Reiteralm: Schild rules SL as Stiegler so close in 4th

By Published On: November 10th, 2007Comments Off on Reiteralm: Schild rules SL as Stiegler so close in 4th

On a day when Resi Stiegler seemed destined for her first World Cup podium, defending World Cup slalom champ Marlies Schild of Austria proved her fortitude and the upstart Italian team continued its early momentum, denying Stiegler a career day. (Click here to listen to Stiegler talk about her race).    
    In snowy and gusty conditions, Schild vaulted from third in the first run to seize the victory with a two-run time of 1 minute, 55.53 seconds, .06 ahead of teammate and defending overall champion Nicole Hosp. First-run leader Chiara Costazza of Italy was third, .30 back, for her first career World Cup podium. WCSN.com will broadcast same-today video streaming at noon ET today.
REITERALM, Austria — On a day when Resi Stiegler seemed destined for her first World Cup podium, defending World Cup slalom champ Marlies Schild of Austria proved her fortitude and the upstart Italian team continued its early momentum, denying Stiegler a career day. 
    In snowy and gusty conditions, Schild vaulted from third in the first run to seize the victory with a two-run time of 1 minute, 55.53 seconds, .06 ahead of teammate and defending overall champion Nicole Hosp. First-run leader Chiara Costazza of Italy was third, .30 back, for her first career World Cup podium.
    A Rossignol skier, Costazza, 23, held a .12 lead on the pack after the first run, but she struggled up top on her second run, losing her chance to win. But she made up some time on the bottom gates, sneaking past Stiegler for the podium. Stiegler took fourth for the third time in her career, .41 behind the leader.
    Stiegler, who turns 22 Wednesday, now has 14 career World Cup top 10s and added to her fourths from an Are slalom in March 2006 and an Altenmarkt-Zauchensee super combined last January. In the Reiteralm super combi last season, she recorded the fifth-fastest slalom time to move up to 11th place and lead the U.S. team. (Click here to listen to Stiegler talk about her race).  
    “She’s got to be patient, it’s the first [slalom] of the season and she’s such an improved skier this year it’s unbelievable,” U.S. tech coach Chris Knight told Ski Racing. “That shows with fourth in her first race. Sometimes it takes her a little while to get going, but this season she’s up to speed right away. I’m super, super happy with what she did, and moving up one spot after first run was good. That’s a confidence booster.”
    The only other U.S. racer competing was Lauren Ross, who started 57th and did not finish as she continues her comeback from injury.
    “She’s coming back from an injury, and she’s skiing well,” Knight said of Ross. “She’s just got to get her race pace back and get confident again racing World Cup. She’s as good technically and as good a racer as the other girls. She needs to build up confidence and make it through to the finish with a good run and with no mistakes and see that she’s competitive. It’s going to take some more time with Lauren. This is only her second race in 18 months.”
    Costazza has earned nine career top-10 placings, all in slalom, and was eighth in slalom at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games. Italian teammate Denise Karbon surprised the tour by winning the opening giant slalom two weeks ago on the Sölden glacier.
    Schild, who won seven of last season’s nine slalom races, survived a major error on both of her runs but was solid enough to edge Hosp.
    “I raced to the limits in my second run,” Schild said. “I made a horrendous error due to the poor visibility and I lost control over my ski. That cost a lot of speed.
    “Despite the fresh snow, the course was incredibly fast. I felt like I was driving on a highway.”
    Schild has now won 14 World Cup slalom races and 16 overall.
    “If Marlies had not made that error, she would have beaten me by more than a second,” Hosp said. “Finishing second on a technical discipline like the slalom makes me very happy. I have not reached my best form so far this season, which means I can still improve.”
    Costazza was pleased with her result, too. “This is another great result for us,” Costazza said. “I am not really surprised about this. The Italian team is very strong this season. And Denise’s victory in Sölden was a huge boost for all of us.”
    Slalom world champion Sarka Zahrobska was seventh, 0.65 behind Schild. Anja Paerson trailed Schild by 1.51 to finish 12th. “It was very hard to do well here under these circumstances,” Paerson said. “For me, it’s hard to concentrate on four disciplines, so that’s why my slalom performances aren’t that good these days.”
    WCSN.com will broadcast same-today video streaming at noon ET today.
    Stiegler and the U.S. women head back to the States to join the rest of the team training in Colorado before the North American World Cup season opens.
    “I think she can only keep improving, and that’s pretty exciting,” Knight said. “She’s still got a lot left in her — by far it’s not her fastest skiing. Last year, she was just making lots of mistakes, but this year she is much better balanced and has figured her equipment out. I expect good results in Panorama and in Aspen.”
    Sunday, the men kick off the slalom season (10 a.m./1 p.m.). American starters for Reiteralm are expected to be Ted Ligety, Jimmy Cochran, Tim Kelley, Cody Marshall and independent racer Bode Miller. Ligety is seeking back-to-back podiums after finishing second in the Sölden GS.


