Under Tough Conditions, Tessa Worley Fights to the Top

Oct 27, 2018

On Friday, October 26th, rumor had it the highly anticipated race in Soelden would not happen due to weather conditions. Warmer temperatures around 40 degrees and a mix of rain and snow accompanied by strong winds were expected.

But the track was in good shape, and the race prevailed. Starting from the reserve start, the women would ski onward into bumpy conditions, low visibility, and wet snow flurries.

In the end, Tessa Worley came out on top. The Frenchwoman had a few mistakes in both her first and second runs but charged through each turn to hang on to her time, moving up two places after her first run to take the win over Federica Brignone by 0.35 seconds.

“It was a huge fight,” she said after her second run. “The slope was very bumpy, very difficult, we couldn’t see much. I knew it was going to be a fight with the slope, but also with all the other girls. So I just wanted to charge and have no regrets at the end. It’s so cool to feel this again.”

Today was Worley’s 12th start at Soelden, and her first win, marking the first win for a Frenchwoman in Soelden’s history.

Tessa Worley (FRA). Photo: GEPA pictures/ Markus Oberlaender

Federica Brignone, who was first out of the gate, completed a clean run, a sight that became rare to see in the beginnings of the season opener. Despite holding the lead throughout the course of the first run, she still wasn’t satisfied. The Italian had missed 45 days of training this summer due to injury, and she was nervous her body wouldn’t hold up in course conditions. 

“Last few days I was really relaxed, but today I was really stressed. I almost puked before my first run and before and after my second runs” she explained in the post-race press conference with FIS Alpine. “I keep saying when I was coming down, ‘fight, fight’, ‘go on, go on’…it was so hard. I think it was the toughest run of my life.”

Rounding off the podium was Mikaela Shiffrin, who trailed Worley by 0.94 seconds overall. After placing out of the top 3 after her first run due to a bobble that cost her a bit of time, the American skied a solid second run to ward off last year’s champion, Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany, by 0.04 seconds.

“The second run there was much more fight. It wasn’t pretty and there are many things I can improve,” the American admitted. “But I was fighting harder and that was a really positive thing and a good step for the season.”

The Norwegians also demonstrated a good fight, dominating the top 10 with four solid finishes by Ragnhild Mowinckel (who tied with Stephanie Brunner for 5th), Kristin Lysdahl (8th), Thea Louise Stjernesund (9th), and Kristine Gjelsten Haugen (10th).

 

Ragnhild Mowinckel (NOR) charges forward to snag a tie for 5th with Stephanie Brunner (AUT). Photo: GEPA pictures/ Daniel Goetzhaber

Both Mowinckel and Lysdahl held their positions after the first run. But in the second run, Haugen jumped three spots, while Stjernesund jumped a whopping 15 spots to break into the top 10.

Today was Stjernesund’s World Cup debut, and it couldn’t have gone better for the 21-year-old. Drawing bib 33, the young racer came from behind to help set her team up in the comfortable position of second place overall for the season.

The Norwegians performance today speaks to their depth. With Mowinckel (who took home two silver medals from PyeongChang last season), and the young talent of Stjernesund and Lysdahl (who recently turned 22), the Viking women made a clear statement in Soelden – they are not to be underestimated this coming season.

The next women’s tech race (slalom) will take place in Levi, Finland on November 17th, at 10:15 am CET. The women of giant slalom will have to wait until Killington, Vermont, the weekend of November 24th, to compete again.

Top 10

  1. Tessa Worley (FRA)
  2. Federica Brignone (ITA)
  3. Mikaela Shiffrin (USA)
  4. Viktoria Rebensburg (GER)
  5. Stephanie Brunner (AUT)
  6. Ragnhild Mowinckel (NOR)
  7. Wendy Holdener (SUI)
  8. Kristin Lysdahl (NOR)
  9. Thea Louise Stjernesund (NOR)
  10. Kristine Gjelsten Haugen (NOR)

