Weirather Fights for Victory in Crans Montana Super-G

By Published On: March 3rd, 2018Comments Off on Weirather Fights for Victory in Crans Montana Super-G

Just one week after the Closing Ceremony at Pyeongchang, the women of the FIS Alpine World Cup Tour returned to competition in Crans Montana, Switzerland. While a few major players like Lindsey Vonn of the U.S. and Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany opted to skip the series in favor of more time to recover from the jet lag and excitement of the Olympic Games, the rest of the field charged full bore down the Mont Lachaux course.

Wearing bib 7 in the super-G, Liechtenstein’s Tina Weirather led the pack with a final time of 1:02.17. The Olympic super-G bronze medalist raced on the track just five days prior in a Europa Cup race and clearly used the experience to her advantage.

“It was for sure good, especially for my head just because I had troubles here in the last few years…” she said of the Europa Cup. “So I just wanted to do this as another training to inspect and then race and see where I was wrong, so that made it maybe a little bit easier today to know how fast I’m going to be.”

This victory comes at a critical time in the season where the women are collecting their final World Cup points in hopes of winning end-of-season globes. This win gives Weirather a significant lead in the super-G standings over Switzerland’s Lara Gut, who was seventh on the day. Weirather boasts 421 points while Gut sits in second with 375 points. The Liechtensteiner won the title last season and is looking to walk away from Are, Sweden, with her second super-G globe.

“It’s great because Crans Montana is really difficult and after the Olympics, I was struggling a little bit because it was such a highlight that I trained for for so long and I never thought about what’s going to be after it,” Weirather said. “So, I felt kind of empty and like ‘What? It’s over?’ Then, I got really sick and I was in bed for a couple days and now I am really happy I was able to focus again on my next goal, which is the crystal globe.”

Anna Veith, Tina Weirather and Wendy Holdener celebrate in Crans Montana. // Image Credit: GEPA / Mario Buehner

Anna Veith of Austria made a jump to third in the super-G standings with her second-place finish on Saturday. Weirather bested the Austrian by 0.36 seconds. With 307 total World Cup points in super-G and just one super-G race left this season at World Cup Finals, there is no chance for her to claim the discipline globe this season. Instead of focusing on a crystal globe in the next couple weeks, she has her sites set squarely on improving her start position in GS.

“For me, next week is very important because my goal for next season is in GS…that I can start in top 30, and I need points for that because I’m not in top 30 yet, so my goal for the next two weeks is to make that,” Veith said.

The big surprise of the day was Wendy Holdener of Switzerland, who skied from bib 31 to third place. Her stellar performance marked her first World Cup podium in this discipline. In fact, until Saturday, her best super-G result was 19th in the St. Moritz super-G back in December of this season.

“My plan for today was to give everything and search my limit for tomorrow to have a plan and to know how much I can risk,” Holdener shared. “Now that it ended this way, I nearly couldn’t believe it in the finish. It was crazy.”

Her super-G run makes her a favorite to win Sunday’s alpine combined–the discipline that she earned her Olympic bronze medal in.

Wendy Holdener of Switzerland charges to her first World Cup super-G podium result. // Image credit: GEPA

Her teammate and Olympic alpine combined gold medalist Michelle Gisin will also be one to watch in Sunday’s race. She tied with Federica Brignone of Italy for fourth in the super-G, just 0.13 seconds off the podium. Brignone has a history of strong performances at Crans Montana, earning a first- and second-place finish in the 2017 alpine combined races there.

While the Swiss rose to the occasion on home snow, the Americans had a tough day with only one athlete in the top 30. Alice McKennis finished in 23rd, 1.24 seconds off of the winning pace. Breezy Johnson, Laurenne Ross and Alice Merryweather finished in 34th, 45th and 50th, respectively.

With seven World Cup races left in the season, American superstar Mikaela Shiffrin, who decided to skip the Swiss series, has a comfortable 611 point lead in the overall standings. Holdener currently sits in second with 902 points and Weirather sits in third with 797 points. Based on the rest of the competition schedule, it’s highly unlikely anyone will stop Shiffrin from defending her overall globe.

Action continues with the women’s alpine combined in March 4.


Top 10

1. Tina Weirather (LIE) – Head / Head / Head
2. Anna Veith (AUT) – Head / Head / Head
3. Wendy Holdener (SUI) – Head / Head / Head
4. Federica Brignone (ITA) – Rossignol / Look / Rossignol
4. Michelle Gisin (SUI) – Rossignol / Look / Rossignol
6. Christine Scheyer (AUT) –  Head / Head / Head
7. Lara Gut (SUI) – Head / Head / Head
8. Stephanie Brunner (AUT) – Head / Head / Head
9. Joana Haehlen (SUI) – Voelkl / Marker /Lange
10. Johanna Schnarf (ITA) – Fischer / Fischer / Fischer


