Norway's Mona Loeseth wins opening Europa Cup race

Mona Loeseth (GEPA/Daniel Goetzhaber)

Mona Loeseth, a technical skier from Norway, claimed her career first Continental Cup giant slalom victory in the opening race of the 2013-14 European Cup season in Levi, Finland. Her previous best results were second in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia in 2010 and 12th in last season’s World Cup in Maribor.

Following the race, Loeseth took to Twitter to write: “First victory in EC GS! I am one happy girl.”

Loeseth laid down the fastest first run over numerous rolls and terrain changes down the Levi course, and she held on in the second to win by over half a second. Sweden’s Ylva Staalnacke was second, and Italy’s Nicole Agnelli was third. Austrian junior Stephanie Brunner and 17-year-old Marta Bassino of Italy finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Germany’s Simona Hoesl tied Bassino for fifth.

American Resi Stiegler finished 47th and Paula Moltzan just missed qualifying for the second run after finishing 61st in the first run. No other North American skiers entered the race.

There is another women’s GS tomorrow (Nov. 23) followed by two slalom races that will complete the opening Europa Cup series. An earlier Europa Cup men’s speed series of two super G races scheduled in Reiteralm, Austria, were cancelled due to lack of snow, and the women’s races in Kvitfjell, Norway, following the Levi competitions have also been cancelled for the same reason.