Reiteralm World Cup women's slalom

Rank Bib FIS Code Name Year Nation Run 1 Run 2 Total Time FIS Points
 1  4  55590 SCHILD
Marlies
 
1981  AUT   58.13  57.40  1:55.53  0.00
 2  6  55690 HOSP Nicole  1983  AUT   58.22  57.37  1:55.59  0.32
 3  12  296354 COSTAZZA Chiara  1984  ITA   57.97  57.86  1:55.83  1.58
 4  8  537772 STIEGLER Resi  1985  USA   58.24  57.70  1:55.94  2.16
 5  3  705287 ZUZULOVA Veronika  1984  SVK   58.57  57.50  1:56.07  2.85
 6  9  505760 PIETILAE-HOLMNER Maria  1986  SWE   58.09  57.99  1:56.08  2.90
 7  1  155415 ZAHROBSKA Sarka  1985  CZE   58.47  57.77  1:56.24  3.75
 8  2  185140 POUTIAINEN Tanja  1980  FIN   58.70  57.64  1:56.34  4.28
 9  19  295435 GIUS Nicole  1980  ITA   58.73  57.86  1:56.59  5.60
 10  7  505610 BORSSEN Therese  1984  SWE   58.32  58.29  1:56.61  5.70
 11  16  206001 RIESCH Maria  1984  GER   58.71  58.09  1:56.80  6.71
 12  11  505483 PAERSON Anja  1981  SWE   58.86  58.18  1:57.04  7.97
 13  10  425771 LOESETH Nina  1989  NOR   59.12  57.95  1:57.07  8.13
 14  18  296259 MOELGG Manuela  1983  ITA   59.31  57.85  1:57.16  8.61
 15  22  385027 FLEISS Nika  1984  CRO   58.96  58.25  1:57.21  8.87
 16  30  205993 HOELZL Kathrin  1984  GER   59.47  57.85  1:57.32  9.45
 17  13  55838 ZETTEL Kathrin  1986  AUT   59.31  58.27  1:57.58  10.82
 18  52  355040 NIGG Marina  1984  LIE   59.44  58.17  1:57.61  10.98
 19  39  515639 CAMASTRAL Aita  1983  SUI   58.73  58.93  1:57.66  11.25
 20  40  206099 PERNER Nina  1986  GER   59.18  58.57  1:57.75  11.72
 21  27  505679 HANSDOTTER Frida  1985  SWE   59.07  58.70  1:57.77  11.83
 22  15  205636 BERGMANN Monika  1978  GER   59.75  58.23  1:57.98  12.94
 23  5  385032 JELUSIC Ana  1986  CRO   59.73  58.36  1:58.09  13.52
 24  41  206035 CHMELAR Fanny  1985  GER   59.16  59.06  1:58.22  14.20
 25  54  295445 KARBON Denise  1980  ITA   59.81  58.49  1:58.30  14.63
 26  20  435142 KARASINSKA Katarzyna  1982  POL  &n
bsp;59.34
 59.03  1:58.37  15.00
 27  14  195912 DE LEYMARIE Florine  1981  FRA   59.03  59.66  1:58.69  16.68
 28  45  155194 KURFUERSTOVA Eva  1977  CZE   59.59  59.16  1:58.75  17.00

Did not finish 1st run:
KIRKOVA Maria (BUL), NOVOSELIC Sofija (CRO), LOLOVIC Jelena (SRB), ROSS Lauren (USA), MERIGHETTI Daniela (ITA), KOBAL Ana (SLO), NOENS Nastasia (FRA), FERNSEBNER Carolin (GER), FERK Marusa (SLO), FISCHBACHER Andrea (AUT), AUBERT Sandrine (FRA), CERESA Annalisa (ITA)

Did not finish 2nd run:
TRIENDL Katrin (AUT), BONJOUR Aline (SUI)

