Bad Kleinkirchheim: Kostelic adds sixth dimension to her resume with super G win

By Published On: January 15th, 2006Comments Off on Bad Kleinkirchheim: Kostelic adds sixth dimension to her resume with super G win

Bad Kleinkirchheim: Kostelic adds sixth dimension to her resume with super G winBAD KLEINKIRCHHEIM, Austria – Janica Kostelic captured her first World Cup super G Sunday and became the first woman to claim wins in six different disciplines on the skiing circuit.

The triple Olympic champion – a heavy favorite to dominate the upcoming Winter Games – finished in 1 minute, 9.41 seconds before hopping across the snow and shaking her skis in joy at her historic victory.

”It’s funny. I feel like laughing, like crying – it was my goal,” Kostelic said.

The Croatian was .10 ahead of Austrians Michaela Dorfmeister and Alexandra Meissnitzer, the season’s top two super G racers, who tied for second place.

Kostelic’s triumph capped a remarkable three weeks for the Croatian The 24-year-old claimed her first World Cup downhill Saturday and her first giant slalom on the tour three weeks ago.

Among her 24 World Cup wins, Kostelic now has captured all five main disciplines, the giant slalom, downhill, slalom, super G and combined. Two other women had accomplished that feat, Sweden’s Pernilla Wiberg and Austria’s Petra Kronberger.
But Kostelic also owns a win in the new super combi race, taking the first one when it was held last February in San Sicario, Italy.

Kostelic is now the runaway leader in the season overall standings with 982 points to Dorfmeister’s 730, with Sweden’s Anja Paerson at 685.

After winning three gold medals at both the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and last year’s World Championships, Kostelic’s recent success raised expectations of another medal haul at the Torino Games starting Feb. 10.

But the Croatian keeps playing down her chances.

”It’s hard to say. I’m in good form now, but I want to concentrate on the World Cup,” Kostelic said. ”We’ll see at the Olympics.”

Kostelic had never done better than second in the super G – at the 2002 Olympics and at Aspen the same year. But on a super-G course full of curves, one rival after another made time-costing mistakes while Kostelic gained speed at the bottom of the slope, in similar fashion to her downhill win Saturday.
Paerson was .39 ahead of Kostelic midway through her run, when she skied straight through a curve and off the course for the second straight day.

Kostelic’s win closed three days of racing at the redesigned Franz Klammer slope. Paerson won Friday’s downhill.

– The Associated Press

Women’s super G
Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria
Jan. 15, 2006

1. Janica Kostelic, CRO 1:09.41
2. Michaela Dorfmeister, AUT    1:09.51
2. Alexandra Meissnitzer, AUT   1:09.51
4. Kirsten Clark, USA   1:09.63
5. Nadia Styger, SUI    1:09.75
6. Tina Maze, SLO       1:10.03
7. Libby Ludlow, USA    1:10.15
8. Marlies Schild, AUT  1:10.18
9. Elisabeth Goergl, AUT        1:10.21
10. Silvia Berger, AUT  1:10.23
11. Kathrin Wilhelm, AUT        1:10.27
12. Chimene Alcott, GBR 1:10.35
13. Julia Mancuso, USA  1:10.37
14. Ingrid Jacquemod, FRA       1:10.38
15. Angelika Gruener, ITA       1:10.39
16. Brigitte Obermoser, AUT     1:10.41
17. Allison Forsyth, CAN        1:10.46
17. Lucia Recchia, ITA  1:10.46
19. Renate Goetschl, AUT        1:10.48
20. Petra Haltmayr, GER         1:10.62
21. Fraenzi Aufdenblatten, SUI  1:10.66
22. Daniela Merighetti, ITA     1:10.69
23. Nadia Fanchini, ITA 1:10.76
24. Daniela Ceccarelli, ITA     1:10.83
25. Emily Brydon, CAN   1:10.99
26. Carolina Ruiz Castillo, SPA 1:11.04
27. Jessica Lindell-Vikarby, SWE        1:11.09
27. Katja Wirth, AUT    1:11.09
29. Wendy Siorpaes, ITA 1:11.20
29. Ingrid Rumpfhuber, AUT      1:11.20
Other North Americans:
32. Bryna McCarty, USA 1:11.33
35. Sherry Lawrence, CAN 1:11.58
42. Kelly Vanderbeek, CAN 1:12.27
43. Lindsey Kildow, USA 1:12.65
44. Stacey Cook, USA 1:12.89
45. Jonna Mendes, USA 1:13.07
46. Shona Rubens, CAN 1:13.43
DNF: Caroline Lalive, USA; Genevieve Simard, CAN.

THE SCOOP

By Hank McKee

Equipment
Women’s SG, Bad Kleinkirchheim, Jan. 15, 2006

Skier, skis/boots/bindings
1. Kostelic, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon
2. Dorfmeister, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
2. Meissnitzer, Volkl/Fischer/Marker
4. Clark, Fischer/Salomon/Marker
5. Styger, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon
6. Maze, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
7. Ludlow, Fischer/Salomon/Fischer
8. Schild, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
9. Goergl, Blizzard/Lange/Marker
10. Berger, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer

Women’s super G, Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria, Jan. 15, 2006. … It is the 18th event of the women’s 34 race, two combined World Cup schedule. … It is the fourth of eight scheduled super G’s. … It is the third of three races scheduled at Bad Kleinkirchheim. … It is the 20th World Cup but just the second SG at the site, the previous Jan. 12, 1997.

It is the 24th career win for Janica Kostelic. … It is her first World Cup SG win. … She now joins Pirmin Zurbriggen, Marc Girardelli, Guenther Mader, Pernilla Wiberg, Petra Kronberger, Kjetil Aamodt and Bode Miller as only skiers to win in all four main disciplines. … It is her third win of the season, each in a different discipline. … She has not won a slalom this season, though she has five slalom podiums. … It is her second win in two days, having also won the second Bad Kleinkirchheim DH. … She is tied for 10th on the all-time women’s win list with Lise-Marie Morerod, Marie Therese Nadig and Wiberg. She is one win behind Maria Walliser.

It is the 60th career podium for Michaela Dorfmeister. … And her eighth of the season. … All in DH or SG. … She was on the podium in all three Bad Kleinkrichheim races. … She has missed a single podium in DH and none in SG.

It is the 43rd career podium for Alexandra Meissnitzer. … Her fifth of the season, all in DH and SG.

It is the 13th career top-four result for Kirsten Clark and first of the season. … She had not finished as well since Veysonnaz  DH Jan. 10, 2004. … It is a career-best result for Libby Ludlow and her first in single digits. … Her top two career results have come this season, the other a 10th at Lake Louise in SG Dec. 4. … It is the 14th scoring finish of the season for Julia Mancuso, her second-best SG placing. … Allison Forsyth continued her venture into the speed disciplines, though 17th represented her worst finish in three career races. …It was the seventh score of the season for Emily Brydon, matching the DH of the day before for her lowest scoring placing of the season. … The final five finishers were all North Americans.

Kostelic extends the overall World Cup standings lead to 982-730 over Dorfmeister who jumps over Anja Paerson (disqualified for missing gate) at 685. … Marlies Schild is fourth at 565 and Meissnitzer moves ahead of top American Lindsey Kildow 554-520. … Dorfmeister narrowly leads the SG standings 320-310 over Meissnitzer. … Nadia Styger is third at 202 and Kirsten Clark is now fourth at 163. … Winning margin is one-tenth of a second. … Top 16 competitors are within the same second. … Top 32 within two seconds.

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About the Author: Pete Rugh