Another great comeback for Italy’s Denise Karbon

Manuèle Lang 27.10.2007 19:17 Uhr

SOELDEN, Austria - Italy's Denise Karbon celebrated a wonderful comeback today in Soelden in winning the opening race of the 2007/08 Alpine Skiing World Cup season.

The 27-year-old Karbon, 2nd after the morning's first run, beat by 33/100 of a second US Olympic champion Julia Mancuso while Austria’s Kathrin Zettel came in 3rd at half a second.

Finland’s Tanja Poutiainen, the leader after the first run, had to be content with frustrating 4th place after a disastrous 2nd run. It’s the second time that the Finn fails to win that race after leading the first run.

Other favorites also struggled in the final leg as Nicole Hosp, only 12th after being the 3rd fastest in the morning.

Hosp is the defending Overall World Cup champion as the gold medallist in that specialty. She celebrated her very first Wold Cup victory here four years ago.

Two French athletes achieved surprising performances with Tessa Worley ending in 5th place and Ingrid Jacquemod in 6th. It’s the first time that the 22-year-old Worley who competed in her 4th World Cup race, reached the top-10.

They came ahead of Sweden’s Anja Paerson, 7th despites a very disappointing first run in which she only clocked the 19th time. Paeson won that race three years ago but she has not been so dominant in the technical events last season after undergoing knee surgery in March 2006.

2nd win for Karbon
Karbon, who suffered a series of injuries in recent winters, only clinched her second World Cup victory of her career. Four years ago, she showed her class in Alta Badia where she crushed all her rivals on the treacherous “Gran Risa” course normally only used by the men. The tiny Fischer racer was particularly moved on the podium while listing to the nice Italian hymn.

"It's definitely a very emotional victory as it has been so long since my first win," said Karbon whose career has been blighted by torn ligaments in both knees as well as injuries at her left foot and right arm.

"I was injured again in the spring so this is a huge surprise. I had been hoping for a good result because I trained well this summer, I but never dreamed of reaching the podium -- let alone winning the first race of the season. It’s truly a challenging course. The second run was very tricky, you had to be very quick on your edges."

“It’s exciting to wear the red leader bib, it’s my first time and I hope to keep it for a while.”

Mancuso, who underwent surgery on a niggling hip injury during the off-season last year, mounted an impressive comeback of her own on Saturday.

Starting the second leg in 12th place, the American soared into second as the race's early leaders struggled on an increasingly difficult course. "The first run was a great wake-up call," said a grinning Mancuso who has not won a World Cup giant slalom yet.

The skier from Squaw Valley has finished 2nd in giant slalom only once before on the circuit, when she was runner-up to another Italian, Karen Putzer, in Cortina d'Ampezzo last season.

"I didn't ski that well on the line and I was focusing more on being fast than on my technique so to reach the podium is a big and nice surprise. I really enjoy it because I trained hard and well this summer and it’s exciting to have such a strong start here."

Mancuso, 3rd the 2007 Overall World Cup standings, won four races last year in downhill, Super-G and Super-combined. She is the first US skier to reach the podium here in the women’s competition.

Zettel strong 3rd
Kathrin Zettel, a two-time winner in giant slalom last winter, helped the normally dominant home team to avoid the embarrassment of an Austrian-free podium. In another impressive comeback from injury, The gifted Zettel posted the fastest time of the second run to leap from 24th place to 3rd 19/100 of a second behind Mancuso.

It was Zettel's first race since she broke her leg during the downhill section of a combined race in March at Tarvisio, Italy. “This was certainly my most exciting podium finish ever, it’s a huge surprise,” she explained. “I was able to train well since last July, so I feel pretty good now but not ready for such a result.”

It was a disappointing day for the rest of the sport's big names with last year's overall champion Nicole Hosp finishing 12th. Her Austrian team mate and biggest rival Marlies Schild had to settle for 19th.

USA’s Lindsey Kildow-Vonn, more a speed specialist, achieved one of her best performances in giant slalom in coming in 13th after clocking the 20th time in the first leg. The skier from Park City who got married to her long-time friend Thomas Vonn last summer, also injured herself at her knee left last winter during the Are FIS Wold Championships.

The next women’s competition is planned in two weeks in Levi, Finland – yet lack of snow are threatening the competition for the moment.