Pinturault back on top in Kranjska Gora GS as Hirscher locks up title

By Published On: March 14th, 2015Comments Off on Pinturault back on top in Kranjska Gora GS as Hirscher locks up title

It’s been two long years since Alexis Pinturault has won a World Cup giant slalom. He was running out of time this season, as well, but with two controlled, powerful runs, the Frenchman managed a decisive victory on the Podkoren pitch of Kranjska Gora, Slovenia.

It was Pinturault’s day, but Marcel Hirscher managed to grab his share of the limelight, finishing a distant second place (+0.68) and locking up the giant slalom crystal globe for the first time in three years. Hirscher has won five GS events this season and finished on the podium four other times. With a 185-point lead over Pinturault heading into the World Cup Final in Meribel, the discipline globe is now a mathematical certainty for the Austrian.

This GS title in particular holds a special meaning for Hirscher as it is his first in the discipline since the radius change three seasons ago.

“This is the first time since the changing rules I’ve caught the globe in GS,” said Hirscher. “For me, it was two years with a lot of thinking and disappointment against Ted. I was 2.7 (seconds) behind Ted in the first race with the longer skis. We realized that we are so far away from Ted. That was the beginning of a long way and a lot of work, a lot of testing and some different setup things. Many people worked their ass of for this success.”

Saturday’s result didn’t come easily for Hirscher. A couple long, linked recoveries characterized his second run. The Austrian seemed to take a slightly casual approach to the first half of the run, which didn’t pass muster on the technical, icy course. He responded by attacking the lower half, making a spectacular recovery to finish strong.

“The overall globe is not possible if you’re skiing bad in one discipline — you have to have two really good disciplines,” said Hirscher. “If I had to choose, I would say I prefer the big (overall) globe definitely. But it is also really nice to to have the GS globe. It gives me extra power for the next races.”

Pinturault’s performance, on the other hand, was less dramatic — the victory appeared imminent from the moment he kicked out of the start. In his second run, Pinturault expanded his lead through the second split, steadily skiing a reliable line with a quiet upper body.

“It’s a special day for me because it’s my first GS victory after many years,” Pinturault said. “This year, it was really tough to beat Marcel and I finally did it. I’m really happy.

“It’s much more difficult in the second run because it’s much bumpier as a result of the racers, so you have to be really smooth,” added the winner. “Some guys can ski really, really fast. You have to be careful and you never really know even when you cross the line.”

American Ted Ligety was hoping to capture his seventh win in Kranjska Gora and remain mathematically alive in the GS chase but instead finished just off the podium in fourth. After the race, Ligety said he was once again dogged by a stray rock he clipped on the eighth gate of the first run. It’s the second time this season — Soelden the other — Ligety has reported being struck by such misfortune.

“It probably cost me at least a second,” said Ligety. “Half the turns. I couldn’t push on. If you watch the video, on the eighth gate you can see my ski wash away and the rest of the time it doesn’t grab until the very end of the turn, where only the tip and tail grab. Every turn on my left foot, I’m just recovering to try to stay in the course. I was trying to compensate as hard as I could from that, but it’s not easy.”

Of Pinturault’s GS victory, Ligety said he isn’t the slightest bit surprised. In fact, he’s surprised it hasn’t happened a lot sooner.

Pinturault was joined on the podium by his teammate Thomas Fanara, who for the second time this season cracked the World Cup top three in giant slalom. Fanara almost went down early in his second run but pinched the line just right to survive through the finish.

“I’m very glad to be on the podium today because I started my World Cup career here and I thought one day I would be on the podium,” said Fanara. “It’s very good for the French ski team today. It’s a special feeling to share the podium with Alexis. It’s always better to not be a lone French on the podium. I’m really glad to be with these two amazing champions, Marcel and Alexis.”

Fanara knew the technical, icy conditions were favorable for both his style of skiing and his skis.

“I think my ski technique is better on this slope and this snow condition,” he said. “And we know with our skis, Fischer, the best condition is when it is hard and a little bit icy. When the snow is salted with spring temperature, it’s more difficult for the Fischer team. When the snow is like winter, we have a chance.”

Fresh off his sixth world junior title, Henrik Kristoffersen put down a flyer of a second run, fastest in the field, to jump from 22nd to sixth on the day.

Meanwhile, Kristoffersen’s countryman, Kjetil Jansrud, tried to harness some of his GS skills of yesteryear in a last-ditch effort to snag overall World Cup points. He finished 23rd, securing just eight points, and now trails Hirscher in the standings by 123. Of course, Jansrud will not race in Sunday’s slalom in Kranjska Gora. Hirscher, however, will be looking to cap off the weekend with another points boost prior to the start of World Cup Finals in Meribel, France, next week.

