Worlds: Zettel earns combined gold as Vonn DQs

It was close, so very close. But a slalom course that somehow managed to develop ruts ended Lindsey Vonn’s three-race win streak and allowed a brilliant run from Austrian Kathrin Zettel to be rewarded with the combined gold medal in the 2009 World Ski Championships.

Vonn was looking to put the final peg on the board that would make her the most successful U.S. woman ski racer ever and was in good position to do so with a well executed downhill run behind her and few major slalom talents within striking distance. But eight gates into her slalom run, she got bounced so far to the outside she completely missed a gate, an error she was unaware of at the bottom where she was temporarily credited with the second fastest combined time.

Zettel got her first individual medal of any color – she was part of a team silver in 2005 – and provided the top half of a two medal day for Austria as Elisabeth Goergl won the bronze. The silver went to Swiss teen sensation Lara Gut.It was close, so very close. But a slalom course that somehow managed to develop ruts ended Lindsey Vonn’s three-race win streak and allowed a brilliant run from Austrian Kathrin Zettel to be rewarded with the combined gold medal in the 2009 World Ski Championships.

Vonn was looking to put the final peg on the board that would make her the most successful U.S. woman ski racer ever and was in good position to do so with a well executed downhill run behind her and few major slalom talents within striking distance. But eight gates into her slalom run, she got bounced so far to the outside she completely missed a gate, an error she was unaware of at the bottom where she was temporarily credited with the second fastest combined time.

Zettel got her first individual medal of any color – she was part of a team silver in 2005 – and provided the top half of a two medal day for Austria as Elisabeth Goergl won the bronze. In so doing, she follows in the footsteps of her mother, Traudl Hecher, who took bronze in downhill in the 1960 worlds in Squaw Valley and again in 1964 at Innsbruck. The silver went to Swiss teen sensation Lara Gut.

“I’m really surprised about this gold medal because Lindsey was quite in front of us after the downhill and she’s a good slalom skier too,” said Zettel, who has five World Cup victories and 21 podiums, just two of which are in combined. “When she has a normal run she can [win] the gold medal, but after her big mistake in the slalom …”

Vonn, who won the downhill portion of the combined, realized she’d made a mistake in the slalom, but never realized she’d missed a gate. She was informed of her disqualification after beginning proceedings for what initially looked like a silver medal.

“It’s a pretty frustrating day today,” Vonn said. “I had a good downhill run and felt like I was in good position to do well. It was just tough with the conditions in the slalom. It was really rutty and I kind of went on the inside ski. I actually thought I was second, then I wasn’t second. I was really confused for a while and really frustrated to have thought that you got a medal, then it’s taken away. It’s pretty hard to take.”

Zettel took the win by more than half a second, making up a deficit of well over a second after her downhill run. Primarily a tech specialist, Zettel is working on her speed events. She recently finished second in a super-combined on another tough downhill course at Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, but said the Rhone-Alpes course at Val d’Isere is the most challenging she’s ever faced.

“I’m not afraid, but I have respect,” she said of the course. “It’s the toughest downhill I have ever raced. It’s really technical and hard, so I have respect.”

Contrary to nearly the entire field, many of whom have expressed outright disdain for the Val d’Isere course, the combined silver medalist is a fan. Gut, who only started racing on the World Cup a year ago, finished the downhill portion of the combined just .14 behind Vonn and has been among the fastest racers all week in  downhill training.

“I would say it’s a strong downhill,” the 17-year-old said after the race, shifting seamlessly between Italian – her first language – English and French. “You have to give everything to fight for every gate. But for me, those slopes are the best, so I have to say, I love it.”

Gut also said that the last time she was on a slalom course was in December at the St. Moritz super-combi, where she finished fifth. 

German Maria Riesch took aim in the slalom after a third-place finish in the downhill run, but it was quickly apparent the roughed up course was going to present her with problems. Her ski slipped from beneath her on the first turn and she skied from behind the entire length of the course, finally regaining it for the final flush.

“I had some problems today with the slope,” she said. “I  knew there were some ruts and you have to ski from behind, but I was a little bit too straight at the gate.”

After a bad crash in downhill training earlier this week, Riesch was bruised going into the combined race, but still managed to finish fourth.

“I could have won a medal today if I’d just skied down like normal, but I didn’t do this, so I’m pretty disappointed about my own performance,” she said. “But on the other side, I’m happy because I did a good downhill run although I crashed two days ago, so for downhill, it should be OK.”

All eyes will now be on Sunday’s downhill, the gold medal most coveted by many all-around racers, Vonn in particular.

“I’m just going to look forward to the future,” Vonn said after Friday’s race. “I’ve been feeling so great lately … to come down so hard like this today is tough to take, but the downhill now is my big motivation. I’m going to work hard and do everything I can to be on the podium in that race.”

The coronation of Lindsey Vonn as the best there ever was will have to wait.

