Are: Stiegler attacks but fails to make top five

ARE, Sweden — The message for her second run was clear, and Resi Stiegler did what she was told Friday night in the World Championships women’s slalom
    Attack.
ARE, Sweden — The message for her second run was clear, and Resi Stiegler did what she was told Friday night in the World Championships women’s slalom
    Attack.
    Sitting in eighth place after a first run in which she admitted going out of the start gate “like a pinball machine, kind of bouncing all over the place,” Stiegler skied more aggressively in the second run and seized the lead from current leader Michaela Kirchgasser of Austria by 0.55 seconds. Needing to finish in the top five to better her slalom result from two years ago in Bormio, Stiegler watched the next seven racers better her time in a blazing fight to the finish.
    Stiegler ended up holding her position, finishing eighth and lamenting a few mistakes in each run that kept her out of the top five. A remarkable total of 0.82 seconds separated the top-five finishers on an electric night in Are.
    “I went for it [second run] because I didn’t have anything to lose,” Stiegler said. “I thought I’d be more solid on top because they set a sweet course and we don’t often get that. And I came down in the lead, and that was cool, but it didn’t last long, so that was kind of a bummer. In Bormio I did better, so that’s a little disappointing, too.”
    U.S. coach Patrick Riml praised the aggressive skiing of Stiegler and teammate Kaylin Richardson in the second run. Richardson, who said she loved skiing under the lights because it reminded her of nights on her home hill in Minnesota, finished 23rd.
    “It was a great race to watch — very exciting,” Riml said. “Resi did a great job, I have to say. She was conservative on the top of her first run but she really attacked more at the bottom. Second run, she went out [of the start] going for it, and that's all you can ask from an athlete. She attacked and charged, but she had some mistakes — one big one at the top — and I was impressed she was able to stay in the course; I must say, I was very impressed with that.
    “Kaylin attacked, too. she struggled at the top in her first run but then she had some good sections through the middle but had a mistake at the bottom. On her second run, Kaylin lost some time at the top but again had some good-looking sections before losing time again at the bottom.”
    Richardson said she gave Stiegler the report on the radio to just attack the second run. The slope held up well, and the second set seemed to be more rhythmical than the first.    
    “There’s nothing to hold back on this course,” Richardson said she told Stiegler. “And as always, she puts on a great show. I honestly thought her run was going to be wicked fast, but it’s World Championships. Everyone is putting it on the line. No one is holding back. She did a great job. Eighth isn’t what she wanted, but she put in a great effort.”
    Stiegler had a simpler explanation.
    “The bottom line is I should have skied faster on my first run.”