Stuhec makes it a double in second Lake Louise downhill
Slovenia’s Ilka Stuhec proved that Friday’s downhill victory was no fluke as she managed to repeat the feat in Saturday’s race, winning with a time of 1:24.95 after organizers decided to lower the start due to about 10 centimeters of overnight snowfall.
The weather was the deciding factor on Saturday as bright sunshine for the early runners quickly dwindled and a snowstorm developed as the race went on. Hungary’s Edit Miklos was first out of the gate and laid down a solid, mistake-free run to set the early pace. Stuhec, wearing her fresh new red leader’s bib was the fourth racer to take to the course and with the same solid skiing that brought her the win on Friday, easily slid into the lead, besting Miklos by 0.43 seconds. Switzerland’s Lara Gut, who no doubt was looking for revenge after Friday’s disappointing fourth-place finish, kicked out with bib nine and challenged Stuhec at each interval before crossing the finish merely 0.11 seconds shy of the win. The weather then began to worsen to the point that only two racers that started outside of the top-10 finished inside of it.
Prior to the race start, Stuhec’s coaches were frantically looking for bib number four, unaware that she would actually be wearing the leader bib for the first time in her career. Needless to say, the Slovene has now settled comfortably into her new race attire.
“I think it really was an advantage because the snowfall is getting worse and worse,” Stuhec said of her early start number. “You race with the number you have and try to do your best. I had to calm myself down after yesterday and prepare myself for the race today, which apparently I did pretty well!”
For Gut, it was her career-best result in Lake Louise, a hill that she has been quite outspoken about in the past with how the Canadian venue just doesn’t suit her aggressive style.
“It feels great,” she said in the finish. “Yesterday, I thought I would be on the podium and I was fourth, but it’s cool. It’s the first time I’m feeling great on the snow and on this slope, so I’m going to take that and keep on improving. I don’t think it was about the snow today, I was just lucky because of the weather. Yesterday, running early wasn’t an advantage because the wind came so I thought that I’m going to keep that plan today and have that chance on my side.”
It was Miklos’ first trip to a World Cup podium since she was third in the 2015 St. Moritz downhill and the Hungarian was excited to start her season off on the right foot.
“I’m very happy and I am lucky because of the weather,” she said. “I’m very, very happy. I think it was fair for everybody because the weather is not so good and it was a good decision on how to do a fair race.”
For the American contingent, Laurenne Ross led the way for the Speed Unicorns in seventh place. Stacey Cook landed in 11th place and Mikaela Shiffrin finished in 13th to give the Americans three in the top-15. Breezy Johnson had her second scoring result in as many days in 21st, Alice McKennis was 26th, Jacqueline Wiles was 30th, Leanne Smith was 34th, and Anna Marno escaped unscathed after a scary looking crash on the upper portion of the track.
“Well, it’s a bit of a crazy day today,” explained Ross. “There was a lot of sun at the very beginning of the race and I think for every person the sun became less and less, … but that’s ski racing. I got lucky; I started fifth and I actually came down in fifth but only two people behind me beat me so I don’t know. It was just kind of one of those weird days but I’m happy with the result.”
Shiffrin’s second trip down a World Cup downhill went better than she expected, managing to crack the top-15 finishers with such little experience in the discipline.
“Oh my god, I was so excited for today because after yesterday, I was like, ‘Alright, I executed everything on the course, but I wasn’t building speed,'” an excited Shiffrin said after her run. “That was my only goal for today, I’m so excited because that’s what it’s supposed to feel like, so that’s cool.”
The women close out their series in Lake Louise on Sunday with a super-G scheduled to start at 11:00am MT.
