Levi: Stiegler rallies for 10th as Austrians sweep

LEVI, Finland — American Resi Stiegler had a strong second run of slalom to vault from 16th place after the first run and finish 10th in the opening race of the World Cup season. The Austrians, led by Marlies Schild, swept the podium.
    Schild won the first run and had a combined time of 1 minute, 45.66 seconds. Nicole Hosp was second, .80 seconds back, and Kathrin Zettel third, 1.17 back, as Hosp claimed her seventh career World Cup slalom win.
    Stiegler and Lindsey Kildow qualified for the final run of slalom. Stiegler, tied for 16th in the foggy 64-gate first run, charged through the second run in 53.11 for a total time of 1:47.96. Stiegler had the fourth-fastest second run in the entire field to record her fifth career World Cup top 10, her fourth in slalom. She was a career-best fourth in an Are, Sweden, slalom last March, and also has an eighth in combined, a ninth (slalom) and a 10th (slalom).
    U.S. coach Patrick Riml said he saw "a lot of good stuff" from his racers.

LEVI, Finland — American Resi Stiegler had a strong second run of slalom to vault from 16th place after the first run and finish 10th in the opening race of the World Cup season. The Austrians, led by Marlies Schild, swept the podium.
    Schild won the first run down Levi's Black course and had a combined time of 1 minute, 45.66 seconds. Nicole Hosp was second, .80 seconds back, and Kathrin Zettel third, 1.17 back, as Schild claimed her eighth career World Cup win. Click here for the post race interview.
    Stiegler and Lindsey Kildow qualified for the final run of slalom. Stiegler, tied for 16th in the foggy 64-gate first run, charged through the second run in 53.11 for a total time of 1:47.96. Stiegler had the fourth-fastest second run in the entire field to record her fifth career World Cup top 10, her fourth in slalom. She was a career-best fourth in an Are, Sweden, slalom on March 17, 2006, and also has an eighth in combined, a ninth (slalom) and a 10th (slalom).
    Kildow, 19th in the opening run, crashed in her final run while NorAm slalom champion Sterling Grant was 44th in the first run (57.66) and did not qualify for the second run.
    Kildow said the course conditions changed dramatically between the morning inspection and the race.
    "It's really icy," she said. "I wasn't expecting it [to be] slick ice. It's definitely different from what we inspected. It was grippy this morning."  
    U.S. coach Patrick Riml said he saw "a lot of good stuff" from his racers.
    "I'm pleased," he said. "We're on the right track and the girls know now there's no reason they can't be up there. Resi and Lindsey showed they've got the speed to be on a podium in slalom. It was foggy in the first run, but with the lights on it didn't affect anyone's racing.
    "Resi was a little passive on the first run — the first of the season, sometimes it's tough to let it rip, but she was charging on that second run. Lindsey was leading the split when she came into the breakover and the steep part, and she went through the first few gates fine … but then she got thrown off and went out. But those two have got the speed and … they're ready to be on the podium in slalom. A top 10 for Resi is a really good start for the season. Sterling skied the pitch very well, and she'll approach things a little differently in Aspen" during the Sirius Satellite Radio Aspen Winternational Nov. 25-26, Riml said.
    The men race slalom Sunday (4 a.m. ET), with Bode Miller, Ted Ligety, Jimmy Cochran and Tom Rothrock expected to compete for the U.S. Ski Team. The season originally was scheduled to begin Oct. 28 with a giant slalom but rain and warm temperatures in Sölden, Austria, forced cancellation.
    There was poor visibility during both runs Saturday, but few skiers missed gates or skied out.
    "It was just perfect today," Schild said. "But I was very nervous because it was the first race of the season and everything is new."
    "It was a great day for us," Hosp said. "My race was OK, not perfect. I feel good. I'm happy with second. Marlies is so good. … I must ski much better to beat her."
    Schild, a slalom specialist, now has seven World Cup slalom wins. Her only other victory came in a giant slalom. "I want to keep my slalom form and try to win the World Cup slalom title," she said.
    Croatian Ana Jelusic, who has never finished on the podium in her career, placed fourth.
    Olympic slalom champion Anja Paerson of Sweden, who had left-knee surgery after last season's World Cup Finals in Sweden, ended up a disappointing 12th. "I was very tense," Paerson said. "I think that everyone has problems with the nerves on opening day. It was hard to find some speed and rhythm in the first run. … Technically I think that I did not do anything wrong."
    Paerson won the 2004 and '05 overall title and was runner-up last year behind Croatia's Janica Kostelic, who is sitting out this season because of chronic back and knee pain.
    Levi, a small ski resort north of the Arctic Circle, is the northernmost venue on the World Cup circuit this season.
    For complete results, click here.