Official Results

1  3  196928 WORLEY Tessa 1989 FRA  59.11  1:01.40  2:00.51  0.00  0.00  100
 2  1  297601 BRIGNONE Federica 1990 ITA  58.71  1:02.15  2:00.86  +0.35  2.93  2.93  80
 3  2  6535237 SHIFFRIN Mikaela 1995 USA  59.31  1:02.14  2:01.45  +0.94  7.88  7.88  60
 4  5  205218 REBENSBURG Viktoria 1989 GER  58.95  1:02.55  2:01.50  +0.99  8.30  8.30  50
 5  6  56217 BRUNNER Stephanie 1994 AUT  59.65  1:02.79  2:02.44  +1.93  16.18  16.18  45
 5  4  425929 MOWINCKEL Ragnhild 1992 NOR  59.61  1:02.83  2:02.44  +1.93  16.18  16.18  45
 7  7  516280 HOLDENER Wendy 1993 SUI  1:00.43  1:02.39  2:02.82  +2.31  19.36  19.36  36
 8  21  426187 LYSDAHL Kristin 1996 NOR  1:00.58  1:02.40  2:02.98  +2.47  20.70  20.70  32
 9  33  426193 STJERNESUND Thea Louise 1996 NOR  1:01.85  1:01.70  2:03.55  +3.04  25.48  25.48  29
 10  29  425921 HAUGEN Kristine Gjelsten 1992 NOR  1:01.14  1:02.48  2:03.62  +3.11  26.07  26.07  26
 11  36  107613 GRENIER Valerie 1996 CAN  1:01.85  1:01.95  2:03.80  +3.29  27.57  27.57  24
 12  23  197319 MUGNIER Adeline 1992 FRA  1:01.07  1:02.76  2:03.83  +3.32  27.83  27.83  22
 13  25  196725 BARIOZ Taina 1988 FRA  1:01.81  1:02.06  2:03.87  +3.36  28.16  28.16  20
 14  17  516138 GUT Lara 1991 SUI  1:00.66  1:03.33  2:03.99  +3.48  29.17  29.17  18
 15  31  516284 GISIN Michelle 1993 SUI  1:01.19  1:02.92  2:04.11  +3.60  30.17  30.17  16
 16  28  56388 LIENSBERGER Katharina 1997 AUT  1:01.79  1:02.34  2:04.13  +3.62  30.34  30.34  15
 17  58  56315 TRUPPE Katharina 1996 AUT  1:01.97  1:02.38  2:04.35  +3.84  32.18  32.18  14
 18  9  565471 HROVAT Meta 1998 SLO  1:01.16  1:03.40  2:04.56  +4.05  33.94  33.94  13
 19  49  56282 RESCH Stephanie 1995 AUT  1:01.26  1:03.34  2:04.60  +4.09  34.28  34.28  12
 20  18  55947 VEITH Anna 1989 AUT  1:01.31  1:03.30  2:04.61  +4.10  34.36  34.36  11
 21  16  56032 SCHILD Bernadette 1990 AUT  1:01.32  1:03.39  2:04.71  +4.20  35.20  35.20  10
 22  11  296509 CURTONI Irene 1985 ITA  1:01.79  1:03.17  2:04.96  +4.45  37.30  37.30  9
 23  14  56174 HAASER Ricarda 1993 AUT  1:02.13  1:02.96  2:05.09  +4.58  38.39  38.39  8
 24  27  55898 BREM Eva-Maria 1988 AUT  1:02.14  1:02.96  2:05.10  +4.59  38.47  38.47  7
 25  12  505679 HANSDOTTER Frida 1985 SWE  1:00.73  1:04.51  2:05.24  +4.73  39.64  39.64  6
 26  43  307493 ANDO Asa 1996 JPN  1:02.06  1:03.39  2:05.45  +4.94  41.40  41.40  5
 27  19  355050 WEIRATHER Tina 1989 LIE  1:01.77  1:04.09  2:05.86  +5.35  44.84  44.84  4
 28  35  307255 ISHIKAWA Haruna 1994 JPN  1:02.14  1:03.96  2:06.10  +5.59  46.85  46.85  3
Did not finish 2nd run
 13  506399 HECTOR Sara 1992 SWE  0
