Poutiainen, Riesch tie for slalom win in Flachau

Ties at the top of World Cup podiums are rare. Seeing two in four days is unheard of. Cyprien Richard and Aksel Lund Svindal did it Saturday at a GS in Adelboden and lightning struck again today (Jan. 11) on the women’s tour in Austria.

After Finn Tanja Poutiainen led in the first run, German Maria Riesch made up the 0.41-second difference as the two split the win and became Co-Snow Space Princesses 2011 today in a World Cup night slalom in Flachau.

A man who has made a bit of history of his own, local legend Hermann Maier, joined the crowd of 15,000 to witness the occasion.

Riesch, the current World Cup overall leader, stood third after the first run to lead a group of eight German women into the 30-women second run. She put down the fastest second run of the day (52.21 seconds) to finish with a total time of one minute, 42.52 seconds, a total Poutiainen matched one racer later. It was Poutiainen’s first World Cup slalom win since 2008.

“I’m so happy with today. I win my first slalom of the season at last and I have absolutely no problem with sharing it with Tanja,” said Riesch, who has earned four slalom second-place finishes this season and finished second here last season.

France’s Nasatasia Noens battled her second-run demons to earn her first career podium in third, 0.52 seconds behind the winners.

Though they shared the podium today, both Poutiainen and Riesch received 100 points. Riesch’s lead in the overall standings jumped to 196 over American Lindsey Vonn who today collected her fourth consecutive first-run DNF in a World Cup slalom.

“My SL troubles continue! Another disappointing SL race for me, that is 4 DNF’s in a row,” Tweeted Vonn after the run. “I am not exactly thrilled right now, but I have been training really well and the bad luck has to turn around eventually…..I hope.”

Fourth went to local favorite, Austrian Kathrin Zettel, who, much to the delight of the rowdy crowd, jumped from from sixth in the first run to hold a 0.42-second lead until being bumped by Riesch. Making her result even more impressive is the fact that she only took three slalom training runs in preparation for today’s race while resting the sore knee and hip that have annoyed her all season.

There was no happier racer than France’s Anne-Sophie Barthet who, after securing her second-best result ever in ninth, treated the crowd to a dance after literally screaming into the finish area. She was just behind teammate Sandrine Aubert, who also notched her season high in eighth.

Sarah Schleper, the only American woman to reach today’s second run, lost her balance and skied off course in the middle of the track. The rest of the American women struggled to find the rhythm on the first-run course set by their coach Trevor Wagner. Resi Stiegler lost her balance coming out of the start gate while Julia Mancuso lost time at every split to finish 4.12 seconds behind the leader and Hailey Duke straddled a gate in the middle of the course.

“The hill is great,” said U.S. women’s head coach Alex Hoedlmoser, who said the addition of some artificial rolls in the hill made it more challenging than it has been in the past. “Everything was really good, the course was good and we were actually expecting quite a bit out of the girls today and the bottom line is that they didn’t perform. It’s as simple as that.”

Canadian Anna Goodman finished 14th for her best result of the season. “It’s the first time since tearing my knee that I really went for it and trusted myself,” said Goodman, who suffered a serious knee injury last January. “Coming back has been harder than I anticipated. But on a day like today, that all disappears and everything seems good.”

Perhaps even more shocking than the tie was the dethroning of Austrian Marlies Schild, winner of the last three consecutive World Cup slaloms. Schild, who has won four of six slaloms this season, showed her first signs of being human in weeks during the first run, finishing 1.40 seconds off the leading pace in 11th before skiing out in the second run. Riesch also took control of the slalom rankings with her fifth podium of the season to lead Schild 420-400.

Some top competitors were taken out in the first run as Nicole Hosp, Tina Maze and Sarka Zahrobska failed to finish the 64-gate course.

