Maze gets hometown win, but Shiffrin hangs on to SL lead

By Published On: January 27th, 2013Comments Off on Maze gets hometown win, but Shiffrin hangs on to SL lead

In a race of second-run one-upmanship, Tina Maze was able to deliver a win before the hometown fans in Maribor, Slovenia Sunday.

It was Maze’s seventh win of the season, first in slalom. Although she had finished on the podium in the discipline three previous times this winter alone, it was just the second slalom victory of her career — the other came in Lenzerheide in 2011.

The top four finishes on the result sheet were unchanged from one run to the next: Maze, Frida Hansdotter, Kathrin Zettel and Veronika Zuzulova, in that order. Michaela Kirchgasser and Irene Curtoni traded the 5-6 spots.

Maze, who finished with a combined time of 1 minute, 33.68 seconds, held a comfortable lead throughout her second run. For Sweden’s Hansdotter, it was her fourth time finishing runner-up on the slalom podium this season. The other three second-place finishes came at the hands of Mikaela Shiffrin.

The 17-year-old Shiffrin looked like two different skiers from one run to the next. In the morning, she didn’t make any major mistakes, but also didn’t appear comfortable, skiing to 13th position. Shiffrin raced a much stronger second run, especially on the bottom, to improve to eighth on the day.

More importantly, with the strong second run, the American phenom was able to hang on to a slim lead over Maze in the World Cup slalom standings. With three slalom races left on the regular season calendar — one of which is the dual paneled city event in Moscow on Tuesday — the scoreboard reads 468-455, Shiffrin. 

Story by Geoff Mintz
Photos by GEPA

The SCOOP
by Hank McKee

Women’s World Cup slalom, Maribor, Slovenia, Jan. 27, 2013
Equipment

Skier, skis/boots/bindings
1 Maze, Stoeckli/Lange/Atomic
2 Hansdotter, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
3 Zettel, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
4 Velez Zuzulova, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon
5 Kirchgasser, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
6 Curtoni, Rossignol/Lange/Rossignol
7 Hosp, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer
8 Shiffrin, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
9 Eklund, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
10 Holdener, Head/Head/Head

Women’s World Cup slalom, Maribor, Slovenia, Jan. 27, 2013. … It is the 50th event of the 2012-13 World cup schedule. … It is the 26th of 37 events on the women’s schedule and the seventh of nine scheduled slaloms. … It is the 63rd Cup race hosted by Maribor. … the 35th slalom.

It is the 18th career World Cup win for Tina Maze. … It is just her second in slalom. … the other at Lenzerheide March 18, 2011. … It is her seventh win of the season. … It is her 16th podium of the season.

It is the sixth career World Cup podium for Frida Hansdotter. … All in slalom. … And all second place finishes. … Her previous best at Maribor was sixth in 2009. … It is her fourth podium of the season.

It is the 44th career World Cup podium for Kathrin Zettel. … her 21st in slalom. … It is her fourth podium result scored at Maribor and third at Maribor is slalom. … It is her seventh Cup podium of the season and third in slalom.

It is the 14th career Cup top 10 for Mikaela Shiffrin. … She matches her seventh best score of the season. … Elli Terwiel matches her career best finish (of four scores). … It is her third score of the season. … It is the fourth best slalom score of the season for Marie-Michele Gagnon, her thirteeth placing of the season. … It is the second best placing of the season for Resi Stiegler. … just her second score at Maribor, the first coming in 2005. … It is the sixth career scoring result for Brittany Phelan. … All in slalom and all this season.

Maze leads the World Cup Overall standings 1654-806 over Maria Hoefl-Riesch (DNF 1st in race). … Lindsey Vonn (DNQ for 2nd run) in third with 740pts. … Shiffrin  is seventh with 578pts and Julia Mancuso eighth with 553pts. … Gagnon is top Canadian overall in 20th with 251pts. … Shiffrin leads the slalom standings 468-455 over Maze. … Hansdotter  is third with 355pts and Erin Mielzynski (DNF 1st in race) is ninth with 177pts. … Austria leads the women’s Nations Cup standings 3454-2732 over the US. … Germany is third with 1919pts. … Canada is ninth with 579pts.

