Marlies Schild takes second slalom win in a row

Manuèle Lang 27.11.2006 09:13 Uhr

Marlies Schild steamed to her second slalom victory in a row on Sunday to maintain Austria's early-season command of the women's World Cup. On Saturday her team-mate Kathrin Zettel clinched the giant slalom in which she skied out in the morning nearby the finish line.

Schild, winner of the opening race in Levi, dominated again both runs set on the Lower Ruthies course, skiing 80/100 of a second quicker than second-placed compatriot Nicole Hosp – the same margin than in Finland!

Hosp, 4th on Saturday, leads now the Overall World Cup standings which represent her main goal this season. She scored 210 points, 5 points more than Zettel. Schild is 3rd with 200 points. The Austrian claimed 7 out of 9 podium finishes since the start of the season.

Sweden’s Therese Borssen was 3rd, pushing Olympic champion and fellow Swede Anja Paerson off the podium in fourth place by 5/100. Paerson was only 12th in Finland and skied off the course in Saturday’s giant slalom.

Zettel had to be happy this time with 5th place ahead of Ana Jelusic, the last Croatian able to score top-10 places in the absence of Janica Kostelic and Nika Fleiss, severely injured at a knee last week after hurting an Austrian coach while training.

Austrian women have won all three World Cup races so far this season - and they certainly aim for more in the coming weeks – as long as it will be possible for US ski areas to host more World Cup races. The competitions planned in two weeks in St Moritz, Switzerland, have been cancelled due to warm weather conditions and it’s not sure yet which areas may host future races after the Canadian stop at Lake Louise this week.

Tanja Poutiainen, a winner in that event two years ago and 2nd on Saturday, had to be content with a more modest 9th place.

9th win for Schild
Schild ninth World Cup triumph is no real surprise after her demonstration in Finland. Four years ago, she obtained her first World Cup podium on the same course finishing 3rd behind Paerson and Kostelic. In reality, the Austrian didn’t feel as comfortable as usual coming down the slope after her DNF on Saturday.

“I was really nervous because of yesterday," said Schild, who unexpectedly lost precious points when she failed to finish the giant slalom. Her boyfriend Benjamin Raich leads the men's Overall standings. “The second run was really a big fight,” the 25-year-old told reporters after the race. “I had a hard time finding my best rhythm, I felt slow and I didn’t feel so sure at the end.”

With her eight slalom victory, Schild joins Roswitha Steiner as the most successful Austrian slalom specialist. Last winter, she won three successive slaloms but lost the World Cup title in the discipline by Croatia's overall champion Janica Kostelic after injuring herself at her back in Hafvell, Norway, two weeks before the Finals in Are, Sweden.

So far, Schild didn’t manage to capture a gold medal or a Crystal Cup, but it should be possible this year. The athlete from the Salzburg region also aims for a top position in the Overall standings and plans to enter more speed events than in the past.

Paerson moved up
She will need to keep her level of excellence throughout the season to stay ahead of Paerson who raised her level in that competition. Paerson, Kostelic's big rival last season, put a brave face on a weekend that left her still searching for a podium after three races.

“Considering where I am coming from I should be more than happy with this 4th place here,” the skier from Taernaby said. “I know I can ski much better than this but it will take some time. I was 12th in Levi and already 4th fourth here. It's taking time but I know I'm on the right track," added the Swede, who underwent surgery on her left knee in March and failed to finish Saturday's giant.

She was again not the best Swede – finishing mere 5/100 of a second behind Therese Borssen, a promising 22-year-old champion who got her second of her career. She came 3rd in a slalom in Maribor, Slovenia, last January.

Another Swede, Maria Pietilae-Holmner came close to the duo in 12th position helping her team to consolidate its second place in the women’s Nations Cup. “It’s great to see how strong our group is right now, it will help me in Are in February and surely attract nice crowds for the races,” Paerson also said. “I really enjoy being part of such a powerful group.”

The women's circuit now moves to Lake Louise in Canada for two downhills and a Super-G. The rest of the World Cup calendar is still up in the air since the cancellation of the competitions planned in St Moritz, Switzerland. The FIS Officials study various possibilities including coming back to Colorado for a couple of Super-combined for women and men organized either in Aspen or Beaver Creek. A final decision is expected to be announced next Wednesday.

M.L.