Zwiesel: Mancuso fastest in GS 1st run

American Julia Mancuso, seeking to become the first U.S. woman since Tamara McKinney in 1983 to win the World Cup overall, led the way in the first run of a World Cup giant slalom Saturday.
    Mancuso, tied atop the season standings with Austrian Renate Goetschl, skied through foggy, snowy conditions on the Zwiesel course in 55.28 seconds, with Tanja Poutianen second, .16 back, and Michaela Kirchgasser of Austria third, .23 back.
    In heavy, patchy fog and light snow, Mancuso, skiing with bib No. 1, seemed to have a bit less fog during her run and capitalized on a clean track that seemed to deteriorate early in the upper section. Mancuso, who seems to like tough conditions — she won Olympic GS gold in miserable conditions — was able to carve turns where others were not able to take such a hard charging line.

ZWIESEL, Germany — American Julia Mancuso, seeking to become the first U.S. woman since Tamara McKinney in 1983 to win the World Cup overall, led the way in the first run of a World Cup giant slalom Saturday.
    Mancuso, tied atop the season standings with Austrian Renate Goetschl, skied through foggy, snowy conditions on the Zwiesel course in 55.28 seconds, with Tanja Poutianen second, .16 back, and Michaela Kirchgasser of Austria third, .23 back.
    In heavy, patchy fog and light snow, Mancuso, skiing with bib No. 1, seemed to have a bit less fog during her run and capitalized on a clean track which seemed to deteriorate early in the upper section. Mancuso, who seems to like tough conditions — she won Olympic GS gold in miserable conditions — was able to carve turns where others were not able to take such a hard charging line.
    There were moments on the European television broadcast where competitors simply disappeared in the fog and at one point officials put a course hold on for several minutes hoping the fog would lift a bit. It never did.
    Resi Stiegler, starting 29, was fast on the upper section only to hit a hole and slip onto her side. While she finished the course, her time was well out of the top 30.
    Mancuso is in a battle with Austrians Goetschl, Marlies Schild and Nicole Hosp for the overall championship. Hosp was sixth in the first run. .77 behind Mancuso. Schild was 11th, 1.17 back, and Goetschl, a speed specialist, was 22nd, almost two seconds back.
    “We’re all in the same boat. [The conditions] aren’t great, but we all have to deal with them. I have to hold off a lot of competition. Let’s wait for the second run,” Mancuso said.
    Mancuso, who turned 23 Friday, and Goetschl each have 1,199 points in the overall standings, 16 more than Hosp and 29 more than Schild.
    Hosp leads the giant slalom standings with 310 points in the discipline standings, 36 more than Poutiainen.
    Mancuso was the only American to qualify for second run Saturday. Jessica Kelley was 40th, Stacey Cook 42nd, Stiegler 45th and Libby Ludlow 53rd.
    Second run was set for 7:15 a.m. ET.

Women’s giant slalom results, first run
1. Julia Mancuso, United States, 55.28 seconds.
2. Tanja Poutiainen, Finland, 55.44.
3. Michaela Kirchgasser, Austria, 55.51.
4. Elisabeth Goergl, Austria, 55.57.
5. Genevieve Simard, Canada, 55.76.
6. Nicole Hosp, Austria, 56.05.
7. Anna Ottosson, Sweden, 56. 25.
8. Andrea Fischbacher, Austria, 56.26.
9. Karen Putzer, Italy, 56.37.
10. Anja Paerson, Sweden, 56.43.