Results
Maribor (SLO)
FIS World Cup
Ladies’ Slalom
Jan. 27, 2013

Rank    Name Year Nation Run 1 Run 2 Total Time
 1 MAZE Tina  1983  SLO   46.35  47.33  1:33.68
 2 HANSDOTTER Frida  1985  SWE   46.95  47.59  1:34.54
 3 ZETTEL Kathrin  1986  AUT   47.26  47.55  1:34.81
 4 VELEZ ZUZULOVA Veronika  1984  SVK   47.27  47.55  1:34.82
 5 KIRCHGASSER Michaela  1985  AUT   47.46  47.75  1:35.21
 6 CURTONI Irene  1985  ITA   47.44  47.86  1:35.30
 7 HOSP Nicole  1983  AUT   47.96  47.64  1:35.60
 8 SHIFFRIN Mikaela  1995  USA   48.04  47.57  1:35.61
 9 EKLUND Nathalie  1992  SWE   47.82  47.95  1:35.77
 10 HOLDENER Wendy  1993  SUI   47.77  48.01  1:35.78
 11 POUTIAINEN Tanja  1980  FIN   47.48  48.38  1:35.86
 12 GEIGER Christina  1990  GER   48.42  47.47  1:35.89
 13 MOUGEL Laurie  1988  FRA   48.46  47.49  1:35.95
 14 DAUM Alexandra  1986  AUT   48.57  47.46  1:36.03
 15 SCHILD Bernadette  1990  AUT   48.09  48.00  1:36.09
 16 LOESETH Nina  1989  NOR   48.29  47.90  1:36.19
 17 TERWIEL Elli  1989  CAN   48.94  47.40  1:36.34
 18 COSTAZZA Chiara  1984  ITA   48.18  48.19  1:36.37
 19 AZZOLA Michela  1991  ITA   48.76  47.66  1:36.42
 20 GAGNON Marie-Michele  1989  CAN   47.78  48.66  1:36.44
 21 GISIN Michelle  1993  SUI   48.69  47.77  1:36.46
 21 BARTHET Anne-Sophie  1988  FRA   48.67  47.79  1:36.46
 23 BORSSEN Therese  1984  SWE   48.03  48.47  1:36.50
 24 NOENS Nastasia  1988  FRA   48.33  48.19  1:36.52
 25 STIEGLER Resi  1985  USA   49.07  47.70  1:36.77
 26 WIKSTROEM Emelie  1992  SWE   48.79  48.01  1:36.80
 27 DUERR Lena  1991  GER   48.65  48.29  1:36.94
 28 ZAHROBSKA Sarka  1985  CZE   48.65  48.36  1:37.01
 29 PHELAN Brittany  1991  CAN   48.84  48.32  1:37.16
 30 GISIN Dominique  1985  SUI   48.98  48.83  1:37.81
Did not qualify for 2nd run
  SHKANOVA Maria  1989  BLR       
  BUCIK Ana  1993  SLO       
  CURTONI Elena  1991  ITA       
  LOESETH Mona  1991  NOR       
  PERSYN Karen  1983  BEL       
  DUBOVSKA Martina  1992  CZE       
  SOROKINA Anna  1990  RUS       
  BREM Eva-Maria  1988  AUT       
  FJAELLSTROEM Magdalena  1995  SWE       
  PARDELLER Sarah  1988  ITA       
  IGNJATOVIC Nevena  1990  SRB       
  WIRTH Barbara  1989  GER       
  NIGG Marina  1984  LIE       
  ROUTHIER Eve  1988  CAN       
  HOSHI Mizue  1985  JPN       
  STABER Veronika  1987  GER       
  DEPAULI Jessica  1991  AUT       
  AUBERT Sandrine  1982  FRA       
  VLHOVA Petra  1995  SVK       
  KIYOSAWA Emiko  1983  JPN       
  MANCUSO Julia  1984  USA       
  VONN Lindsey  1984  USA       
  WORLEY Tessa  1989  FRA       
  SWENN-LARSSON Anna  1991  SWE       
Did not finish 1st run
  TILLEY Alexandra  1993  GBR       
  NOVOSELIC Sofija  1990  CRO       
  PLUT Eli  1994  SLO       
  HAFNER Ula  1993  SLO       
  BAUD Adeline  1992  FRA       
  LAVTAR Katarina  1988  SLO       
  KLUS Aleksandra  1986  POL       
  HECTOR Sara  1992  SWE       
  SEJERSTED Lotte Smiseth  1991  NOR       
  GRASSL Paulina  1994  SWE       
  MARMOTTAN Anemone  1988  FRA       
  BERTRAND Marion  1984  FRA       
  HASEGAWA Emi  1986  JPN       
  THALMANN Carmen  1989  AUT       
  MOELGG Manuela  1983  ITA       
  PIETILAE-HOLMNER Maria  1986  SWE       
  MIELZYNSKI Erin  1990  CAN       
  HOEFL-RIESCH Maria  1984  GER       

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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.