Riesch tops first downhill training in Cortina, Mancuso second

Jan 19, 2011

The women of the World Cup began downhill training today (Jan. 19) in Cortina d’ Ampezzo, Italy in preparation for Saturday’s race.

German Maria Riesch, the current overall leader, was the fastest down the 2590-meter course today with a time of one minute, 41.67 seconds under overcast skies and light snow. A half second behind (0.51) was American Julia Mancuso in second. Italian Daniela Merighetti looked comfortable on her home course with the third-fastest time of the day (1:42.29).

French skiers Marie Marchand-Arvier and Ingrid Jacquemod filled the top five in fourth and fifth, respectively.

The U.S. Ski Team had six women in today’s training run as Stacey Cook (1:43.63) followed Mancuso in ninth. Laurenne Ross and Chelsea Marshall finished 21st and 24th while Lindsey Vonn, the winner of the last two World Cup downhills and three-time winner here, was 4.34 seconds off the leading time in 29th. Vonn won both the downhill and super G here last season three weeks before earning the Olympic downhill gold medal.

“The hill is in great shape, the downhill is prepared very well. Usually it’s like a highway coming down but this year it’s quite bumpy in sections and there is also some more terrain because there is not that much snow,” said U.S. women’s head coach Alex Hoeldmoser. “It’s going to be very challenging, there is going to be more jumps in it. I’m really looking forward to the whole thing.”

“It’s definitely fast, I don’t think it could be less turny, because if you nailed the turns, you could generate so much speed,” Mancuso told Fisalpine.com. “It’s not icy. There’s so much grip so that makes it even faster. I think this year is really quick, the snow is faster and the turns swing a tiny bit more. You have to make quick switches. I felt when I was cruising, OK, I gotta snap out of it … get more into GS mode.”

Britt Janyk led the Canadian women in 25th today, followed by teammate Georgia Simmerling in 31st. 

“Cortina is a classic on the women’s side, it’s been there for the last 19 years,” said Hoedlmoser. “It’s very unique, starting up in the rocks with some super steep areas, so it’s a very exciting downhill. The beautiful scenery around it and the track itself make it one of the top three downhills that we race. It’s one of the most difficult and challenging, it’s not so easy to win one here.”

Riesch, who tied for the victory at the last World Cup stop (a slalom in Flachau, Austria), appears to have found her way on the speed skis again after recording her season low (24th) in the Val d’Isere downhill in mid-December. She finished fourth at the last Word Cup downhill in Zauchensee, Austria on Jan. 8 and leads Vonn in the overall World Cup standings by 196 points.

Downhill training is scheduled to continue tomorrow ahead of Friday’s super G that replaces a race that was canceled in Val d’Isere. The downhill will run Saturday with another super G scheduled for Sunday.

