Kaufmann-Abderhalden wins Val d’Isere, as Vonn struggles in pain

By Published On: December 21st, 2013Comments Off on Kaufmann-Abderhalden wins Val d’Isere, as Vonn struggles in pain
Race winner Marianne Kaufmann-Abderhalden of Switzerland (GEPA/Mathias Mandl)

Race winner Marianne Kaufmann-Abderhalden of Switzerland (GEPA/Mathias Mandl)

On five separate occasions, Lindsey Vonn has been victorious on the Oreiller Killy slope of Val d’Isere, but in recent memory, it has been a rough ride for the American in France’s Tarentaise Valley. It was in Val d’Isere last season that Vonn, challenged by a stomach virus, crashed and slid into the nets prompting a mid-season hiatus. This year, in her attempt to come back from injury, Val d’Isere may again persuade Vonn to reevaluate her plans.

“I’m going to stick to a similar plan that I was on before,” Vonn told the press after the race. “I just need to be more careful of how many races I do. I’m at risk of doing more damage to my knee and my meniscus. So I’m going to play it safe and race really minimal races. Probably one or two before the Olympics.”

The “OK” course is a tougher test compared to Lake Louise, the only other venue in which Vonn has raced this season. On Thursday, in the final day of downhill training, the four-time overall champ finished a promising second. On race day Saturday, Vonn looked solid enough through the first three splits, steadily skiing roughly three-tenths of a second behind the pace of eventual winner Marianne Kaufmann-Abderhalden of Switzerland, but a half-minute or so from the finish Vonn got twisted up, wound up back on one ski and missed a gate. With boyfriend Tiger Woods in the crowd looking on, she was seen in tears on the side of the hill, clearly in pain and distress, seemingly directing her frustration at the troublesome right knee.

“I didn’t hurt myself more than I’m already hurt. It was a small compression, and it was fully loaded on the right ski and my knee just completely gave out. I tried to pressure the ski again and it gave out again. I had no chance of making that gate, unfortunately,” said Vonn.

It was a long day for the girls running bib 14 and higher — it took more than an hour-and-a-half to get through the top 30 alone. A dramatic crash by Marie Marchand-Arvier of France caused a delay on the course as she was removed from the hill by sled with a shoulder injury.

Similarly, American Stacey Cook likely caused her teammates and coaches to skip a heartbeat or two. The downhiller was skiing a late line on the top of the course, then hit a bump, which tripped her up and sent her flying into the B nets at full speed. She vigorously untangled herself and skied to the bottom.

“Yeah, that fence tried to stop me, but it couldn’t,” Cook reported after the race. “Went through it like a rhino. Watch out Zauchensee.”

Her teammate Laurenne Ross, running No. 3, crashed on the Tunnel Jump, but also bounced back up and skied to the bottom.

Alice McKennis, who shattered her kneecap into more than 30 pieces last season, deserves a lot of credit for making it back onto the World Cup race hill — and for finishing — less than a year after her injury. A last-place result of 41st was probably not the one she was hoping for, but commendable considering the circumstances.

It wasn’t all bad news for a U.S. speed team that sustained four DNFs on the day. Leanne Smith, who finished second on this track last year, skied a gutsy run despite suffering a minor fracture in her left arm in a training crash earlier in the week. A fast top section had her tied with the lead at the second split; however, risky tactics may have proved detrimental toward the bottom, where Smith lost time. She finished 1.51 seconds back in 14th, tied with Canada’s Larisa Yurkiw.

Julia Mancuso, rolling down the windows on the crucial Tunnel Jump, was the next best American in 21st place, where her results have been hovering lately. C Teamer Jackie Wiles was another U.S. finisher, unfortunately outside the points in 39th.

Ultimately, earlier racers seemed to have the slight advantage, perhaps due to the extended delays. Switzerland’s Kaufmann-Abderhalden, who picked up two top fives in Lake Louise, was dominant up top, competitive in the middle and cruised on the bottom part of the course for the win.