Disqualified 2nd run
 15  705423 VLHOVA Petra 1995 SVK  1:15.23  0
Did not qualify
 75  486140 MELNIKOVA Polina 2001 RUS  1:10.30  0
 74  945000 CLERC Mialitiana 2001 MAD  1:12.26  0
 73  197497 MIRADOLI Romane 1994 FRA  1:04.76  0
 71  565491 DVORNIK Neja 2001 SLO  1:05.65  0
 70  565401 BUCIK Ana 1993 SLO  1:04.26  0
 69  206497 FILSER Andrea 1993 GER  1:05.60  0
 68  6295075 DELLA MEA Lara 1999 ITA  1:03.69  0
 66  56392 GRITSCH Franziska 1997 AUT  1:03.54  0
 65  516426 STOFFEL Elena 1996 SUI  1:05.13  0
 64  6295334 SANDULLI Elena 2000 ITA  1:04.88  0
 63  516283 ELLENBERGER Andrea 1993 SUI  1:03.58  0
 62  298723 MIDALI Roberta 1994 ITA  1:03.91  0
 61  6535773 O BRIEN Nina 1997 USA  1:04.65  0
 60  197651 DIREZ Clara 1995 FRA  1:04.54  0
 59  185475 PYKALAINEN Erika 2001 FIN  1:05.04  0
 57  206367 HRONEK Veronique 1991 GER  1:04.88  0
 56  155727 CAPOVA Gabriela 1993 CZE  1:05.31  0
 55  485749 PROKOPYEVA Aleksandra 1994 RUS  1:04.83  0
 54  516394 SUTER Jasmina 1995 SUI  1:03.96  0
 53  516344 KOPP Rahel 1994 SUI  1:02.93  0
 52  307704 ARAI Mio 1997 JPN  1:06.63  0
 51  299388 BERTANI Luisa Matilde Maria 1996 ITA  1:05.84  0
 50  198016 ESCANE Doriane 1999 FRA  1:02.89  0
 48  6535765 MANGAN Patricia 1997 USA  1:05.94  0
 47  56328 ORTLIEB Nina 1996 AUT  1:03.55  0
 45  516504 DANIOTH Aline 1998 SUI  1:03.42  0
 41  506664 FJAELLSTROEM Magdalena 1995 SWE  1:03.80  0
 39  306977 MUKOGAWA Sakurako 1992 JPN  1:02.94  0
 38  206355 DUERR Lena 1991 GER  1:03.26  0
 37  6536392 HURT A J 2000 USA  1:06.09  0
 34  405138 JELINKOVA Adriana 1995 NED  1:03.83  0
 32  315187 IGNJATOVIC Nevena 1990 SRB  1:02.73  0
 30  426100 HOLTMANN Mina Fuerst 1995 NOR  1:02.21  0
 24  225525 TILLEY Alex 1993 GBR  1:04.15  0
 22  105269 GAGNON Marie-Michele 1989 CAN  1:02.29  0
 20  197616 ALPHAND Estelle 1995 SWE  1:02.66  0
 10  565268 DREV Ana 1985 SLO  1:03.77  0
Did not finish 1st run
 72  665009 SHKANOVA Maria 1989 BLR  0
 67  425981 SKJOELD Maren 1993 NOR  0
 46  435334 GASIENICA-DANIEL Maryna 1994 POL  0
 44  298694 PICHLER Karoline 1994 ITA  0
 42  56416 SCHEIB Julia 1998 AUT  0
 40  107387 CRAWFORD Candace 1994 CAN  0
 26  297702 MARSAGLIA Francesca 1990 ITA  0
 8  299276 BASSINO Marta 1996 ITA  0

About the Author: Mackenzie Moran

Born and raised in Metro-Detroit, Michigan, Mackenzie grew up ski racing all over the Mitten.​ She moved out west in search of mountains and attended the University of Oregon, where she achieved degrees in Journalism and Environmental Science. She raced USCSA and was captain of the UO Alpine Ski Team.

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