A Gut day to be Lara in Lienz

Sechzehn. Seize. Sixteen.

That’s how old Lara Gut of Switzerland was when she raced her very first World Cup. Today, she took her 16th World Cup win at the very same venue she started her World Cup career at in 2007.

For Gut, it’s been a consistent season, earning four World Cup podiums in a row across three events – downhill, combined and giant slalom. Her victory on Monday kept her in the lead in the overall World Cup standings and moved her into the lead in the giant slalom standings as well.

“It’s too early to think about the overall yet,” Gut said. “After Lake Louise I was far behind Lindsey. It can change so quickly. Now I just want to stay focused on my skiing, to work every day hard to be fast and do what I can.”

Gut credits some of her recent successes to the team she has built around her with the help of her father.

“He is my coach,” said Gut after her win. “He knows me best, and we’ve been building a good team together.”

Part of her team also includes former World Cup star Didier Cuche’s serviceman, who has helped Gut with her transition to Head skis this season. While the switch has not been all Swiss chocolate and roses, Gut says she liked the skis from the very beginning.

“For example, in Are, I had no idea what was going on,” she explained. “I was so slow and I was like ‘I’m trying to give my best, but it just doesn’t work,’ so I think sometimes it’s going to happen that I don’t have so much confidence on the skis or it doesn’t work like I want. But from the beginning, I loved the skis.”

Just 0.12 seconds behind her was Lichtenstein’s Tina Weirather, earning her second World Cup podium of the season and her best giant slalom finish since she won in Val d’Isere, France in 2013.

“The light was really bad,” said Weirather – a sentiment echoed by several athletes. “The (second run) course setting … some parts were very straight and fast and then it was turny again, so that was tricky to ski.”

Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg overcame former GS points leader, Eva-Maria Brem of Austria, to take the final spot on the podium at 0.30 seconds behind Gut. The result did not come easily as Rebensburg has been experiencing back pain for the last couple days and was unsure if she’d even be able to start the second run.

“I had some problems with my back between the runs and I wasn’t really sure if I could compete at the second run. So right now, I’m just happy that everything worked out and now I won’t move at all because otherwise I think it’s hurting,” Rebensburg said, adding that physio work and some painkillers between runs helped her push through. 

Outside of the podium, the Italians claimed four of the top 10 spots. Frederica Brignone led the charge in fifth, while Francesca Marsaglia, Irene Curtoni and Elena Curtoni finished seventh, ninth and 10th, respectively.

Noticeably absent from the leader board was American Lindsey Vonn, who did not finish her first run.

“I just need a little bit of training,” said Vonn, following first run. “It’s hard this time of year to manage your energy and still be able to train enough to be competitive, and I feel like I have really good speed right now in GS. I’m just not quite 100 percent consistent. I think it comes out especially when there’s terrain changes and rhythm changes.”

Megan McJames – who races independently for the United States – was the only American in the top 30, coming in 25th overall at 3.15 seconds off of Gut.

Vonn will head home to the United States for a few days in order to train on her home hill of Vail and recuperate before the newly rescheduled speed races in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria, originally meant to be hosted by St. Anton, Austria. The downhill will be conducted as a two-run sprint race at the new venue due to a lack of snow on top of the mountain. 

It was also announced that the slalom races scheduled in Zagreb, Croatia, for early January were canceled as well and relocated to Santa Caterina, Italy, on Jan. 5 (for ladies) and Jan. 6 (for men).

For now, the women’s World Cup circuit continues tomorrow in Lienz, Austria, with the slalom race. The first run begins at 10:30 a.m. local time.

View more photos from this event here.

Fans can stay current on the World Cup circuit by downloading the new U.S. Ski Team iOS app powered by Ski Racing here.

The Scoop
By Hank McKee

1. Gut, Head/Head/Head
2. Weirather, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
3. Rebensburg, Stoeckli/Lange/Atomic
4. Brem, Volkl/Fischer/Marker
5. Brignone, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
6. Kirchgasser,  Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
7. Marsaglia, Volkl/Fischer/Marker
8. Hansdotter, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
9. Curtoni, Rossignol/Lange/Rossignol
10. Curtoni, Head/Head/Head

• Women’s World Cup giant slalom, Lienz, Austria, Dec. 28, 2015. … It is the 13^th of 41 races on the women’s World Cup schedule … the fifth of nine scheduled GSs. … It is the 24^th World Cup race set at Lienz … the 11^th GS. … Anna Fenninger won the last two Lienz GS World Cup races. … The last American victory at Lienz was Judy Nagel in 1969. … The site has been hosting a pre-New Years set of races, in alternating years, since 1999.
• It is the 16^th career World Cup win for Lara Gut. … Her third in GS and second in GS this season. … Winning margin is 0.12 of a second. … Top five are within the same second. … Top 11 are within two seconds. First run winner Ana Drev failed to finish the second run. … It is Gut’s fourth win of the season in three disciplines, and her third win in December.
• It is the 22^nd career World Cup podium for Tina Weirather … her fifth in GS. … It is her second podium of the season, both in GS.
• It is the 24th career World Cup podium for Viktoria Rebensburg … her 20^th in GS. .. It is her first podium at Lienz where she has finished fourth and fifth previously.
• It is the best finish of the season (by one placing) for Marie-Pier Prefontaine. … It is the 11^th career scoring finish for Megan McJames … her first of the season.
• Gut holds the lead of the World Cup overall standings 658-500 over Lindsey Vonn (DNF 1^st). … Frida Hansdotter (eighth in race) is third overall with 376pts. … Mikaela Shiffrin (did not race) is eighth overall with 296pts.  
• Gut leads the GS standings 350-342 over Brem (fourth in race). … Brignone is third with 265. … Vonn holds ninth with 120pts. …
• Austria leads the women’s Nations Cup 1653-11341 over Switzerland. … Italy is third with 1273 and the U.S. fourth with 1118pts. Canada is ninth with 363pts.

Official Results