The SCOOP
By Hank McKee

Equipment
Women’s slalom (night) Flachau, Austria, Jan. 11, 2011
Skier, skis/boots/bindings
1 Riesch, Head/Lange/Head
1 Poutiainen, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer
3 Noens, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon
4 Zettel, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
5 Zuzulova, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon
6 Borssen, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer
7 Pietilae-Holmner, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
8 Aubert, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
9 Barthet, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
10 Hansdotter, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol

Women’s World Cup slalom (night), Flachau, Austria, Jan. 11, 2011. … It is the 19th race of the 38 race (including Munich City event) 2011 World Cup schedule. … The 18th held. … It is the sixth of ten scheduled slaloms. … It is the 16th Cup race held at Flachau. … the eighth slalom and the fourth women’s slalom. … Marlies Schild won the race last season. …

It is the 17th career World Cup win for Maria Riesch. … Her seventh in slalom. … It is her third win of the season and first in slalom, though she has been second twice (Levi Nov. 13 and Aspen Nov. 28). … She owns three of Germany’s four wins this season. …  It is the 11th career World Cup win for Tanja Poutiainen. … and sixth in slalom (half of those night slaloms). … It is her first Cup win of the season, though she has been second twice (St Moritz in GS Dec. 12 and Courchevel in slalom Dec. 21). … Of her ten finishes this season eight are fourth place or better. … It is the first Finnish win of the season.

It is the first career World Cup podum result for Nastasia Noens. … Her previous best was sixth, scored thrice, all this season.

It is the 14th scoring result for Anna Goodman, all coming in slalom. … It is her third best career result behind a ninth at Are Dec. 13, 2009 and a 13th at Aspen Nov. 29, 2009. … It is her second score of the season having placed 23rd at Aspen.

Riesch maintains her lead of the World Cup overall standings 1023-827 over Lindsey Vonn (DNF 1st). … Poutainen in now third at 580pts. … Riesch leads the slalom standings 420-400 over Poutainen and Marlies Schild (DNF 2nd) who are tied for second. … Vonn is the top North American on the slalom list in 18th place with 72pts. … Gagnon the top Canadian in 32nd place with 31pts. … Austria leads the women’s Nations Cup 2634-2148 over Germany. … the U.S. is second with 1508. … Canada tenth with 260pts.