 

The Scoop

By Hank McKee

  1. Pinturault, Head/Head/Head
  2. Hirscher, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
  3. Fanara, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer
  4. Ligety, Head/Head/Head
  5. Neureuther, Nordica/Nordica/Marker
  6. Kristoffersen, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
  7. Nani, Volkl/Fischer/Marker
  8. Caviezel, Head/Head/Head
  9. Schoerghofer, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer
  10. Simoncelli, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon

Men’s World Cup giant slalom, Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, March 14, 2015:

  • It is the 31st of 38 races on the men’s World Cup calendar, the seventh of eight scheduled giant slaloms. … It is the 82nd World Cup race hosted by Kranjska Gora, the 40th GS. … Ted Ligety has won the last three World Cup GS races at Kranjska Gora.
  • It is the ninth career World Cup win for Alexis Pinturault … te second in GS (the first coming at Garmisch in 2013). … It is his second win of the season after claiming the Hahnenkamm combined Jan. 23. … Winning margin is .68 of  second. … Top three are within the same second, top five within two seconds.
  • It is the 71st career World Cup podium for Marcel Hirscher, from 118 completed races. … He has been on the podium in eight of the 11 races he’s finished at Kranjska Gora. … He has missed the podium twice in completed races this season.
  • It is the seventh career World Cup podium for Thomas Fanara. … He has yet to win a World Cup race. … He was also on the podium in GS at Alta Badia in December.
  • It is the 11th top four finish at Kranjska Gora for Ted Ligety. … It is the 14th career World Cup score for Tommy Ford … his second of the season.
  • Marcel Hirscher controls the World Cup overall standings 1128-1076 over Kjetil Jansrud (23rd in race). … Pinturault is third overall with 762pt. … Ted Ligety holds tenth place with 470pts.
  • Hirscher mathematically locks up the GS title, leading 640-455 over Pinturault with only one race remaining. … Ligety is third with 422 points.

 