With a recent podium in the GS at Courchevel, it’s hard to know what to make of Tina Maze, who’s had some ups and downs this season. The reigning overall champ was fast on Saturday, aerodynamic up top and steady through the bottom. She was able to pick up time on Kaufmann-Abderhalden in the middle section of the course, where most everyone else was left in the dust.

And Saturday featured more good news if you’re an Austrian, as 21-year-old Cornelia Huetter skied an aggressive run to pick up her first career World Cup podium in just her 13th start. Norwegian Lotte Smiseth Sejersted followed suit, matching her career-best result from Lenzerheide in 2011 with another fifth-place finish.

For the ladies at the top of the standings, Tina Weirather, Maria Hoefl-Riesch and Lara Gut, it was fourth, ninth and 24th place, respectively, with Gut not making any serious mistakes but simply not skiing like the tour-leader we’ve come to expect this season. The results were enough to catapult Weirather into the overall lead with 495 points; Hoefl-Riesch now sits in second with 490 points, and Gut was kicked back to third with 488 points.

See more photos from today’s race in our gallery.

 

The Scoop

by Hank McKee

Women’s World Cup downhill, Val d’Isere, France, Dec. 21, 2013

Equipment – Skier, skis/boots/bindings

1 Kaufmann-Abderhalden, Head/Nordica/Head

2 Maze, Stoeckli/Lange/Atomic

3 Huetter, Voelkl/Tecnica/Marker

4 Weirather, Atomic/Tecnica/Atomic

5 Sejersted, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic

6 Aufdenblatten, Stoeckli/Lange/Atomic

7 Gisin, Dynastar/Lange/Marker

8 Kling, Head/Head/Head

9 Hoefl-Riesch, Head/Lange/Head

10 Goergl, Head/Head/Head

Women’s World Cup downhill, Val d’Isere, France, Dec. 21, 2013. … It is the 12th of 32 racses on the women’s schedule… the fourth of nine scheduled downhills.

It is the first career World Cup win for Maria Kaufmann-Abderhalden. … Her previous best was second in DH at Lake louise Dec. 6. … It is the sixth Swiss World Cup victory this season.

It is the 65th career World Cup podium result for Tina Maze… her seventh in DH. … It is her third podium of the season and her best result of the season. … She now has podiums in three different disciplines this season.

It is the first career World Cup podium for Corneila Huetter, her previous best a seventh in DH at Lake Louise earlier this season (Dec. 6).

It is the third best career result for Larisa Yurkiw, the 17th best for Leanne Smith, and the second best of the season. … It is the ninth best of nine World Cup results at Val d’Isere for Julia Mancuso.

Tina Weirather (fourth in race) leads the World Cup overall standings 495-490 over Maria Hoefl-Riesch (ninth in race)… Lara Gut (25th in race) is third with 488pts. … Mikaela Shiffrin (did not race) leads the U.S. in the overall list in seventh with 242ppts. … Marie-Michele Gagnon leads Canada in 13th with 197pts.

Hoefl-Riesch leads the downhill standings 265-259 over Kaufmann-Abderhalden. … Weirather is third with 210pts. … Yurkiw leads Canada in 16th with 59pts. … Mancuso leads the U.S. in 26th with 36pts.

Austria leads the women’s Nations Cup 2054-1381 over Switzerland. … Sweden is third with 881pt. … The U.S. is sixth with 582pts and Canada tenth with 356pts.

