Fenninger seizes GS globe in Lenzerheide
With a win in the final race, Austria’s Anna Fenninger underscored her impressive season and picked up a discipline crystal globe at the World Cup Finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland Sunday.
It was a tight race for the giant slalom title, 432-418 coming into the final day in favor of Sweden’s Jessica Lindell-Vikarby, who led the standings for most of the season. But with two GS races last weekend in Are, where Fenninger won back-to-back days, the Austrian proved too much for the Swede to fend off.
Fenninger won the latter four GS races of the World Cup season, dating back to December. She ultimately wins the discipline 518-592, while another Swede, Maria Pietilae-Holmner, finished in third with 339 points.
For Fenninger, the day also awarded the overall crystal globe, which she had locked up earlier in the week after her primary competitor in that race, Maria Hoefl-Riesch, crashed into the nets in the downhill, ending her season four days prematurely while still securing the discipline title. Fenninger finished as runner-up for the season in downhill.
Foggy conditions characterized most of the second run up top; however, toward the end of the running, there were periods where it cleared off. Austria’s Eva-Maria Brem, who finished third and fourth in Are last week, was able to capitalize of good visibility to finish runner-up, 0.25 seconds back in Sunday’s action. Lindell-Vikarby, meanwhile, didn’t go out without a fight — she finished in third, just 0.33 seconds behind the winner. France’s Anemone Marmottan led after the first run, but struggled in her second outing, dropping back to seventh.
Saturday’s slalom champ Mikaela Shiffrin, on a mission to complete one of her other season’s goals — to win a GS — was very much in striking distance in fourth after the first run. Times were tight after the second run, the first dozen racers all within a second, so a few mistakes out of the gate quickly led to a relatively distant 12th-place result for the lone American Shiffrin.
“I was trying hard, maybe a little too hard, but it was still a fun race,” said Shiffrin. “It was definitely softer snow the second run than the first run, but it still held up really well — a little bumpy here and there. I just have to learn to stay on my outside ski. … I’m going to just keep attacking the GS and see what I can come up with next year. I improved a lot since last season, so I’m excited to keep going.
“I think every part of (this year) was pretty awesome and special,” Shiffrin concluded. “The whole year again was a learning experience, so I’m really excited to wrap it up healthy and strong and feeling excited for next year.”
See more photos from this race in our gallery here.
THE SCOOP
By Hank McKee
Women’s World Cup giant slalom, Lenzerheide, Switzerland, March 16, 2014
Equipment – skis/boots/bindings
1 Fenninger, Head/Head/Head
3 Lindell-Vikarby, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
4 Fanchini, Dynastar/Lange/Look
5 Gut, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
6 Pietilae-Holmner, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
7 Marmottannn, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
8 Gisin, Dynastar/Lange/
9 Brignone, Rossignol/Lange/Rossignol
10 Rebensburg, Nordica/Nordica/Marker
Women’s World Cup giant slalom, Lenzerheide, Switzerland, March 16, 2014. … It is the final race of the 2014 World Cup season. … It is the 32nd and final race of the women’s World Cup schedule… the final of eight scheduled GS’s. … It is the 42nd World Cup race hosted by Lenzerheide… the eighth GS.
It is the eighth career World Cup win for Anna Fenninger…. her seventh in GS. … It is her fifth win of the season including the Olympic gold medal in super G. … She won the last four consecutive World Cup giant slaloms.
It is the second career World Cup podium for Eva-Maria Brem, the first being a third at Are earlier this month. … Her top four results have all been scored in March… three of them this season.
It is the eighth career World Cup podium for Jessica Lindell-Vikarby… her fifth in GS (the others in super G). … It is her second straight third-place finish.
The top 12 finishers are all within the same second.
Mikaela Shiffrin misses her career-best GS result at Lenzerheide by one placing. … It is the third Lenzerheide result for Marie-Michele Gagnon, but her first in GS. … It is her 18th scoring finish of the season.
Anna Fenninger is the World Cup overall champion 1371-1180 over Maria Hoefl-Riesch (did not race, injury). … Lara Gut (fifth in race) is third overall with 1101pts. … Mikaela Shiffrin is sixth with 895pts. … Marie-Michele Gagnon 13th with 51pts.
Fenninger wins the GS title 518-491 over Jessica Lindell-Vikarby. … Maria Pietilae-Holmner is third with 3339pts. …Shiffrin is seventh with 257pts and Gagnon 19th with 121pts.
