Panorama: Karbon rallies for GS victory
Italy’s Denise Karbon made it 2-for-2 in World Cup giant slalom races this season, taking Saturday’s event at Panorama in dramatic fashion after first-run leader Nicole Hosp faltered badly early in her second run.
Julia Mancuso led the U.S. Ski Team in 10th, improving from 21st after run No. 1. Resi Stiegler finished tied for 12th. Jessica Kelley (22nd) and Libby Ludlow (25th) also scored points.
ITALY'S DENISE Karbon made it 2-for-2 in World Cup giant slalom races this season, taking Saturday’s event at Panorama in dramatic fashion after first-run leader Nicole Hosp faltered badly early in her second run.
Karbon, first out of the gate in the opening run, entered the second run in fourth place behind reigning World Cup overall and GS champ Hosp, and Italian teammates Nicole Gius and Manuela Moelgg. Karbon proceeded to clock the third-fastest time down the course to seize the lead from Austria’s Elisabeth Goergl. Gius couldn’t catch Karbon, eventually settling for sixth, while Moelgg finished well back of Goergl and settled for third place.
Hosp finished more than 2 seconds off Karbon’s two-run combined pace of 2 minutes, 42.71 seconds to finish 16th unofficially after entering the second run with a lead of more than a half-second. Hosp lost her balance early in the run and skied off-course before resuming her run but she couldn't make up enough time.
Goergl posted 2:43.13 and Moelgg crossed in 2:43.22 to round out the top three.
Julia Mancuso led the U.S. Ski Team in 10th, improving from 21st after run No. 1 where she faltered and lost speed half way down the course.
"It was a strange day," said tech coach Chris Knight. "The light was really flat for the first five — the first round, then the sun came out, and Jules was right in there for the second split but I don't know what happened. She lost a lot of time."
Some of the other women hardly got going before it was over. Caitlin Ciccone got sick and didn't even start. Lindsey Vonn hip checked and then "went inside" a gate and Lauren Ross — who skied from 61st to 13th spot in run No. 1 — fell in run No. 2. Knight said some of the women struggled with the inconsistent snow due to some areas being injected. But some of the other American women came through. Resi Stiegler finished tied for 12th, improving a few spots from her 15th finish in the opening GS race in Sölden.
"Resi is becoming a GS skier, which is great," Knight said about the slalom meister.
Both Jessica Kelley (22nd) and Libby Ludlow (25th) scored points in their first race back from injuries. Kelley hurt her ankle in Chile training camp in September, and Ludlow was on the rebound from a knee injury sustained at last year's U.S. nationals.
"They were both really relieved to get that race out of the a way and qualify," Knight said."
Overall, Knight was extremely pleased. "It was fantastic," he said. "I don't know when the last time was that we had five girls in the second GS run."
The women run slalom Sunday with eight U.S. starters: Stiegler, Ross, Mancuso, Lindsey Vonn, Kaylin Richardson, NorAm SL champion Kiley Staples, Hailey Duke and Sterling Grant.
Karbon makes it 2-for-2
Karbon, whose career has been plagued by several knee injuries after her win in Alta Badia in December 2003, broke her fibula again last March after clinching an emotional bronze medal at the 2007 World Championships in Are, Sweden.
"I can’t believe I won again, this is really wonderful," Karbon said. "I was not so confident this morning because the slope didn’t look too challenging at first sight. I feel more comfortable on steeper and more challenging terrain. In fact this morning, I even took a photo of my red leader bib which I received after my victory at Sölden last month because I was afraid I would lose it today.
"I didn’t ski very aggressively this morning, my start number 1 was surely not an advantage but I was happy not to have lost too much time on the leaders. In the second leg I was able to take more risks and charge all the way down. It was an outstanding run and I was really pleased by my performance even though I was not sure to win the race prior the start of Nicole Hosp. I was already happy to be 2nd or 3rd.
"Nicole [Hosp] was really unlucky. She skied tremendously well in the first run which was quite long and difficult because the snow was sometimes very slick and sometimes more aggressive."
Italy is the only team that has managed to score podium finishes in all three World Cup races hold so far in Sölden, Reiteralm and Panorama.
"We are ready to get another one tomorrow in slalom," predicted a relaxed Manuela Moelgg, who achieved her best ever giant slalom result Saturday. She was fourth at Lenzerheide last March. A few years ago, she was second in slalom at Aspen but health problems prevented her from excelling at that level in recent seasons.
