.S. is third with 1290. … Canada is listed tenth with 196pts.
MORE TO COME

Rank	Bib	FIS Code	Name	Year	Nation	Run 1	Run 2	Total Time	FIS Points
1	2	55590	SCHILD Marlies	1981	AUT	1:01.09	1:00.71	2:01.80	0.00
2	6	206001	RIESCH Maria	1984	GER	1:01.85	1:00.70	2:02.55	3.76
3	21	296259	MOELGG Manuela	1983	ITA	1:01.28	1:01.60	2:02.88	5.41
4	7	185140	POUTIAINEN Tanja	1980	FIN	1:02.41	1:00.64	2:03.05	6.26
5	1	505760	PIETILAE-HOLMNER Maria	1986	SWE	1:01.87	1:01.77	2:03.64	9.22
6	14	196806	NOENS Nastasia	1988	FRA	1:02.50	1:01.66	2:04.16	11.82
7	5	55838	ZETTEL Kathrin	1986	AUT	1:02.60	1:01.71	2:04.31	12.57
8	30	536481	SCHLEPER Sarah	1979	USA	1:02.07	1:02.42	2:04.49	13.47
9	17	705287	ZUZULOVA Veronika	1984	SVK	1:02.60	1:02.46	2:05.06	16.33
10	3	195972	AUBERT Sandrine	1982	FRA	1:04.28	1:01.01	2:05.29	17.48
11	18	385032	JELUSIC Ana	1986	CRO	1:03.33	1:02.12	2:05.45	18.28
12	11	505610	BORSSEN Therese	1984	SWE	1:02.87	1:02.77	2:05.64	19.23
13	8	565243	MAZE Tina	1983	SLO	1:03.27	1:02.53	2:05.80	20.03
14	33	515997	FEIERABEND Denise	1989	SUI	1:03.49	1:02.52	2:06.01	21.08
15	47	196726	BARTHET Anne-Sophie	1988	FRA	1:03.85	1:02.44	2:06.29	22.49
16	9	205168	DUERR Katharina	1989	GER	1:04.80	1:02.18	2:06.98	25.94
17	41	206099	PERNER Nina	1986	GER	1:04.38	1:02.70	2:07.08	26.44
18	46	355040	NIGG Marina	1984	LIE	1:04.22	1:03.00	2:07.22	27.14
19	4	155415	ZAHROBSKA Sarka	1985	CZE	1:04.69	1:02.62	2:07.31	27.60
20	23	185271	LEINONEN Sanni	1989	FIN	1:03.51	1:04.19	2:07.70	29.55
21	54	206174	STABER Veronika	1987	GER	1:05.09	1:02.76	2:07.85	30.30
22	38	506341	WIKSTROEM Emelie	1992	SWE	1:04.63	1:03.38	2:08.01	31.10
23	10	55690	HOSP Nicole	1983	AUT	1:03.68	1:04.83	2:08.51	33.61
24	44	205239	WIRTH Barbara	1989	GER	1:04.68	1:04.26	2:08.94	35.76
25	62	385041	NOVOSELIC Sofija	1990	CRO	1:04.64	1:04.49	2:09.13	36.71
26	63	297171	FANCHINI Sabrina	1988	ITA	1:04.88	1:22.72	2:27.60	129.21
27	48	196179	BERTRAND Marion	1984	FRA	1:04.96	1:38.51	2:43.47	208.69
Disqualified 1st run
	22	55759	KIRCHGASSER Michaela	1985	AUT
	19	295435	GIUS Nicole	1980	ITA
Did not qualify 1st run
	66	35089	SIMARI BIRKNER Macarena	1984	ARG
	65	385052	PALIC Tea	1991	CRO
	64	35079	SIMARI BIRKNER Maria Belen	1982	ARG
	58	355052	SCHAEDLER Vanessa	1990	LIE
	56	565323	JAZBEC Katja	1988	SLO
	49	537792	DUKE Hailey	1985	USA
	35	196725	BARIOZ Taina	1988	FRA
	34	537772	STIEGLER Resi	1985	USA
	27	565320	FERK Marusa	1988	SLO
Did not finish 2nd run
	20	505679	HANSDOTTER Frida	1985	SWE
	13	206160	RIESCH Susanne	1987	GER
	12	206279	GEIGER Christina	1990	GER
Did not finish 1st run
	61	435189	KLUS Aleksandra	1986	POL
	60	155479	SMUTNA Michaela	1987	CZE
	59	315187	IGNJATOVIC Nevena	1990	SRB
	57	705363	LUKACOVA Barbora	1990	SVK
	55	516156	ROTHMUND Jasmin	1991	SUI
	53	65038	PERSYN Karen	1983	BEL
	52	297601	BRIGNONE Federica	1990	ITA
	51	55863	HOELLBACHER Verena	1987	AUT
	50	516280	HOLDENER Wendy	1993	SUI
	45	106961	MIELZYNSKI Erin	1990	CAN
	43	196928	WORLEY Tessa	1989	FRA
	42	515733	BONJOUR Aline	1985	SUI
	40	105615	ROUTHIER Eve	1988	CAN
	39	515692	GRAND Rabea	1984	SUI
	37	107068	PHELAN Brittany	1991	CAN
	36	296509	CURTONI Irene	1985	ITA
	32	206290	HUEBNER Monica	1990	GER
	31	537545	MANCUSO Julia	1984	USA
	29	196793	MARMOTTAN Anemone	1988	FRA
	28	105269	GAGNON Marie-Michele	1989	CAN
	26	106633	GOODMAN Anna	1986	CAN
	25	296354	COSTAZZA Chiara	1984	ITA
	24	56032	SCHILD Bernadette	1990	AUT
	16	537544	VONN Lindsey	1984	USA
	15	206035	CHMELAR Fanny	1985	GER