Results – Women’s Europa Cup GS in Levi, Finland on Nov. 22, 2013

Rank	Bib	FIS Code	Name	Year	Nation	Run 1	Run 2	Total Time	FIS Points
1	4	425887	LOESETH Mona	1991	NOR	1:03.85	49.07	1:52.92	7.82
2	42	506348	STAALNACKE Ylva	1992	SWE	1:04.60	48.89	1:53.49	12.31
3	30	298124	AGNELLI Nicole	1992	ITA	1:04.50	49.25	1:53.75	14.36
4	50	56217	BRUNNER Stephanie	1994	AUT	1:04.59	49.24	1:53.83	14.99
5	46	299276	BASSINO Marta	1996	ITA	1:04.52	49.48	1:54.00	16.33
5	6	206444	HOESL Simona	1992	GER	1:04.89	49.11	1:54.00	16.33
7	7	56241	SCHNEEBERGER Rosina	1994	AUT	1:04.42	49.61	1:54.03	16.57
8	23	185317	SOPPELA Merle	1991	FIN	1:04.41	49.69	1:54.10	17.12
9	3	205239	WIRTH Barbara	1989	GER	1:04.02	50.16	1:54.18	17.75
10	73	56200	NICOLUSSI Kerstin	1994	AUT	1:04.59	49.64	1:54.23	18.15
11	20	565373	ROBNIK Tina	1991	SLO	1:04.58	49.72	1:54.30	18.70
12	1	206497	FILSER Andrea	1993	GER	1:04.39	50.10	1:54.49	20.19
13	41	485563	PROSTEVA Elena	1990	RUS	1:04.93	49.65	1:54.58	20.90
14	69	506555	BLOMQVIST Lisa	1994	SWE	1:05.06	49.55	1:54.61	21.14
15	51	516109	VOGEL Nadja	1990	SUI	1:05.31	49.36	1:54.67	21.61
16	60	56328	ORTLIEB Nina	1996	AUT	1:04.75	50.04	1:54.79	22.56
17	10	298694	PICHLER Karoline	1994	ITA	1:04.95	49.89	1:54.84	22.95
18	15	565331	LAVTAR Katarina	1988	SLO	1:04.85	50.01	1:54.86	23.11
19	55	196806	NOENS Nastasia	1988	FRA	1:05.36	49.53	1:54.89	23.35
20	58	206520	DORSCH Patrizia	1994	GER	1:05.26	49.66	1:54.92	23.58
21	27	516248	FLURY Jasmine	1993	SUI	1:05.37	49.57	1:54.94	23.74
21	13	516344	KOPP Rahel	1994	SUI	1:05.28	49.66	1:54.94	23.74
23	16	297851	AZZOLA Michela	1991	ITA	1:05.74	49.22	1:54.96	23.90
24	25	505908	SMEDH Veronica	1988	SWE	1:05.12	49.91	1:55.03	24.45
25	53	705423	VLHOVA Petra	1995	SVK	1:05.11	49.94	1:55.05	24.61
26	56	705349	GANTNEROVA Jana	1989	SVK	1:05.02	50.06	1:55.08	24.84
27	64	56174	HAASER Ricarda	1993	AUT	1:05.05	50.07	1:55.12	25.16
28	70	426092	CHRISTENSEN Nora Grieg	1995	NOR	1:05.09	50.05	1:55.14	25.32
29	8	506664	FJAELLSTROEM Magdalena	1995	SWE	1:05.64	49.61	1:55.25	26.18
30	17	506146	SWENN-LARSSON Anna	1991	SWE	1:05.17	50.15	1:55.32	26.74
31	33	306096	HOSHI Mizue	1985	JPN	1:05.05	50.28	1:55.33	26.81
32	29	206290	HUEBNER Monica	1990	GER	1:05.49	49.86	1:55.35	26.97
33	82	197540	FORNI Josephine	1994	FRA	1:05.53	49.89	1:55.42	27.52
34	43	298642	GIARDINI Ida	1993	ITA	1:05.28	50.16	1:55.44	27.68
35	48	516289	THUERLER Andrea	1993	SUI	1:05.20	50.36	1:55.56	28.63
36	24	516283	ELLENBERGER Andrea	1993	SUI	1:05.54	50.08	1:55.62	29.10
37	11	506350	EKLUND Nathalie	1992	SWE	1:05.11	50.60	1:55.71	29.81
38	37	305944	KIYOSAWA Emiko	1983	JPN	1:05.37	50.42	1:55.79	30.44
39	21	155699	PAULATHOVA Katerina	1993	CZE	1:05.52	50.33	1:55.85	30.91
40	28	155728	DUBOVSKA Martina	1992	CZE	1:05.24	50.65	1:55.89	31.23
41	2	206174	STABER Veronika	1987	GER	1:05.11	50.79	1:55.90	31.31
42	9	56143	DYGRUBER Julia	1991	AUT	1:05.56	50.40	1:55.96	31.78
43	47	206487	WIESLER Maren	1993	GER	1:05.16	50.87	1:56.03	32.33
44	65	56004	MORIK Michelle	1990	AUT	1:05.30	50.86	1:56.16	33.36
45	22	56126	ZELLER Lisa-Maria	1992	AUT	1:05.65	50.53	1:56.18	33.51
46	5	206408	WEINBUCHNER Susanne	1991	GER	1:05.72	50.49	1:56.21	33.75
47	49	537772	STIEGLER Resi	1985	USA	1:05.61	50.69	1:56.30	34.46
48	62	56222	HOFER Hanna	1994	AUT	1:05.92	50.40	1:56.32	34.62
49	61	206532	SCHMOTZ Marlene	1994	GER	1:05.74	50.59	1:56.33	34.70
50	68	506421	WESTMAN Hanna	1993	SWE	1:05.64	50.90	1:56.54	36.35
51	54	315187	IGNJATOVIC Nevena	1990	SRB	1:05.92	50.67	1:56.59	36.75
52	12	197215	MASSIOS Marie	1992	FRA	1:05.84	50.81	1:56.65	37.22
53	77	425981	SKJOELD Maren	1993	NOR	1:05.97	50.69	1:56.66	37.30
54	88	516284	GISIN Michelle	1993	SUI	1:05.84	50.88	1:56.72	37.77
55	74	426153	NORBYE Tuva	1996	NOR	1:05.74	51.21	1:56.95	39.58
55	18	506557	GRASSL Paulina	1994	SWE	1:05.85	51.10	1:56.95	39.58
57	35	485525	BUREEVA Vladislava	1989	RUS	1:05.79	51.61	1:57.40	43.13
58	89	185282	HAPPONEN Emma	1990	FIN	1:05.78	52.05	1:57.83	46.52

About the Author: C.J. Feehan

Christine J. Feehan is a USSA Level 300 coach who spent more than a decade training athletes at U.S. ski academies - Burke, Sugar Bowl, and Killington - before serving as Editor in Chief at Ski Racing Media through 2017. She worked for the FIS on the World Cup tour for three years and then settled into her current home in Oslo, Norway.