ARBER-ZWIESEL, Germany (Feb. 4- Ski Racing News Service) - Wind and dense fog made today’s (Feb. 4) women’s World Cup slalom in Arber-Zwiesel, Germany all the more interesting as Austrian Marlies Schild collected her fifth win of the season and stepped to the top of the slalom standings.
Schild, who stood third after the first run, attacked the second run to finish with a .68-second combined advantage ahead of Slovakia’s Veronika Zuzlova, who screamed with joy in the finish area in second. Finn veteran Tanja Poutiainen was 1.78 seconds back to claim the last podium spot.
Schild has won every slalom she has finished this season and today took the discipline lead from overall leader, German Maria Riech, who crashed early in her first run today. Schild now holds the slalom lead with 500 points, followed by Poutiainen with 460 and Riesch with 420. Schild also won the last World Cup slalom held in Zwiesel in 2007.
“I’m doing great,” laughed Schild after the race. “It was a tough race, you had to fight really hard and I think nobody was without a mistake.”
The U.S. Team's tech struggles continued as its top guns sat today's race out and Resi Stiegler, the lone American in the second run, was disqualified.
A giant slalom was originally scheduled for today, but, due to forecasted high winds, officials decided to run the slalom today and GS tomorrow. Today's race was the first World Cup slalom in three weeks after warm temperatures led to the cancellation of slalom and GS races in Maribor in early January.
“It was such a long time and we just tried to keep somehow our conditioning skiing,” said Schild. “I’m so happy that I’m on the podium and that’s very good for me to go the championships now with this result.”
The wind indeed arrived and brought with it a thick fog that shrouded the top of the 1290-meter, 67 gate course.
Low visibility at the top of the course caused several top racers to lose the line. Austrian Nicole Hosp, German Susanne Riesch and France's Sandrine Aubert were all taken out by the tough second run conditions. Only 19 women were left standing in the points after the second run.
Sweden’s Maria Pietilae-Holmner had a .21-second lead after the first run but ran into trouble at the bottom of the course and was forced to back track for a missed gate. She finished 2.91 seconds off the wining time in eighth.
Canadian Marie-Michele Gagnon led all North Americans in seventh place after moving up from 19th in the first run with the third-fastest second run time. It was her second top-10 result of the season. Teammate Erin Mielzynski finished 13th for a career high.
Resi Stiegler was the only U.S. skier to reach the 30-woman second run, after finishing 13th in the first run. The Jackson Hole, Wyo. native, who returned to racing this season after being plagued by injuries over the last three years, lost her rhythm early in the second run and was disqualified after missing a gate.
"It was pretty gnarly up there. Visibility was definitely not easy at the top," said U.S. coach Trevor Wagner."Resi had an incredible first run and was skiing exactly like she has been in training. It was really good to see. Second run, she just was pushing too hard for those conditions and went too straight at the top, then couldn't get back into here rhythm."
Fellow Americans Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso both opted to sit today’s race out looking ahead to the FIS World Championships which start in four days in Garmisch, Germany.
"I was originally planning to run the slalom, but changed my plan after Sestriere in favor of some more giant slalom training prior to World Championships," said Manucso. "The training in Reiteralm was awesome. One day I had the entire place to myself and they gave me a snowmobile so I could make quicker laps. Hopefully the extra training pays off in tomorrow's giant slalom and also next week at World Champs."
Vonn, who suffered a head injury while training earlier this week, pulled out of the race just before the firs run to continue to rest. She currently trails Riesch by 145 points in the overall standings.
"I got up this morning prepared to race, but after a few warm-up runs, I wasn't feeling confident on my skis," said Vonn. "Normally I can fight through injuries, but head injuries are different. You can't just grit your teeth and go. I'll go through my normal routine tomorrow morning in Zwiesel and if things feel more normal, I'm hoping to start the giant slalom."
American Sarah Schleper was also in the field today but just missed her chance and scoring World Cup points, finishing the first run in 32nd.
The Germans brought 10 women to play, hoping for some home snow heroics. Only two crossed the second-run finish line as Katharina Duerr and Nina Perner finished 10th and 14th, respectively.
"They're calling for less fog tomorrow, but a lot more wind,” said Wagner. “Hopefully we'll be able to race. It's been a long time since our last giant slalom and we've had a lot of great training."
For more details including results visit SkiRacning.com.