— Patrick Lang contributed to this report
Panorama World Cup women's GS results
| Rank | Bib | FIS Code | Name | Year | Nation | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total Time | FIS Points |
| 1 | 1 | 295445 | KARBON Denise | 1980 | ITA | 1:23.27 | 1:19.44 | 2:42.71 | 0.00 |
| 2 | 9 | 55576 | GOERGL Elisabeth | 1981 | AUT | 1:23.63 | 1:19.50 | 2:43.13 | 2.27 |
| 3 | 10 | 296259 | MOELGG Manuela | 1983 | ITA | 1:22.93 | 1:20.29 | 2:43.22 | 2.76 |
| 4 | 8 | 55590 | SCHILD Marlies | 1981 | AUT | 1:23.64 | 1:19.64 | 2:43.28 | 3.08 |
| 5 | 37 | 55898 | BREM Eva-Maria | 1988 | AUT | 1:23.71 | 1:19.85 | 2:43.56 | 4.60 |
| 6 | 14 | 295435 | GIUS Nicole | 1980 | ITA | 1:22.81 | 1:20.81 | 2:43.62 | 4.92 |
| 7 | 26 | 505632 | LINDELL-VIKARBY Jessica | 1984 | SWE | 1:23.42 | 1:20.36 | 2:43.78 | 5.79 |
| 8 | 23 | 565268 | DREV Ana | 1985 | SLO | 1:25.33 | 1:19.07 | 2:44.40 | 9.14 |
| 9 | 3 | 205993 | HOELZL Kathrin | 1984 | GER | 1:25.35 | 1:19.11 | 2:44.46 | 9.46 |
| 10 | 2 | 537545 | MANCUSO Julia | 1984 | USA | 1:24.95 | 1:19.52 | 2:44.47 | 9.52 |
| 11 | 16 | 155415 | ZAHROBSKA Sarka | 1985 | CZE | 1:24.35 | 1:20.27 | 2:44.62 | 10.33 |
| 12 | 24 | 537772 | STIEGLER Resi | 1985 | USA | 1:24.40 | 1:20.31 | 2:44.71 | 10.82 |
| 12 | 15 | 505760 | PIETILAE-HOLMNER Maria | 1986 | SWE | 1:24.20 | 1:20.51 | 2:44.71 | 10.82 |
| 14 | 21 | 205218 | REBENSBURG Viktoria | 1989 | GER | 1:24.39 | 1:20.39 | 2:44.78 | 11.20 |
| 15 | 25 | 196928 | WORLEY Tessa | 1989 | FRA | 1:23.28 | 1:21.71 | 2:44.99 | 12.33 |
| 16 | 7 | HOSP Nicole | 1983 | AUT | 1:22.22 | 1:22.81 | 2:45.03 | 12.55 | |
| 17 | 13 | 505483 | PAERSON Anja | 1981 | SWE | 1:23.40 | 1:21.77 | 2:45.17 | 13.30 |
| 18 | 32 | 505610 | BORSSEN Therese | 1984 | SWE | 1:23.67 | 1:21.56 | 2:45.23 | 13.63 |
| 19 | 12 | 195671 | JACQUEMOD Ingrid | 1978 | FRA | 1:23.62 | 1:21.64 | 2:45.26 | 13.79 |
| 20 | 6 | 185140 | POUTIAINEN Tanja | 1980 | FIN | 1:24.55 | 1:20.82 | 2:45.37 | 14.39 |
| 21 | 29 | 515766 | SUTER Fabienne | 1985 | SUI | 1:25.02 | 1:20.77 | 2:45.79 | 16.66 |
| 22 | 34 | 537230 | KELLEY Jessica | 1982 | USA | 1:25.12 | 1:20.74 | 2:45.86 | 17.04 |
| 23 | 68 | 505679 | HANSDOTTER Frida | 1985 | SWE | 1:24.90 | 1:21.51 | 2:46.41 | 20.01 |
| 24 | 30 | 565315 | ROBNIK Mateja | 1987 | SLO | 1:25.27 | 1:21.33 | 2:46.60 | 21.04 |
| 25 | 42 | 536884 | LUDLOW Libby | 1981 | USA | 1:25.14 | 1:21.68 | 2:46.82 | 22.23 |
| 26 | 63 | 296769 | LONGHINI Hilary | 1986 | ITA | 1:25.19 | 1:21.99 | 2:47.18 | 24.18 |
| 26 | 49 | 435210 | GASIENICA DANIEL Agnieszka | 1987 | POL | 1:25.14 | 1:22.04 | 2:47.18 | 24.18 |
| 28 | 52 | 315149 | LOLOVIC Jelena | 1981 | SRB | 1:24.62 | 1:22.57 | 2:47.19 | 24.23 |
 |
Did not start 1st run:
CICCONE Caitlin (USA)
Did not finish 1st run:
MORLANS Leyre (SPA), CAMASTRAL Aita (SUI), FERK Marusa (SLO), KOBAL Ana (SLO), FERNSEBNER Carolin (GER), KELLY Gail (CAN), LUSTENBERGER Christina (CAN), VONN Lindsey (USA), BERTRAND Marion (FRA), SANTON Aurelie (FRA), ZUZULOVA Veronika (SVK), MEISSNITZER Alexandra (AUT), RIESCH Maria (GER), FISCHBACHER Andrea (AUT), KIRCHGASSER Michaela (AUT)
Did not finish 2nd run:
ROSS Lauren (USA), ALFIERI Camilla (ITA)
Did not qualify 2nd run:
SKRYABINA Anastasiya (UKR), AUBERT Sandrine (FRA), COLETTI Alexandra (MON), MERIGHETTI Daniela (ITA), FLEISS Nika (CRO), JANYK Britt (CAN), ZIKOVA Lucie (CZE), GRAND Rabea (SUI), HANGL Celina (SUI), COOK Stacey (USA), PREFONTAINE Marie-Pier (CAN), LEINONEN Sanni (FIN), RUIZ CASTILLO Carolina (SPA), DESFORGES Emilie (CAN), GIANESINI Giulia (ITA), BARTHET Anne-Sophie (FRA), LOESETH Lene (NOR), LOESETH Nina (NOR), KOEHLE Stefanie (AUT), MCJAMES Megan (USA), BERTRAND Olivia (FRA), FENNINGER Anna (AUT), BRYDON Emily (CAN), ALCOTT Chemmy (GBR), PUTZER Karen (ITA), ZETTEL Kathrin (AUT)
THE SCOOP
By Hank McKee
Equipment, Women's Giant Slalom, Panorama, Canada, Nov. 24, 2007
Skier, skis/boots/bindings
1 Karbon, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer
2 Goergl, Head/Head/Head
3 Moelgg, Rossignol/Lange/Rossignol
4 Schild, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
5 Brem, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
6 Gius, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer
7 Lindell-Vikarby, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
8 Drev, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
9 Hoelzl, Volkl/Tecnica/Marker
10 Mancuso, Rossignol/Lange/Rossignol
Women's Giant Slalom, Panorama, BC, Canada, Nov. 24, 2007. … It is the third race of the women's 39 event 2007-08 World Cup schedule. … It is the second of eight scheduled giant slaloms, and the last for more than a month. … It is the first of two slated for Panorama. … It is the tenth World Cup race at Panorama. … The first since March 1992. … It is the first GS held at the site.
It is the third career win for Denise Karbon, and her second of the season. … All three wins have come in GS. … She had never scored a point in Canada before this race, but had earned a podium in GS at Park City, Utah Nov. 28, 2003. … She had been fourth after the first run.
It is the 11th career World Cup podium for Elisabeth Goergl, and the fifth time she has finished second in a Cup race. … She has not won a race. … She records the fourth podium of the season for the Austrian women in three races.
It is the second career World Cup podium for Manuela Moelgg having also placed second in slalom at Aspen Nov. 28, 2004. … It is the fifth podium of the season for the Italians, and the second for her family as brother Manfred was third in the Reiteralm slalom Nov. 11.
It is the 51st career World Cup top 10 for Julia Mancuso. … She had been 21st after the first run. … Resi Stiegler tied for 12th, missing a career best in GS by one placing (11th Sierra Nevada Feb. 24, 2007). … She has placed in the top 15 in all three races so far this season. … Jessica Kelley, in 22nd, matched her second best career World Cup result. … Her only better score also in GS came at Sierra Nevada last season. … It is the 38th career scoring result for Libby Ludlow. … but just her fourth in GS. … No Canadian women completed both runs.
Winning margin was .42 of a second. … Top six were within a second. … Top 11 within two seconds. … Karbon leads the overall World Cup standings 206-162 for Marlies Schild (finished fourth in race). … Julia Mancuso in sixth with 106 leads North American women. … Karbon leads the GS standings 200-109 for Elisabeth Goergl (2nd in race). … Mancuso is third in the GS standings with 106 pts.
About the Author: Pete Rugh
