Zahrobska snags first Cup win, Vonn 4th again

By Published On: November 30th, 2008Comments Off on Zahrobska snags first Cup win, Vonn 4th again


The Czech Republic has finally won a World Cup. Sarka Zahrobska, the first run leader of the World Cup slalom at Aspen Sunday calmly skied through a pelting snow and ferocious wind to hold off an incredible challenge from Austria’s Nicole Hosp and a strong showing from third place finishing Tanja Poutiainen of Finland.

American Lindsey Vonn, with a conservative first run, put down a better second run, but had to settle for fourth, a result she had hoped would be better in front of the home country fans.

Winds clocked over 60mph blew down the finish line banner, bending one of the support poles forcing a 15minute delay in the first run. Race crews solved the problem by removing the banner, but the winds never subsided and swirled loose snow unpredictably around the course. No one escaped it, but some adapted better than others.

 

 











The Czech Republic has finally won a World Cup. Sarka Zahrobska, the first run leader of the World Cup slalom at Aspen Sunday calmly skied through a pelting snow and ferocious wind to hold off an incredible challenge from Austria’s Nicole Hosp and a strong showing from third place finishing Tanja Poutiainen of Finland.

American Lindsey Vonn, with a conservative first run, put down a better second run, but had to settle for fourth, a result she had hoped would be better in front of the home country fans.

Winds clocked over 60mph blew down the finish line banner, bending one of the support poles forcing a 15minute delay in the first run. Race crews solved the problem by removing the banner, but the winds never subsided and swirled loose snow unpredictably around the course. No one escaped it, but some adapted better than others.

 

Zahrobska will defend her World Championship in slalom this February, but she had never previously won in a World Cup slalom, having been second three times, all of them coming in the 2007 calendar year. This day she was not to be denied. There was as much ice in her veins as there was in the air. She says she just shut out the weather – and everything else – out.

“I thought of nothing in the start,” she says. “(I wanted) To do my best in the second run as I did in the first. And you can’t do it (by) thinking a lot.”


Poutiainen says she looks forward to tough conditions and rather contradicted Zahrobska’s approach. “It¹s always hard in icy conditions. You really have to think a little bit.” She adds, “When I saw the snow coming down, I was so happy. It¹s hard when it¹s difficult, but it¹s the same for everybody. You have to fight and do some good technical skiing, and that gives me an advantage.”

Hosp says she found the conditions difficult. “It was very tough today to ski because the weather conditions were so hard; it was so windy, and the slope was icy.” Plus, she says, the altitude takes some getting used to. “It’s always very hard for us, here, because it¹s very high to
race and you have to breathe so much. It¹s a really hard race.”

Vonn said she was disappointed she couldn’t quite make the podium for her fans, but was plenty pleased to have come out of Aspen with the points from a pair of fourth place finishes.

“I wasn’t real confident (for the first run) because I had a terrible warm-up this morning, and my knee was hurting. I don’t know, I tried to go for it as hard as I could in the second run and I got a huge head wind in the middle section.”

Two additional Americans made it to the second run. Sterling Grant finished 29th, but did not score the two points, being too far off the winning time, and Hailey Duke got her first World Cup points in 21st place, and a media bonus by providing one of the best quotes of the day: “ My coach Trevor Wagner and I have been watching the (television) show Ninja Warrior and I definitely had to think about that on the way down. It was a huge obstacle course and you¹ve got to do whatever you can to get past it. I thought it was appropriate.”

 





The SCOOP

By Hank McKee

Equipment  

Women’s Slalom, Aspen, Colo., Nov. 30, 2008

1 Zahrobska, Head/Head/Tyrolia

2 Hosp, Volkl/Tecnica/Marker

3 Poutiainen, Volkl/Tecnica/Marker

4 Vonn (Kildow), Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol

5 Zettel, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic

6 Riesch, Head/Lange/Tyrolia

7 Pietilae-Holmner, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol

8 Bonjour, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol

9 Moelgg, Rossignol/Lange/Rossignol

10 Kirchgasser, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic

 

Women’s Slalom, Aspen, Colo., Nov. 30, 2008. … It is the fourth race of the 36 race races on the women’s 2008-09 World Cup schedule. … The second of nine scheduled slaloms. … It is the second and last race of the two race set at Aspen and the final women’s World Cup of the season in the U.S. … It is the 62nd Cup race held at Aspen … the 16th slalom and the 10th women’s slalom. … It is the fourth consecutive year of Aspen holding a women’s slalom.

 

It is the first career World Cup win for Sarka Zahrobska and the first win for the Czech Republic. … Zahrobska had been second three previous times all in slalom, at Kranjksa Gora Jan. 7, 2007, at Zwiesel March 11, 2007 and at Panorama Nov. 25, 2007. … She is the defending World Champion in slalom having won at Are in 2007. … She owns six of the seven World Cup podiums ever recorded for her country.

It is the 44th career World Cup podium for Nicole Hosp. … Her 18th in slalom. … Of her seven World Cup results at Aspen she has a win, two seconds and three fourths. … She was second in slalom for the 2008 season to injured teammate Marlies Schild.

It is the 30th career World Cup podium for Tanja Poutiainen. … Her 16th in slalom. … It is her third podium of the season in four races.