Official Results

Rank Bib FIS Code Name Year Nation Total Time Diff. FIS Points WC Points
 1  7  355050 WEIRATHER Tina 1989 LIE  1:02.17  0.00  100
 2  3  55947 VEITH Anna 1989 AUT  1:02.53  +0.36  6.25  80
 3  31  516280 HOLDENER Wendy 1993 SUI  1:02.55  +0.38  6.60  60
 4  13  297601 BRIGNONE Federica 1990 ITA  1:02.68  +0.51  8.86  50
 4  11  516284 GISIN Michelle 1993 SUI  1:02.68  +0.51  8.86  50
 6  28  56198 SCHEYER Christine 1994 AUT  1:02.74  +0.57  9.90  40
 7  5  516138 GUT Lara 1991 SUI  1:02.76  +0.59  10.25  36
 8  23  56217 BRUNNER Stephanie 1994 AUT  1:02.85  +0.68  11.81  32
 9  4  516185 HAEHLEN Joana 1992 SUI  1:02.94  +0.77  13.38  29
 10  9  296427 SCHNARF Johanna 1984 ITA  1:02.98  +0.81  14.07  26
 11  17  425929 MOWINCKEL Ragnhild 1992 NOR  1:03.03  +0.86  14.94  24
 12  19  56128 HUETTER Cornelia 1992 AUT  1:03.04  +0.87  15.11  22
 13  25  516219 NUFER Priska 1992 SUI  1:03.08  +0.91  15.81  20
 14  47  206520 DORSCH Patrizia 1994 GER  1:03.10  +0.93  16.16  18
 15  15  298323 GOGGIA Sofia 1992 ITA  1:03.12  +0.95  16.50  16
 16  37  299276 BASSINO Marta 1996 ITA  1:03.13  +0.96  16.68  15
 17  46  206668 WEIDLE Kira 1996 GER  1:03.15  +0.98  17.02  14
 18  36  206460 WENIG Michaela 1992 GER  1:03.20  +1.03  17.89  13
 19  41  206652 PFISTER Meike 1996 GER  1:03.23  +1.06  18.41  12
 20  1  55970 SCHMIDHOFER Nicole 1989 AUT  1:03.24  +1.07  18.59  11
 21  35  426257 LIE Kajsa Vickhoff 1998 NOR  1:03.28  +1.11  19.28  10
 22  29  299466 DELAGO Nicol 1996 ITA  1:03.35  +1.18  20.50  9
 23  22  538685 MCKENNIS Alice 1989 USA  1:03.41  +1.24  21.54  8
 24  33  56417 FEST Nadine 1998 AUT  1:03.42  +1.25  21.71  7
 24  20  516248 FLURY Jasmine 1993 SUI  1:03.42  +1.25  21.71  7
 26  18  56088 TIPPLER Tamara 1991 AUT  1:03.46  +1.29  22.41  5
 27  27  197641 GAUCHE Laura 1995 FRA  1:03.47  +1.30  22.58  4
 28  12  56177 VENIER Stephanie 1993 AUT  1:03.53  +1.36  23.63  3
 29  8  56174 HAASER Ricarda 1993 AUT  1:03.56  +1.39  24.15  2
 30  30  197497 MIRADOLI Romane 1994 FRA  1:03.66  +1.49  25.88  1
 31  44  435334 GASIENICA-DANIEL Maryna 1994 POL  1:03.67  +1.50  26.06  0
 32  10  296729 FANCHINI Nadia 1986 ITA  1:03.78  +1.61  27.97  0
 33  2  197383 GAUTHIER Tiffany 1993 FRA  1:03.87  +1.70  29.53  0
 34  26  6535455 JOHNSON Breezy 1996 USA  1:03.89  +1.72  29.88  0
 35  21  297195 HOFER Anna 1988 ITA  1:03.96  +1.79  31.10  0
 35  14  516319 SUTER Corinne 1994 SUI  1:03.96  +1.79  31.10  0
 37  24  197295 PIOT Jennifer 1992 FRA  1:04.00  +1.83  31.79  0
 38  49  298767 SOSIO Federica 1994 ITA  1:04.09  +1.92  33.35  0
 39  34  506701 HOERNBLAD Lisa 1996 SWE  1:04.12  +1.95  33.87  0
 40  32  705423 VLHOVA Petra 1995 SVK  1:04.15  +1.98  34.40  0
 41  6  56087 SIEBENHOFER Ramona 1991 AUT  1:04.18  +2.01  34.92  0
 42  42  565320 FERK Marusa 1988 SLO  1:04.19  +2.02  35.09  0
 43  39  515997 FEIERABEND Denise 1989 SUI  1:04.37  +2.20  38.22  0
 44  45  197861 PASLIER Esther 1997 FRA  1:04.49  +2.32  40.30  0
 45  16  538573 ROSS Laurenne 1988 USA  1:04.64  +2.47  42.91  0
 46  53  565401 BUCIK Ana 1993 SLO  1:04.78  +2.61  45.34  0
 47  54  225572 BROWN Cara 1994 GBR  1:04.95  +2.78  48.29  0
 48  55  35089 SIMARI BIRKNER Macarena 1984 ARG  1:05.49  +3.32  57.67  0
 49  50  315187 IGNJATOVIC Nevena 1990 SRB  1:05.50  +3.33  57.85  0
 50  40  6535600 MERRYWEATHER Alice 1996 USA  1:05.55  +3.38  58.72  0
 51  48  296431 STUFFER Verena 1984 ITA  1:54.02  +51.85  900.72  0
Did not finish 1st run
 52  506718 IVARSSON Lin 1996 SWE  0
 51  155699 PAULATHOVA Katerina 1993 CZE  0
 43  516429 GROEBLI Nathalie 1996 SUI  0
 38  375018 COLETTI Alexandra 1983 MON  0

Share This Article

About the Author: Gabbi Hall

A California native, Gabbi moved to Vermont to ski on the NCAA circuit for St. Michael’s College, where she served as team captain and studied journalism. Before joining Ski Racing, she worked as a broadcast TV producer and social media manager in higher education. She can be reached via email at gabbi@skiracing.com