Austria wins the women’s Nations Cup 6096-3356 over Switzerland. … Sweden is third with 2938pts. … The U.S. women finish sixth with 2021pts and Canada 11th with 810pts.
RESULTS
Rank | Bib | FIS Code | Name | Year | Nation | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total Time | Diff. | FIS Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 7 | 55947 | FENNINGER Anna | 1989 | AUT | 59.37 | 1:01.91 | 2:01.28 | 0.00 | |
2 | 11 | 55898 | BREM Eva-Maria | 1988 | AUT | 1:00.06 | 1:01.47 | 2:01.53 | +0.25 | 1.83 |
3 | 1 | 505632 | LINDELL-VIKARBY Jessica | 1984 | SWE | 59.51 | 1:02.10 | 2:01.61 | +0.33 | 2.42 |
4 | 12 | 296729 | FANCHINI Nadia | 1986 | ITA | 1:00.36 | 1:01.50 | 2:01.86 | +0.58 | 4.26 |
5 | 3 | 516138 | GUT Lara | 1991 | SUI | 59.99 | 1:01.90 | 2:01.89 | +0.61 | 4.48 |
6 | 5 | 505760 | PIETILAE-HOLMNER Maria | 1986 | SWE | 1:00.20 | 1:01.70 | 2:01.90 | +0.62 | 4.55 |
7 | 4 | 196793 | MARMOTTAN Anemone | 1988 | FRA | 59.33 | 1:02.58 | 2:01.91 | +0.63 | 4.62 |
8 | 9 | 515747 | GISIN Dominique | 1985 | SUI | 1:00.19 | 1:01.75 | 2:01.94 | +0.66 | 4.84 |
9 | 10 | 297601 | BRIGNONE Federica | 1990 | ITA | 1:00.42 | 1:01.59 | 2:02.01 | +0.73 | 5.36 |
10 | 8 | 205218 | REBENSBURG Viktoria | 1989 | GER | 1:00.26 | 1:01.78 | 2:02.04 | +0.76 | 5.58 |
11 | 6 | 55838 | ZETTEL Kathrin | 1986 | AUT | 1:00.01 | 1:02.11 | 2:02.12 | +0.84 | 6.16 |
12 | 2 | 6535237 | SHIFFRIN Mikaela | 1995 | USA | 59.98 | 1:02.25 | 2:02.23 | +0.95 | 6.97 |
13 | 18 | 505679 | HANSDOTTER Frida | 1985 | SWE | 1:01.51 | 1:00.82 | 2:02.33 | +1.05 | 7.71 |
14 | 14 | 296259 | MOELGG Manuela | 1983 | ITA | 1:01.13 | 1:01.36 | 2:02.49 | +1.21 | 8.88 |
15 | 16 | 105269 | GAGNON Marie-Michele | 1989 | CAN | 1:01.41 | 1:01.19 | 2:02.60 | +1.32 | 9.69 |
16 | 13 | 565243 | MAZE Tina | 1983 | SLO | 1:00.85 | 1:01.76 | 2:02.61 | +1.33 | 9.76 |
17 | 17 | 55576 | GOERGL Elisabeth | 1981 | AUT | 1:01.58 | 1:01.50 | 2:03.08 | +1.80 | 13.21 |
18 | 19 | 505886 | KLING Kajsa | 1988 | SWE | 1:02.23 | 1:02.37 | 2:04.60 | +3.32 | 24.36 |
19 | 25 | 299276 | BASSINO Marta | 1996 | ITA | 1:03.67 | 1:01.30 | 2:04.97 | +3.69 | 27.08 |
20 | 22 | 185140 | POUTIAINEN Tanja | 1980 | FIN | 1:02.64 | 1:02.47 | 2:05.11 | +3.83 | 28.11 |
21 | 23 | 196179 | BERTRAND Marion | 1984 | FRA | 1:04.82 | 1:00.94 | 2:05.76 | +4.48 | 32.88 |
Did not start 2nd run | ||||||||||
20 | 295445 | KARBON Denise | 1980 | ITA | ||||||
Did not finish 1st run | ||||||||||
24 | 106825 | PREFONTAINE Marie-Pier | 1988 | CAN | ||||||
21 | 297702 | MARSAGLIA Francesca | 1990 | ITA | ||||||
15 | 425771 | LOESETH Nina | 1989 | NOR |