Aspen: Schild sizzles for slalom win ahead of Hosp

Austrian Marlies Schild made it 2-for-2 in slaloms this season, nabbing career win No. 9 in a women's slalom at Ajax Mountain on Sunday. Lindsey Kildow was the top American, in 16th, with Julia Mancuso 22nd and Resi Stiegler 25th. Canadian Brigitte Acton was 18th.

ASPEN, Colorado — Austrian Marlies Schild made it 2-for-2 in slaloms this season, nabbing career win No. 9 in a women's slalom at Ajax Mountain on Sunday.
    Schild, winner of the season-opening slalom at Levi, Finland, on Nov. 11, finished the Lower Ruthie’s Run course in a two-run time of 1 minute, 43.18 seconds. Teammate Nicole Hosp was second, .80 back, followed by Swedes Therese Borssen and Anja Paerson. That .80 margin was the same cushion Schild won by in Levi.
   Lindsey Kildow was the top American, in 16th, with Julia Mancuso 22nd and Resi Stiegler 25th. Canadian Brigitte Acton was 18th.
    Skiing on Atomic skis, Schild, 25, was fastest in both runs to record World Cup win No. 9. Eight have come in slalom, one in GS. It was her 23rd World Cup podium, second in Aspen, following a third in slalom in November 2002.
    “I was really nervous today because I didn’t finish yesterday,” said Schild. “Today I made the same kind of mistake as yesterday, and knew I had to take a lot of risk to make up time. Yesterday, the risk didn’t pay off and I went out. But today I dodged elimination and got to the bottom."
     ''The DQ yesterday gave me motivation for today,'' said Schild, who missed a gate just meters from the finish line Saturday in the giant slalom. ''I was not happy about the day yesterday. I wanted to do good today and I did.''
    Sunday was only the sixth day of slalom racing or training all season for Mancuso, who is recovering from hip surgery and skied somewhat tentatively in the slalom.
    Stiegler struggled in the first run and had to hike in the second run after falling on her hip. “I’ve been kind of injured so I haven’t really been training all that much. This is a pretty tough hill. Today was definitely a challenge,” Stiegler said after second run.
    “I had a couple Bode moves,” Kildow said of her first run, referring to American risk taker Bode Miller. “My hands were out there.”
    For the second run, Kildow decided to ski on her training skis. Her 16th-place result is the 11th-best slalom score of her World Cup career. “I feel like I skied a bit better,” Kildow said of her second run. “But I don’t think I let it run enough. I just wanted to finish.
    “It was a little quick down here, a little turny and I got a little behind and I think I lost a little speed before the last flush. I’m not really a slalom skier, so just take the positives and move on to Lake Louise. I’m really exited to do some speed skiing, it’ll be sweet.”
    Still … “I’d really like to get a podium in tech, maybe in slalom,” she said. “I feel like I was really close last year, I was fourth in Levi. I’m there, maybe I’m just not showing it today.”
    U.S. head coach Patrick Riml said, “I saw a lot of good stuff happening out there. Not the results we were hoping for, but Resi showed how fast she can be — she was ripping — and both Lindsey and Julia had some great sections in there. I’m really pleased with the speed from all of them, and now we just have to bring it all together,”
    “And the younger ones — Caitlin Ciccone had two good days, especially being her first World Cup races … and, y’know, they all want to go well because they’re in the U.S. and they put more pressure on themselves to do something special. But it’s all part of learning how to ski at this level …
    “And I have to say, [Aspen Chief of Race] Jim Hancock and his crew, and [USSA course supervisor] Tom Johnson just did such a great job in the course prep … and making things so good for the girls. They did an outstanding job in tough conditions,” Riml added.

— Don Cameron, Sam Flickinger and Hilary Lund contributed to this report

Aspen World Cup women's slalom results

Did not start 1st run:
NOENS Nastasia (FRA)

Did not finish 1st run:
NOVOSELIC Sofija (CRO), KARBON Denise (ITA), FERNSEBNER Carolin (GER), GOODMAN Anna (CAN), GINI Sandra (SUI), NIGG Marina (LIE), ZAKOURILOVA Petra (CZE), HITCHCOCK Katie (USA), PERSYN Karen (BEL), KOBAL Ana (SLO), RIESCH Maria (GER), BARTHET Anne-Sophie (FRA), HANSDOTTER Frida (SWE), HULTDIN Malin (SWE), RIESCH Susanne (GER), GERG Annemarie (GER), OTTOSSON Anna (SWE)

Did not finish 2nd run:
GIUS Nicole (ITA), CAMASTRAL Aita (SUI), HOELZL Kathrin (GER), FISCHBACHER Andrea (AUT)

Disqualified 1st run:
RICHARDSON Kaylin L (USA)

Did not qualify 1st run:
BERTRAND Marion (FRA), WEIRATHER Tina (LIE), DREV Ana (SLO), CARTER Laurel (USA), KELLEY Jessica C (USA), SPONRING Christine (AUT), STABER Veronika (GER), GRAND Rabea (SUI), SANTON Aurelie (FRA), CICCONE Caitlin (USA), LATHROP Jenny (USA), FENNINGER Anna (AUT), MAZE Tina (SLO)

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THE SCOOP
By Hank McKee

Equipment

Women’s slalom, Aspen, Colo., Nov. 26, 2006
Skier, skis/boots/bindings
1 Schild, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
2 Hosp, Volkl/Fischer/Marker
3 Borssen, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
4 Paerson, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon
5 Zettel, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
6 Jelusic, Atomic/Salomon/Atomic
7 Bergmann-Schmuderer, Head/Nordica/Tyrolia
8 Kirchgasser, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
9 Poutiainen, Volkl/Tecnica/Marker
10 Zahrobska, Head/Head/Tyrolia 

Women’s slalom, Aspen, Colorado, Nov. 26, 2006. … It is the third race of the 37-event women’s 2007 World Cup schedule. … It is the second of nine scheduled slaloms. … It is the 14th World
Cup slalom held at Aspen. … The seventh for women and the sixth for women in the last seven seasons.
    It is the ninth career win for Marlies Schild and second of the season, both in slalom. … She is the first competitor to win two races this season. … Just one of her wins is not in slalom. … It is the second time Schild has made an Aspen podium, the first Nov. 30, 2002, when she placed third behind behind Anja Paerson and Janica Kostelic. … It is the fourth win of the season for Austria, three of them coming in slalom, the other in the Aspen GS Nov. 25. … Winning margin was eight-tenths of a second. … Tenth place was two seconds off the pace.
    It is the 26th career World Cup podium for Nicole Hosp and her second time finishing second to Schild this season. … She does lead the World Cup standings with 210 points over Kathrin Zettel (5th in race) at 205 and Schild at 200. … The placing breaks a streak of fourth-place finishes for Hosp at Aspen, having placed fourth at the site three times. … She was seventh in the December 2005 slalom at Aspen.
    It is the second career podium for slalom specialist Therese Borssen of Sweden. … The first was also a third in slalom, scored at Maribor, Jan. 8, 2006. … Three of Borssen’s best four results have come at Aspen, having also placed sixth in slalom last season and seventh in November 2004. … She is a half-month shy of her 22nd birthday.
    Lindsay Kildow posted the top U.S. result in 13th. … Brigitte Acton in 18th matched her career-best slalom result from a night race at Zagreb on Jan. 20, 2005. … Julia Mancuso finished 22nd. … It is her 12th-best slalom result. … Resi Stiegler placed 25th, the 27th-best result of her 29 scoring races.