Schild leads in Zagreb slalom first run

Austrian slalom star Marlies Schild is well in control of a World Cup night slalom race going on under the lights in Zagreb, Croatia today (Jan. 3).

Schild, winner of all four World Cup slalom races this season, was the second woman on the course and put down a run that was nearly a second (0.90) faster than any other racer.

Slovenian Tina Maze stands second with a time of one minute, 0.24 seconds. Austrian Michaela Kirchgasser holds the third position, 1.16 seconds behind the leader. 

Thick fog at the top of the course stuck around the entire run and caused problems for several racers.

Despite starting 47th, Resi Stiegler led the American effort and stands 13th, 2.29 seconds off the leading pace.

Lindsey Vonn finished 3.02 seconds behind the leader in 24th and appeared exhausted, collapsing onto the snow in the finish area. She revealed she wasn’t feeling well to her Facebook following before the race. “Puking and feeling absolutely terrible today,” wrote Vonn. “Didn’t get to inspect the course but still going to try and race. Here goes nothing!” 

Vonn’s young teammate Mikalea Shiffrin, fresh off of her third-place result in Lienz last week, struggled in the fog at the top of the course, straddling a gate and skiing off course. Hailey Duke and Kiley Staples finished the first run in 53 and 54th, respectively, failing to reach the 30-woman second run. 

Anna Goodman will be the only Canadian in the second run as she grabbed the final spot in 30th.

The second run begins at 12 PM EST. Click here to watch the results as they happen on our Live Timing page.

Image by Gepa