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The SCOOP
By Hank McKee

Equipment
Women’s World Championship Combined
Val d’Isere, France, Feb. 6, 2009
Skier, skis/boots/bindings
1 Zettel, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
2 Gut, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
3 Goergl, Head/Head/Head
4 Riesch, Head/Lange/Tyrolia
5 Marchand-Arvier, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
6 Schnarf, Volkl/Tecnica/Marker
7 Fenninger, Head/Head/Head
8 Suter, Stoeckli/Lange/Atomic
9 Aubert, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer
10 Ferk, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer

Women’s combined, FIS World Ski Championships, Val d’Isere, France, Feb. 6, 2009. … It is the third race of ten (plus a team event) on the title meet schedule and the second for the women. … It is the 260th World Championship race and the 68th combined.

It is the first career individual World Championship medal for Kathrin Zettel. … She had been part of the silver medal winning team in 2005. … She has six other title meet results and no finish worse than ninths…. She also has two Olympic results from Sansicario, a fourth in combined and seventh in GS. … It is her fourth win of the season but the first in combined the other three coming in GS. … She has, however, been second in combined in World Cup at Zauchensee. … It is the 65th Austrian World Championship win. … the 12th in combined. … It is the second (and third with Goergl) Austrian medal of these championships.

It is the first championship medal and second career result for Lara Gut. … It is her third podium finish of the season in three disciplines having won the World Cup super G at St Moritz and been third in GS at Semmering, both in December. … It is the 142nd World Championship medal for Switzerland. … the second of 2009 after Didier Cuche’s gold in SG.

It is the first career World Championship podium for Elisabeth Goergl. … Her fifth career title meet finish. … It is her third, third place finish of the season and first in combined having also placed third in GS’s at Aspen and Cortina.

Stacey Cook matches her career best World Championship results from the 2007 DH at Are.

Medal Count:
AUT 1 gold, 2 bronze
SUI 1 gold, 1 silver
USA 1 gold
FRA 1 silver
ITA 1 silver
NOR 1 bronze

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Official results:

1	16	55838	ZETTEL Kathrin	1986	AUT	1:31.97	48.16	2:20.13	0.00
2	6	516138	GUT Lara	1991	SUI	1:30.63	50.06	2:20.69	4.96
3	21	55576	GOERGL Elisabeth	1981	AUT	1:31.03	49.98	2:21.01	7.79
4	20	206001	RIESCH Maria	1984	GER	1:31.92	49.75	2:21.67	13.63
5	10	196460	MARCHAND-ARVIER Marie	1985	FRA	1:32.15	50.47	2:22.62	22.03
6	4	296427	SCHNARF Johanna	1984	ITA	1:34.01	48.67	2:22.68	22.56
7	17	55947	FENNINGER Anna	1989	AUT	1:33.22	49.47	2:22.69	22.65
8	9	515766	SUTER Fabienne	1985	SUI	1:32.45	50.45	2:22.90	24.51
9	15	195972	AUBERT Sandrine	1982	FRA	1:35.90	47.08	2:22.98	25.22
10	3	565320	FERK Marusa	1988	SLO	1:32.41	50.70	2:23.11	26.37
11	13	155415	ZAHROBSKA Sarka	1985	CZE	1:35.11	48.08	2:23.19	27.08
12	5	206175	STECHERT Gina	1987	GER	1:33.79	49.84	2:23.63	30.97
13	30	565315	ROBNIK Mateja	1987	SLO	1:32.77	51.02	2:23.79	32.39
14	7	515692	GRAND Rabea	1984	SUI	1:35.05	49.08	2:24.13	35.40
15	11	195671	JACQUEMOD Ingrid	1978	FRA	1:33.80	50.44	2:24.24	36.37
16	23	537582	COOK Stacey	1984	USA	1:32.37	52.88	2:25.25	45.31
17	25	225206	ALCOTT Chemmy	1982	GBR	1:33.19	52.28	2:25.47	47.25
18	29	195983	ROLLAND Marion	1982	FRA	1:33.09	52.43	2:25.52	47.70
19	34	25096	GUTIERREZ Mireia	1988	AND	1:36.37	51.10	2:27.47	64.95
20	28	155333	HRSTKOVA Lucie	1981	CZE	1:38.41	51.39	2:29.80	85.57
21	39	35079	SIMARI BIRKNER Maria Belen	1982	ARG	1:38.97	51.18	2:30.15	88.67
22	38	95050	KIRKOVA Maria	1986	BUL	1:41.81	50.34	2:32.15	106.36
23	36	35089	SIMARI BIRKNER Macarena	1984	ARG	1:37.11	57.40	2:34.51	127.25
24	37	65090	VAN BUYNDER Isabel	1991	BEL	1:43.56	51.49	2:35.05	132.03
25	33	155563	KRIZOVA Klara	1989	CZE	1:37.58	1:06.20	2:43.78	209.28

 

Official timekeeper

 

Did not start 2nd run: RUIZ CASTILLO Carolina (SPA), MARSHALL Chelsea (USA)

Did not finish 1st run: MORLANS Leyre (SPA), COLETTI Alexandra (MON), MIKLOS Edith (ROU), HANSDOTTER Frida (SWE), PAERSON Anja (SWE), BRYDON Emily (CAN), MANCUSO Julia (USA), DETTLING Andrea (SUI)

Did not finish 2nd run: MERIGHETTI Daniela (ITA), MAZE Tina (SLO)

Disqualified 1st run: KIRCHGASSER Michaela (AUT)

Disqualified 2nd run: VONN Lindsey (USA)