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Top 10
- Ilka Stuhec (SLO) – Stoeckli / Lange / Marker
- Lara Gut (SUI) – Head / Head / Head
- Edit Miklos (HUN) – Head / Head / Head
- Corinne Suter (SUI) – Head / Head / Head
- Kajsa Kling (SWE) – Head / Head / Head
- Mirjam Puchner (AUT) – Atomic / Atomic / Atomic
- Laurenne Ross (USA) – Voelkl / Marker / Lange
- Nadia Fanchini (ITA) – Dynastar / Lange / Look
- Tina Weirather (LIE) – Atomic / Atomic / Atomic
- Johanna Schnarf (ITA) – Fischer / Fischer / Fischer
Official Results
Rank | Bib | FIS Code | Name | Year | Nation | Total Time | Diff. | FIS Points | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 | 565360 | STUHEC Ilka | 1990 | SLO | 1:24.95 | 0.00 | |||
2 | 9 | 516138 | GUT Lara | 1991 | SUI | 1:25.06 | +0.11 | 1.62 | ||
3 | 1 | 245066 | MIKLOS Edit | 1988 | HUN | 1:25.38 | +0.43 | 6.33 | ||
4 | 3 | 516319 | SUTER Corinne | 1994 | SUI | 1:25.49 | +0.54 | 7.95 | ||
5 | 7 | 505886 | KLING Kajsa | 1988 | SWE | 1:25.68 | +0.73 | 10.74 | ||
6 | 2 | 56125 | PUCHNER Mirjam | 1992 | AUT | 1:25.90 | +0.95 | 13.98 | ||
7 | 5 | 538573 | ROSS Laurenne | 1988 | USA | 1:25.97 | +1.02 | 15.01 | ||
8 | 13 | 296729 | FANCHINI Nadia | 1986 | ITA | 1:26.22 | +1.27 | 18.69 | ||
9 | 19 | 355050 | WEIRATHER Tina | 1989 | LIE | 1:26.27 | +1.32 | 19.42 | ||
10 | 10 | 296427 | SCHNARF Johanna | 1984 | ITA | 1:26.30 | +1.35 | 19.86 | ||
11 | 12 | 537582 | COOK Stacey | 1984 | USA | 1:26.33 | +1.38 | 20.31 | ||
12 | 21 | 298323 | GOGGIA Sofia | 1992 | ITA | 1:26.40 | +1.45 | 21.34 | ||
13 | 31 | 6535237 | SHIFFRIN Mikaela | 1995 | USA | 1:26.41 | +1.46 | 21.48 | ||
14 | 16 | 296472 | FANCHINI Elena | 1985 | ITA | 1:26.55 | +1.60 | 23.54 | ||
15 | 11 | 205218 | REBENSBURG Viktoria | 1989 | GER | 1:26.60 | +1.65 | 24.28 | ||
16 | 38 | 107613 | GRENIER Valerie | 1996 | CAN | 1:26.63 | +1.68 | 24.72 | ||
17 | 29 | 56177 | VENIER Stephanie | 1993 | AUT | 1:26.67 | +1.72 | 25.31 | ||
18 | 24 | 55970 | SCHMIDHOFER Nicole | 1989 | AUT | 1:26.73 | +1.78 | 26.19 | ||
19 | 6 | 296431 | STUFFER Verena | 1984 | ITA | 1:26.78 | +1.83 | 26.93 | ||
20 | 22 | 425929 | MOWINCKEL Ragnhild | 1992 | NOR | 1:27.00 | +2.05 | 30.16 | ||
21 | 30 | 6535455 | JOHNSON Breezy | 1996 | USA | 1:27.02 | +2.07 | 30.46 | ||
22 | 42 | 426043 | TVIBERG Maria Therese | 1994 | NOR | 1:27.04 | +2.09 | 30.75 | ||
23 | 34 | 56198 | SCHEYER Christine | 1994 | AUT | 1:27.08 | +2.13 | 31.34 | ||
24 | 27 | 155763 | LEDECKA Ester | 1995 | CZE | 1:27.11 | +2.16 | 31.78 | ||