Rank	Bib	FIS Code	Name	Year	Nation	Run 1	Run 2	Total Time	FIS Points
1	5	206001	RIESCH Maria	1984	GER	50.31	52.21	1:42.52	0.00
1	2	185140	POUTIAINEN Tanja	1980	FIN	49.90	52.62	1:42.52	0.00
3	11	196806	NOENS Nastasia	1988	FRA	50.11	52.93	1:43.04	3.09
4	7	55838	ZETTEL Kathrin	1986	AUT	50.86	52.48	1:43.34	4.88
5	10	705287	ZUZULOVA Veronika	1984	SVK	50.93	52.83	1:43.76	7.38
6	9	505610	BORSSEN Therese	1984	SWE	50.64	53.40	1:44.04	9.04
7	1	505760	PIETILAE-HOLMNER Maria	1986	SWE	51.18	52.95	1:44.13	9.58
8	6	195972	AUBERT Sandrine	1982	FRA	51.04	53.80	1:44.84	13.80
9	28	196726	BARTHET Anne-Sophie	1988	FRA	51.92	52.94	1:44.86	13.92
10	21	505679	HANSDOTTER Frida	1985	SWE	51.41	53.98	1:45.39	17.08
11	29	355040	NIGG Marina	1984	LIE	52.43	53.00	1:45.43	17.31
12	44	206099	PERNER Nina	1986	GER	51.46	54.08	1:45.54	17.97
13	18	205168	DUERR Katharina	1989	GER	51.78	54.12	1:45.90	20.11
14	31	106633	GOODMAN Anna	1986	CAN	52.83	53.11	1:45.94	20.35
15	19	206035	CHMELAR Fanny	1985	GER	52.09	54.17	1:46.26	22.25
16	30	515997	FEIERABEND Denise	1989	SUI	52.49	53.94	1:46.43	23.26
17	17	205993	HOELZL Kathrin	1984	GER	52.46	54.10	1:46.56	24.04
18	40	506341	WIKSTROEM Emelie	1992	SWE	52.09	54.54	1:46.63	24.45
19	22	295435	GIUS Nicole	1980	ITA	53.23	53.52	1:46.75	25.17
20	46	196928	WORLEY Tessa	1989	FRA	52.56	54.25	1:46.81	25.53
21	38	296509	CURTONI Irene	1985	ITA	52.82	54.00	1:46.82	25.59
22	47	515587	PUENCHERA Jessica	1982	SUI	52.52	54.60	1:47.12	27.37
23	49	205239	WIRTH Barbara	1989	GER	52.85	54.35	1:47.20	27.85
24	57	506350	EKLUND Nathalie	1992	SWE	53.21	55.40	1:48.61	36.24
Disqualified 2nd run
	23	55759	KIRCHGASSER Michaela	1985	AUT
Disqualified 1st run
	50	106961	MIELZYNSKI Erin	1990	CAN
	39	107068	PHELAN Brittany	1991	CAN
Did not start 1st run
	43	425771	LOESETH Nina	1989	NOR
Did not qualify 1st run
	79	35177	SIMARI BIRKNER Angelica	1994	ARG
	77	415128	JARVIS Sarah	1986	NZE
	74	565331	LAVTAR Katarina	1988	SLO
	72	385041	NOVOSELIC Sofija	1990	CRO
	71	705394	KANTOROVA Barbara	1992	SVK
	69	206174	STABER Veronika	1987	GER
	67	65038	PERSYN Karen	1983	BEL
	65	538573	ROSS Laurenne	1988	USA
	64	435142	KARASINSKA Katarzyna	1982	POL
	63	55914	NOESIG Michaela	1988	AUT
	61	196803	MOUGEL Laurie	1988	FRA
	56	506399	HECTOR Sara	1992	SWE
	55	106183	TERWIEL Elli	1989	CAN
	54	516280	HOLDENER Wendy	1993	SUI
	45	515733	BONJOUR Aline	1985	SUI
	42	105615	ROUTHIER Eve	1988	CAN
	41	515692	GRAND Rabea	1984	SUI
	36	537772	STIEGLER Resi	1985	USA
	35	515619	GINI Sandra	1982	SUI
	34	105269	GAGNON Marie-Michele	1989	CAN
	33	537545	MANCUSO Julia	1984	USA
	32	565320	FERK Marusa	1988	SLO
	25	56032	SCHILD Bernadette	1990	AUT
	24	185271	LEINONEN Sanni	1989	FIN
	20	385032	JELUSIC Ana	1986	CRO
Did not finish 2nd run
	26	536481	SCHLEPER Sarah	1979	USA
	13	296259	MOELGG Manuela	1983	ITA
	12	206279	GEIGER Christina	1990	GER
	8	206160	RIESCH Susanne	1987	GER
	4	55590	SCHILD Marlies	1981	AUT
Did not finish 1st run
	78	35089	SIMARI BIRKNER Macarena	1984	ARG
	76	35079	SIMARI BIRKNER Maria Belen	1982	ARG
	75	106825	PREFONTAINE Marie-Pier	1988	CAN
	73	297171	FANCHINI Sabrina	1988	ITA
	70	155479	SMUTNA Michaela	1987	CZE
	68	305694	YUMOTO Hiromi	1981	JPN
	66	425880	SEJERSTED Lotte Smiseth	1991	NOR
	62	296427	SCHNARF Johanna	1984	ITA
	60	55863	HOELLBACHER Verena	1987	AUT
	59	55807	DAUM Alexandra	1986	AUT
	58	516090	MUELLER Rina	1990	SUI
	53	196793	MARMOTTAN Anemone	1988	FRA
	52	537792	DUKE Hailey	1985	USA
	51	506146	SWENN-LARSSON Anna	1991	SWE
	48	55977	THALMANN Carmen	1989	AUT
	37	196725	BARIOZ Taina	1988	FRA
	27	296354	COSTAZZA Chiara	1984	ITA
	16	537544	VONN Lindsey	1984	USA
	15	565243	MAZE Tina	1983	SLO
	14	55690	HOSP Nicole	1983	AUT
	3	155415	ZAHROBSKA Sarka	1985	CZE