Did not qualify 1st run:
PERSYN Karen (BEL), BERTRAND Marion (FRA), SMED Veronica (SWE), GOODMAN Anna (CAN), SANTON Aurelie (FRA), ZAKOURILOVA Petra (CZE), GRAND Rabea (SUI), BARTHET Anne-Sophie (FRA), DREV Ana (SLO), LOESETH Lene (NOR), STRENG Simone (AUT), HULTDIN Kristina (SWE), MUELLER Anne Marie (NOR), DAUTHERIVES Claire (FRA), HANGL Celina (SUI), GOERGL Elisabeth (AUT), ACTON Brigitte (CAN), RIESCH Susanne (GER), GINI Sandra (SUI), LEINONEN Sanni (FIN), VIDAL Vanessa (FRA)


THE SCOOP
By Hank McKee


Women’s slalom, Reiteralm, Austria, Nov. 10, 2007

Skier, skis/boots/bindings
1. Schild, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
2. Hosp, Völkl/Fischer/Marker
3. Costazza, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
4. Stiegler, Dynastar/Lange/Look
5. Zuzulova, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
6. Pietilae, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
7. Zahrobska, Head/Head/Tyrolia
8. Poutiainen, Völkl/Tecnica/Marker
9. Gius, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer
10. Borssen, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic

Women’s slalom, Reiteralm, Austria, Nov. 10, 2007. … It is the second of the 39 competitions on the women’s World Cup schedule. … The first of 10 scheduled slaloms. … It is the fourth World Cup held at Reiteralm, and the first slalom. No World Cup races have been held at the site prior to December 2006. Conditions: snowing, minus-3 Celsius at top -2 C at bottom.
    Winning margin is .06 of a second. … Top eight racers are within a second. … Top 16 within two seconds. … It is the 16th career World Cup victory for Marlies Schild. … Her 14th in slalom. … She has won eight of the last 10 World Cup slaloms dating to the first race of last season. … It is her second win at Reiteralm, having claimed the combined Dec. 15, 2006.
    It is the 37th career podium for Nicole Hosp. … Her 13th in slalom. … She is the defending World Cup champion. … It is the second time she has finished second at Reiteralm, the other in SG Dec. 16, 2006. … It is the fourth time she has finished second to Schild, including last season’s slalom opener at Levi, Finland, Nov. 11.
    It is the first career Cup podium for Chiara Costazza. … She owns 13 Cup scoring results, all in slalom. … Four coming in the 2007 season and seven in 2006. … Seven of her last eight scoring finishes have been top-10 placings.
    Fourth place matches Resi Stiegler’s career-best placing, previously tallied in slalom at Are on March 17, 2006, and in combined at Altenmarkt-Zauchensee on Jan. 14, 2007. … No other North Americans got a second run.
    Schild takes over first place overall on the World Cup with 112 points, ahead of Sölden GS winner Denise Karbon with 106 and Nicole Hosp at 102. … Julia Mancuso is the top American in fifth with 80 points, Stiegler holds seventh place with 66 points. … As it is the first slalom of the season, Schild also leads those standings, a position she has not relinquished since the first race of last season. Austria leads the women’s Nations Cup 338-260 over Italy with the U.S. women third at 166.

Overall standings
(After two races)

1. Marlies Schild, Austria, 112 points.
2. Denise Karbon, Italy, 106.
3. Nicole Hosp, Austria, 102.
4. Tanja Poutiainen, Finland, 82.
5. Julia Mancuso, United States, 80.
6. Kathrin Zettel, Austria, 74.
7. Resi Stiegler, United States, 66.
8. Maria Pietilae-Holmner, Sweden, 64.
9. Chiara Costazza, Italy, 60.
10. Anja Paerson, Sweden, 58.

Slalom standings
(After one race)

1. Marlies Schild, Austria, 100 points.
2. Nicole Hosp, Austria, 80.
3. Chiara Costazza, Italy, 60.
4. Resi Stiegler, United States, 50.
5. Veronika Zuzulova, Czech Republic, 45.
6. Maria Pietilae-Holmner, Sweden, 40.
7. Sarka Zahrobska, Czech Republic, 36.
8. Tanja Poutiainen, Finland, 32.
9. Nicole Gius, Italy, 29.
10. Therese Borssen, Sweden, 26.

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About the Author: Pete Rugh