25 | 37 | 206460 | WENIG Michaela | 1992 | GER | 1:27.20 | +2.25 | 33.11 | ||
26 | 28 | 538685 | MCKENNIS Alice | 1989 | USA | 1:27.23 | +2.28 | 33.55 | ||
27 | 36 | 197497 | MIRADOLI Romane | 1994 | FRA | 1:27.28 | +2.33 | 34.28 | ||
27 | 33 | 206668 | WEIDLE Kira | 1996 | GER | 1:27.28 | +2.33 | 34.28 | ||
29 | 45 | 197295 | PIOT Jennifer | 1992 | FRA | 1:27.39 | +2.44 | 35.90 | ||
30 | 25 | 539536 | WILES Jacqueline | 1992 | USA | 1:27.54 | +2.59 | 38.11 | ||
31 | 39 | 299466 | DELAGO Nicol | 1996 | ITA | 1:27.59 | +2.64 | 38.85 | ||
32 | 15 | 56128 | HUETTER Cornelia | 1992 | AUT | 1:27.61 | +2.66 | 39.14 | ||
33 | 32 | 56258 | AGER Christina | 1995 | AUT | 1:27.68 | +2.73 | 40.17 | ||
34 | 44 | 538305 | SMITH Leanne | 1987 | USA | 1:27.75 | +2.80 | 41.20 | ||
35 | 20 | 55576 | GOERGL Elisabeth | 1981 | AUT | 1:27.81 | +2.86 | 42.08 | ||
36 | 18 | 297910 | CURTONI Elena | 1991 | ITA | 1:27.93 | +2.98 | 43.85 | ||
37 | 50 | 197615 | BESSY Anouk | 1995 | FRA | 1:27.95 | +3.00 | 44.14 | ||
38 | 41 | 56224 | MAIER Sabrina | 1994 | AUT | 1:28.21 | +3.26 | 47.97 | ||
39 | 43 | 299402 | GASSLITTER Verena | 1996 | ITA | 1:28.26 | +3.31 | 48.71 | ||
40 | 40 | 56328 | ORTLIEB Nina | 1996 | AUT | 1:28.48 | +3.53 | 51.94 | ||
41 | 48 | 197383 | GAUTHIER Tiffany | 1993 | FRA | 1:28.61 | +3.66 | 53.86 | ||
42 | 14 | 196968 | BAILET Margot | 1990 | FRA | 1:28.66 | +3.71 | 54.59 | ||
43 | 35 | 196812 | PELLISSIER Marion | 1988 | FRA | 1:28.84 | +3.89 | 57.24 | ||
44 | 46 | 206520 | DORSCH Patrizia | 1994 | GER | 1:28.92 | +3.97 | 58.42 | ||
45 | 52 | 516219 | NUFER Priska | 1992 | SUI | 1:29.06 | +4.11 | 60.48 | ||
46 | 23 | 515997 | FEIERABEND Denise | 1989 | SUI | 1:29.24 | +4.29 | 63.13 | ||
47 | 58 | 107387 | CRAWFORD Candace | 1994 | CAN | 1:29.66 | +4.71 | 69.31 | ||
48 | 55 | 107697 | FLECKENSTEIN Stefanie | 1997 | CAN | 1:30.95 | +6.00 | 88.29 | ||
49 | 57 | 415213 | WILLINGER Georgia | 1997 | NZL | 1:32.70 | +7.75 | 114.04 | ||
Did not start 1st run | ||||||||||
56 | 107532 | TOMMY Mikaela | 1995 | CAN | ||||||
49 | 155563 | KRIZOVA Klara | 1989 | CZE | ||||||
Did not finish 1st run | ||||||||||
54 | 539457 | MARNO Anna | 1992 | USA | ||||||
53 | 197665 | LARROUY Noemie | 1995 | FRA | ||||||
51 | 197641 | GAUCHE Laura | 1995 | FRA | ||||||
47 | 375018 | COLETTI Alexandra | 1983 | MON | ||||||
26 | 297702 | MARSAGLIA Francesca | 1990 | ITA | ||||||
17 | 515766 | SUTER Fabienne | 1985 | SUI | ||||||
8 | 56087 | SIEBENHOFER Ramona | 1991 | AUT |