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World Cup slalom – Levi

Rank	Bib	FIS Code	Name	Year	Nation	Run 1	Run 2	Total Time	FIS Points
1	2	55590	SCHILD Marlies	1981	AUT	52.90	52.76	1:45.66	0.00
2	1	55690	HOSP Nicole	1983	AUT	53.58	52.88	1:46.46	4.62
3	6	55838	ZETTEL Kathrin	1986	AUT	54.07	52.76	1:46.83	6.75
4	8	385032	JELUSIC Ana	1986	CRO	53.50	53.42	1:46.92	7.27
5	48	206160	RIESCH Susanne	1987	GER	53.95	53.35	1:47.30	9.47
6	18	205636	BERGMANN-SCHMUDERER Monika	1978	GER	53.99	53.45	1:47.44	10.28
7	9	55759	KIRCHGASSER Michaela	1985	AUT	54.36	53.16	1:47.52	10.74
8	4	505610	BORSSEN Therese	1984	SWE	53.89	54.03	1:47.92	13.05
9	13	505760	PIETILAE-HOLMNER Maria	1986	SWE	54.10	53.83	1:47.93	13.11
10	12	537772	STIEGLER Resi	1985	USA	54.85	53.11	1:47.96	13.28
11	11	205115	GERG Annemarie	1975	GER	54.48	53.54	1:48.02	13.62
12	3	505483	PAERSON Anja	1981	SWE	54.44	53.64	1:48.08	13.97
13	38	505679	HANSDOTTER Frida	1985	SWE	54.60	53.63	1:48.23	14.84
14	7	185140	POUTIAINEN Tanja	1980	FIN	54.84	53.52	1:48.36	15.59
15	19	195912	DE LEYMARIE Florine	1981	FRA	54.41	54.06	1:48.47	16.22
&n bsp;16	10	155415	ZAHROBSKA Sarka	1985	CZE	54.21	54.67	1:48.88	18.59
17	53	55691	SPONRING Christine	1983	AUT	55.49	53.70	1:49.19	20.38
18	14	505187	OTTOSSON Anna	1976	SWE	54.85	54.41	1:49.26	20.78
19	32	435142	KARASINSKA Katarzyna	1982	POL	55.62	53.80	1:49.42	21.71
19	20	295265	CERESA Annalisa	1978	ITA	55.27	54.15	1:49.42	21.71
21	51	185271	LEINONEN Sanni	1989	FIN	55.38	54.07	1:49.45	21.88
22	34	206001	RIESCH Maria	1984	GER	56.03	53.69	1:49.72	23.44
23	58	295435	GIUS Nicole	1980	ITA	55.56	54.27	1:49.83	24.07
24	21	296259	MOELGG Manuela	1983	ITA	55.87	54.00	1:49.87	24.31
25	30	205993	HOELZL Kathrin	1984	GER	55.65	55.43	1:51.08	31.29
26	56	196806	NOENS Nastasia	1988	FRA	56.09	55.29	1:51.38	33.02
27	52	206174	STABER Veronika	1987	GER	55.91	55.70	1:51.61	34.35

Did not finish 1st run:

HONKONEN Jessica (FIN), KARBON Denise (ITA), PUENCHERA Jessica (SUI), ZEISER Daniela (AUT), GINI Sandra (SUI), GRAND Rabea (SUI), NIGG Marina (LIE), ZAKOURILOVA Petra (CZE), VIKEN Line (NOR), KURFUERSTOVA Eva (CZE), KOBAL Ana (SLO), LOESETH Nina (NOR), ACTON Brigitte (CAN), MUELLER Anne Marie (NOR), FLEISS Nika (CRO), COSTAZZ
A Chiara (ITA)

Did not finish 2nd run:

AMMERER Christina (GER), ZUZULOVA Veronika (SVK), KILDOW Lindsey C (USA)

Did not qualify 1st run:

NOVOSELIC Sofija (CRO), BIRKELUND Karina (NOR), DREV Ana (SLO), BERNTSEN Hedda (NOR), SANTON Aurelie (FRA), PERSYN Karen (BEL), GRANT Sterling (USA), LOESETH Lene (NOR), FENNINGER Anna (AUT), MAZE Tina (SLO), AUBERT Sandrine (FRA), BARTHET Anne-Sophie (FRA), HULTDIN Malin (SWE), CHMELAR Fanny (GER), VIDAL Vanessa (FRA), GOERGL Elisabeth (AUT)

 

THE SCOOP

By Hank McKee 

Equipment
Women’s Slalom, Levi, Nov. 11, 2006

Skier, skis/boots/bindings
1 Schild, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
2 Hosp, Volkl/Fischer/Marker
3 Zettel, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
4 Jelusic, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
5 Riesch, Head/Lange/Tyrolia
6 Bergmann-Schmuderer, Head/Nordica/Tyrolia
7 Kirchgasser, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
8 Borssen, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
9 Pietilae-Holmner, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
10 Stiegler, Dynastar/Lange/Look 

Women’s World Cup slalom, Levi, Finland. … It is the first race of the 2006-07 World Cup season, the first of 37 scheduled women’s competitions. … It is the first of nine scheduled slaloms.  … It is the fifth race held at Levi, all women’s slaloms, the first held Feb. 28, 2004. … No woman has won Levi twice.

It is the eighth career win for Marlies Schild, the seventh in slalom… Her last win was Jan. 8, 2006, at Maribor. … Her first career win was March 13, 2004, at Sestriere. … It is her 22^nd World Cup podium. … She was runner-up in the final slalom standings last season, 190 pts behind Janica Kostelic despite registering three slalom wins. … It is the first Austrian win at Levi. 

It is the 25^th career podium for Nicole Hosp, her 10th in slalom. … It is her second podium in slalom at Levi, having placed third March 11, 2006. It is the eighth podium for Kathrin Zettel, the fourth in slalom. … It is also her second podium in slalom at Levi, having placed third March 10, 2006.

Austrians had not swept a slalom since 2001 when the men (Benni Raich, Rainer Schoenfelder, Mario Matt, respectively) swept Wengen. …The last slalom sweep by Austrian women was at Vemdalen March 13, 1990 (Petra Kronberger, Ida Ladstaetter and Claudia Strobl).

Tenth matches the sixth-best result of Resi Stiegler’s career (fifth in slalom). …She has placed better at Levi, scoring ninth March 10, 2006.