It is the 13th time Lindsey Vonn (Kildow) has placed fourth in a World Cup race and second time this weekend. … The result matches her second best in slalom, matching Levi 2006. … She won Levi 2008.

It is the first career scoring result for Hailey Duke who was making her fifth career Cup start. … Anna Goodman scored for the fifth time in her career, all in slalom. … 24th matches her third best result. … It is the 22nd scoring result for Brigitte Acton. … Her eighth in slalom… It is her third scoring result in a slalom at Aspen. … It was the first time Sterling Grant has made a second run in a World Cup race.

 

Poutiainen maintains the lead of the World Cup overall standings 260-229 over Vonn. … Maria Pietila Holmner (seventh in race) holds third at 196. … Vonn maintains the lead in the slalom standings 150-130 over Hosp. … Zahrobska sits third at 129.
 


Rank Bib FIS Code Name Year Nation Run 1 Run 2 Total Time FIS Points
 1  5  155415 ZAHROBSKA Sarka  1985  CZE   48.92  50.40  1:39.32  0.00
 2  7  55690 HOSP Nicole  1983  AUT   49.52  50.03  1:39.55  1.39
 3  4  185140 POUTIAINEN Tanja  1980  FIN   49.64  50.65  1:40.29  5.86
 4  13  537544 VONN Lindsey  1984  USA   49.87  50.86  1:40.73  8.52
 5  12  55838 ZETTEL Kathrin  1986  AUT   49.02  51.73  1:40.75  8.64
 6  2  206001 RIESCH Maria  1984  GER   49.36  51.68  1:41.04  10.39
 7  1  505760 PIETILAE-HOLMNER Maria  1986  SWE   49.65  51.55  1:41.20  11.36
 8  30  515733 BONJOUR Aline  1985  SUI   50.73  50.83  1:41.56  13.53
 9  19  296259 MOELGG Manuela  1983  ITA   49.69  51.99  1:41.68  14.26
 10  15  55759 KIRCHGASSER Michaela  1985  AUT   50.67  51.52  1:42.19  17.34
 11  9  205993 HOELZL Kathrin  1984  GER   51.13  51.52  1:42.65  20.12
 12  11  385032 JELUSIC Ana  1986  CRO   50.28  52.39  1:42.67  20.24
 13  10  505483 PAERSON Anja  1981  SWE   51.50  51.83  1:43.33  24.22
 14  18  515619 GINI Sandra  1982  SUI   51.67  51.78  1:43.45  24.95
 15  46  565320 FERK Marusa  1988  SLO   52.06  51.41  1:43.47  25.07
 16  8  425771 LOESETH Nina  1989  NOR   50.94  52.58  1:43.52  25.37
 17  52  196179 BERTRAND Marion  1984  FRA   51.04  52.75  1:43.79  27.00
 18  24  385027 FLEISS Nika  1984  CRO   51.31  52.61  1:43.92  27.79
 19  21  195972 AUBERT Sandrine  1982  FRA   51.64  52.32  1:43.96  28.03
 20  43  55947 FENNINGER Anna  1989  AUT   52.48  51.76  1:44.24  29.72
 21  32  537792 DUKE Hailey  1985  USA   51.49  52.78  1:44.27  29.90
 22  28  206160 RIESCH Susanne  1987  GER   51.88  52.46  1:44.34  30.33
 23  25  355040 NIGG Marina  1984  LIE   52.35  52.10  1:44.45  30.99
 24  33  106633 GOODMAN Anna  1986  CAN   51.88  53.23  1:45.11  34.98
 25  40  435142 KARASINSKA Katarzyna  1982  POL   51.90  53.47  1:45.37  36.55
 26  49  425432 MUELLER Anne Marie  1980  NOR   52.44  52.96  1:45.40  36.73
 27  57  106527 ACTON Brigitte  1985  CAN   52.05  53.39  1:45.44  36.97
 28  56  435210 GASIENICA DANIEL Agnieszka  1987  POL   52.15  53.98  1:46.13  41.14
 29  44  538256 GRANT Sterling  1987  USA   52.64  55.65  1:48.29  54.19

Did not start 1st run: SCHLEPER Sarah (USA)

Did not finish 1st run: LINDELL-VIKARBY Jessica (SWE), BARTHET Anne-Sophie (FRA), KURFUERSTOVA Eva (CZE), FERNSEBNER Carolin (GER), ROBNIK Mateja (SLO), NOENS Nastasia (FRA), CURTONI Irene (ITA), GRAND Rabea (SUI), DE LEYMARIE Florine (FRA), KARBON Denise (ITA), BERGMANN Monika (GER), ZUZULOVA Veronika (SVK), BORSSEN Therese (SWE)

Disqualified 1st run: RICHARDSON Kaylin (USA), STAPLES Kiley (USA), GOERGL Elisabeth (AUT), HANSDOTTER Frida (SWE), MANCUSO Julia (USA)

Disqualified 2nd run: GIUS Nicole (ITA)

Did not qualify 1st run: KOEHLE Stefanie (AUT), NOVOSELIC Sofija (CRO), LOLOVIC Jelena (SRB), PERNER Nina (GER), RUBENS Shona (CAN), BLIENINGER Anja (GER), SMEDH Veronica (SWE), DUERR Katharina (GER), DAUTHERIVES Claire (FRA), CHMELAR Fanny (GER)








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