 

Results 

Rank Bib FIS Code Name Year Nation Total Time FIS Points
 1  12  515782 KAUFMANN-ABDERHALDEN Marianne 1986 SUI  1:47.28  0.00
 2  18  565243 MAZE Tina 1983 SLO  1:47.57  3.70
 3  1  56128 HUETTER Cornelia 1992 AUT  1:47.80  6.64
 4  17  355050 WEIRATHER Tina 1989 LIE  1:47.91  8.05
 5  37  425880 SEJERSTED Lotte Smiseth 1991 NOR  1:48.22  12.00
 6  4  515573 AUFDENBLATTEN Fraenzi 1981 SUI  1:48.30  13.03
 7  2  515747 GISIN Dominique 1985 SUI  1:48.31  13.15
 8  35  505886 KLING Kajsa 1988 SWE  1:48.47  15.20
 9  20  206001 HOEFL-RIESCH Maria 1984 GER  1:48.49  15.45
 10  25  55576 GOERGL Elisabeth 1981 AUT  1:48.56  16.35
 11  16  55947 FENNINGER Anna 1989 AUT  1:48.61  16.98
 12  48  245066 MIKLOS Edit 1988 HUN  1:48.71  18.26
 13  8  515806 JNGLIN-KAMER Nadja 1986 SUI  1:48.72  18.39
 14  44  106849 YURKIW Larisa 1988 CAN  1:48.79  19.28
 14  30  538305 SMITH Leanne 1987 USA  1:48.79  19.28
 16  5  55766 STERZ Regina 1985 AUT  1:48.80  19.41
 17  29  515766 SUTER Fabienne 1985 SUI  1:48.81  19.54
 17  11  296008 MERIGHETTI Daniela 1981 ITA  1:48.81  19.54
 19  10  495318 RUIZ CASTILLO Carolina 1981 SPA  1:49.04  22.48
 20  24  565360 STUHEC Ilka 1990 SLO  1:49.08  22.99
 21  9  537545 MANCUSO Julia 1984 USA  1:49.09  23.11
 22  27  296729 FANCHINI Nadia 1986 ITA  1:49.22  24.77
 23  28  296431 STUFFER Verena 1984 ITA  1:49.26  25.29
 24  38  297702 MARSAGLIA Francesca 1990 ITA  1:49.27  25.41
 25  21  516138 GUT Lara 1991 SUI  1:49.30  25.80
 26  6  55750 FISCHBACHER Andrea 1985 AUT  1:49.32  26.05
 27  14  55913 MOSER Stefanie 1988 AUT  1:49.35  26.43
 28  36  516219 NUFER Priska 1992 SUI  1:49.45  27.71
 29  33  56125 PUCHNER Mirjam 1992 AUT  1:49.46  27.84
 30  41  206175 STECHERT Gina 1987 GER  1:49.51  28.48
 31  49  197006 GAUTHIER Marine 1990 FRA  1:49.58  29.37
 32  45  206460 WENIG Michaela 1992 GER  1:49.60  29.63
 33  47  56087 SIEBENHOFER Ramona 1991 AUT  1:49.71  31.03
 33  31  515849 DETTLING Andrea 1987 SUI  1:49.71  31.03
 35  32  516185 HAEHLEN Joana 1992 SUI  1:49.87  33.08
 36  40  297134 BORSOTTI Camilla 1988 ITA  1:49.98  34.48
 37  26  55970 SCHMIDHOFER Nicole 1989 AUT  1:50.03  35.12
 38  43  565320 FERK Marusa 1988 SLO  1:50.25  37.93
 39  46  539536 WILES Jacqueline 1992 USA  1:50.32  38.82
 40  51  196968 BAILET Margot 1990 FRA  1:50.40  39.84
 41  39  197295 PIOT Jennifer 1992 FRA  1:50.54  41.63
 42  23  296427 SCHNARF Johanna 1984 ITA  1:50.93  46.61
 43  7  538685 MCKENNIS Alice 1989 USA  1:52.02  60.53
Did not finish 1st run
 50  538855 FORD Julia 1990 USA
 42  297153 CIPRIANI Enrica 1988 ITA
 34  565333 BRODNIK Vanja 1989 SLO
 22  296472 FANCHINI Elena 1985 ITA
 19  537544 VONN Lindsey 1984 USA
 15  537582 COOK Stacey 1984 USA
 13  196460 MARCHAND-ARVIER Marie 1985 FRA
 3  538573 ROSS Laurenne 1988 USA

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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.