Results

 1  1  194364 PINTURAULT Alexis 1991 FRA  1:09.48  1:10.30  2:19.78  0.00
 2  2  53831 HIRSCHER Marcel 1989 AUT  1:10.09  1:10.37  2:20.46  +0.68  4.77
 3  3  191750 FANARA Thomas 1981 FRA  1:10.29  1:10.42  2:20.71  +0.93  6.52
 4  4  534562 LIGETY Ted 1984 USA  1:10.97  1:10.69  2:21.66  +1.88  13.18
 5  7  201702 NEUREUTHER Felix 1984 GER  1:10.09  1:11.67  2:21.76  +1.98  13.88
 6  12  422304 KRISTOFFERSEN Henrik 1994 NOR  1:11.95  1:09.84  2:21.79  +2.01  14.09
 7  10  294890 NANI Roberto 1988 ITA  1:10.63  1:11.31  2:21.94  +2.16  15.14
 8  22  511852 CAVIEZEL Gino 1992 SUI  1:11.76  1:10.47  2:22.23  +2.45  17.18
 9  18  51007 SCHOERGHOFER Philipp 1983 AUT  1:11.18  1:11.10  2:22.28  +2.50  17.53
 10  21  292120 SIMONCELLI Davide 1979 ITA  1:11.53  1:11.04  2:22.57  +2.79  19.56
 11  25  990048 BORSOTTI Giovanni 1990 ITA  1:11.91  1:10.68  2:22.59  +2.81  19.70
 12  13  193967 MUFFAT-JEANDET Victor 1989 FRA  1:11.00  1:11.61  2:22.61  +2.83  19.84
 13  17  292967 EISATH Florian 1984 ITA  1:11.68  1:11.03  2:22.71  +2.93  20.54
 14  14  180534 SANDELL Marcus 1987 FIN  1:11.22  1:11.58  2:22.80  +3.02  21.17
 15  19  194495 FAIVRE Mathieu 1992 FRA  1:11.55  1:11.34  2:22.89  +3.11  21.80
 16  15  511313 JANKA Carlo 1986 SUI  1:12.37  1:10.62  2:22.99  +3.21  22.51
 17  8  421669 HAUGEN Leif Kristian 1987 NOR  1:11.75  1:11.53  2:23.28  +3.50  24.54
 18  20  202437 LUITZ Stefan 1992 GER  1:11.43  1:11.91  2:23.34  +3.56  24.96
 19  40  180666 TORSTI Samu 1991 FIN  1:12.11  1:11.41  2:23.52  +3.74  26.22
 20  28  380335 ZUBCIC Filip 1993 CRO  1:12.19  1:11.36  2:23.55  +3.77  26.43
 21  36  531799 FORD Tommy 1989 USA  1:11.78  1:11.89  2:23.67  +3.89  27.27
 22  46  150644 KRYZL Krystof 1986 CZE  1:12.36  1:11.32  2:23.68  +3.90  27.34
 23  27  501017 MYHRER Andre 1983 SWE  1:12.15  1:11.54  2:23.69  +3.91  27.41
 23  16  421483 JANSRUD Kjetil 1985 NOR  1:11.55  1:12.14  2:23.69  +3.91  27.41
 25  9  501324 OLSSON Matts 1988 SWE  1:11.65  1:12.39  2:24.04  +4.26  29.87
 26  24  192506 MISSILLIER Steve 1984 FRA  1:12.44  1:11.67  2:24.11  +4.33  30.36
 27  6  202462 DOPFER Fritz 1987 GER  1:11.51  1:12.64  2:24.15  +4.37  30.64
 28  30  292000 BLARDONE Massimiliano 1979 ITA  1:11.98  1:18.29  2:30.27  +10.49  73.55
Disqualified 1st run
 50  934523 ENGEL Mark 1991 USA
 38  202597 SCHMID Alexander 1994 GER
Did not qualify for 2nd run
 71  561291 GROSELJ Zan 1993 SLO
 69  561313 DVORNIK Aljaz 1995 SLO
 68  561278 REICH – POGLADIC Andraz 1993 SLO
 67  192504 MERMILLOD BLONDIN Thomas 1984 FRA
 66  561217 KOSI Klemen 1991 SLO
 65  180705 PIRINEN Eemeli 1993 FIN
 64  561254 ZERAK Misel 1992 SLO
 63  422073 NETELAND Bjoernar 1991 NOR
 62  290095 BALLERIN Andrea 1989 ITA
 59  990081 CASSE Mattia 1990 ITA
 57  501898 ROENNGREN Mattias 1993 SWE
 56  180627 MALMSTROM Victor 1991 FIN
 53  6530115 CHRISTIANSON Kieffer 1992 USA
 51  291318 TONETTI Riccardo 1989 ITA
 49  481103 ANDRIENKO Aleksander 1990 RUS
 47  511638 TUMLER Thomas 1989 SUI
 45  501458 LINDH Calle 1990 SWE
 42  511741 ZURBRIGGEN Elia 1990 SUI
 41  103676 BROWN Phil 1991 CAN
 39  191423 RICHARD Cyprien 1979 FRA
 37  422278 WINDINGSTAD Rasmus 1993 NOR
 35  511896 MURISIER Justin 1992 SUI
 34  700830 ZAMPA Adam 1990 SVK
 32  561244 KRANJEC Zan 1992 SLO
 23  51159 NOESIG Christoph 1985 AUT
Did not finish 2nd run
 31  53902 MAYER Matthias 1990 AUT
 11  534959 JITLOFF Tim 1985 USA
Did not finish 1st run
 72  92720 POPOV Albert 1997 BUL
 70  221112 MOYNIHAN Nicholas 1994 GBR
 61  103729 READ Erik 1991 CAN
 60  54093 STROLZ Johannes 1992 AUT
 58  511988 GENOUD Amaury 1993 SUI
 55  534508 CHODOUNSKY David 1984 USA
 54  194457 GALEOTTI Greg 1992 FRA
 52  202345 SCHWAIGER Dominik 1991 GER
 48  53985 MATHIS Marcel 1991 AUT
 44  54031 LEITINGER Roland 1991 AUT
 43  511718 PLEISCH Manuel 1990 SUI
 33  934568 RUBIE Brennan 1991 USA
 29  292491 MOELGG Manfred 1982 ITA
 26  100558 COOK Dustin 1989 CAN
 5  50625 RAICH Benjamin 1978 AUT

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About the Author: Geoff Mintz

Geoff Mintz is a former alpine ski racer who cut his teeth at Ragged Mountain and Waterville Valley, N.H. After graduating from Holderness and UVM, he relocated to Colorado, where he worked on the hill prior to pursuing a career in journalism. Mintz served as associate editor for Ski Racing Media from 2011 to 2015. He later reconnected with his local roots to manage all marketing and communications for Ski & Snowboard Club Vail before resuming work at SRM as editor-in-chief.