Image by Gepa

OFFICIAL RESULTS – FIRST TRAINING

Rank Bib FIS Code Name Year Nation Total Time
 1  14  206001 RIESCH Maria  1984  GER   1:41.67
 2  10  537545 MANCUSO Julia  1984  USA   1:42.18
 3  11  296008 MERIGHETTI Daniela  1981  ITA   1:42.29
 4  2  196460 MARCHAND-ARVIER Marie  1985  FRA   1:42.46
 5  12  195671 JACQUEMOD Ingrid  1978  FRA   1:42.76
 6  30  296472 FANCHINI Elena  1985  ITA   1:43.00
 7  18  55576 GOERGL Elisabeth  1981  AUT   1:43.09
 8  22  55750 FISCHBACHER Andrea  1985  AUT   1:43.57
 9  29  537582 COOK Stacey  1984  USA   1:43.63
 10  28  55766 MADER Regina  1985  AUT   1:43.69
 11  13  505483 PAERSON Anja  1981  SWE   1:43.71
 12  23  565243 MAZE Tina  1983  SLO   1:43.78
 13  20  55947 FENNINGER Anna  1989  AUT   1:43.80
 14  8  195983 ROLLAND Marion  1982  FRA   1:44.16
 15  7  296427 SCHNARF Johanna  1984  ITA   1:44.56
 16  46  297702 MARSAGLIA Francesca  1990  ITA   1:44.57
 17  34  296431 STUFFER Verena  1984  ITA   1:44.64
 18  9  515747 GISIN Dominique  1985  SUI   1:44.69
 19  19  516138 GUT Lara  1991  SUI   1:44.77
 20  17  515806 KAMER Nadja  1986  SUI   1:44.79
 21  37  538573 ROSS Laurenne  1988  USA   1:44.88
 22  27  515573 AUFDENBLATTEN Fraenzi  1981  SUI   1:44.96
 23  31  515560 SCHILD Martina  1981  SUI   1:45.15
 24  24  538038 MARSHALL Chelsea  1986  USA   1:45.17
 25  26  106022 JANYK Britt  1980  CAN   1:45.19
 26  4  206175 STECHERT Gina  1987  GER   1:45.61
 27  39  55759 KIRCHGASSER Michaela  1985  AUT   1:45.72
 28  43  196968 BAILET Margot  1990  FRA   1:45.97
 29  15  537544 VONN Lindsey  1984  USA   1:46.01
 30  25  295533 RECCHIA Lucia  1980  ITA   1:46.08
 31  53  105920 SIMMERLING Georgia  1989  CAN   1:46.09
 32  35  197006 GAUTHIER Marine  1990  FRA   1:46.12
 33  21  196573 REVILLET Aurelie  1986  FRA   1:46.23
 34  6  565320 FERK Marusa  1988  SLO   1:46.29
 35  5  538305 SMITH Leanne  1987  USA   1:46.31
 36  32  296623 MAZZOTTI Lucia  1985  ITA   1:46.47
 37  49  425880 SEJERSTED Lotte Smiseth  1991  NOR   1:46.64
 38  38  505632 LINDELL-VIKARBY Jessica  1984  SWE   1:46.69
 39  55  375018 COLETTI Alexandra  1983  MON   1:46.72
 40  36  55882 STAUDINGER Christina  1987  AUT   1:46.81
 41  47  55806 ALTACHER Margret  1986  AUT   1:47.06
 42  40  515849 DETTLING Andrea  1987  SUI   1:47.28
 43  54  515997 FEIERABEND Denise  1989  SUI   1:47.31
 44  16  205218 REBENSBURG Viktoria  1989  GER   1:47.47
 45  42  297153 CIPRIANI Enrica  1988  ITA   1:47.57
 46  59  55690 HOSP Nicole  1983  AUT   1:47.72
 47  52  565373 ROBNIK Tina  1991  SLO   1:47.91
 48  50  297910 CURTONI Elena  1991  ITA   1:48.10
 49  3  515782 ABDERHALDEN Marianne  1986  SUI   1:48.39
 50  33  55978 VOGLREITER Mariella  1989  AUT   1:48.59
 51  48  297134 BORSOTTI Camilla  1988  ITA   1:48.71
 52  57  106988 STEVENS Victoria  1990  CAN   1:49.54
 53  61  35079 SIMARI BIRKNER Maria Belen  1982  ARG   1:50.25
 54  41  206323 STIEPEL Isabelle  1990  GER   1:50.35
 55  62  565378 KNEZ Maja  1992  SLO   1:52.14
 56  56  225308 THORBURN Pamela  1986  GBR   1:52.75
 57  63  106825 PREFONTAINE Marie-Pier  1988  CAN   1:54.90
 58  45  55913 MOSER Stefanie  1988  AUT   8:53.26
Did not start 1st run
   64  155431 MARKOVA Daniela  1985  CZE   
   60  35089 SIMARI BIRKNER Macarena  1984  ARG   
   58  297601 BRIGNONE Federica  1990  ITA   
   1  515766 SUTER Fabienne  1985  SUI   
Did not finish 1st run
   51  495318 RUIZ CASTILLO Carolina  1981  SPA   
   44  55970 SCHMIDHOFER Nicole  1989  AUT   

About the Author: Eric Williams

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