ALPINE SKI. Slovenia's Tina Maze achieved an impressive career highlight today at St. Anton winning the Super-G race here after an aggressive run down the treacherous ‘Karl Schranz’ course. Her sixth race win of the season, in one minute 16.55 seconds, completed the set for Maze, who has now entered an exclusive group of ski legends having excelled in all alpine disciplines.
 
The 29-year-old Maze, who looks almost certain to clinch the Overall World Cup in March given her enormous lead over her rivals, joined Lindsey Vonn, Janica Kostelic, Anja Paerson, Pernilla Wiberg and Petra Kronberger among the top women skiers crowned in every alpine discipline in modern ski racing.
 
It was, though, a close call for the 2011 giant slalom World Champion as she beat local favourite Anna Fenninger by 4/100 of a second on the tough run, while Switzerland’s Fabienne Suter came in 3rd at 19/100 – a mere one hundredth ahead of USA’s Lindsey Vonn.
 
Germany’s Maria Hoefl-Riesch came in 5th in front of California’s Julia Mancuso while the reigning World Champion Elisabeth Goergl, who didn’t feel strong enough for Saturday’s downhill, ended a far 14th.
 
Fenninger, the winner of a giant slalom in Semmering a week ago and third in Saturday's downhill, will be Austria's best hope at home in the World Championships in Schladming next month.
 
A strong lead for Maze.
 
In the Overall standings, Maze leads now with a total of 1,289 points – 545 more than Hoefl-Riesch. Defending World Cup champion Lindsey Vonn is still 5th – 785 points behind the Slovenian phenomenon.
 
The 29-year-old Maze, who had earned eight podium places in Super-G before Sunday, was particularly moved by her 17th career win on the World Cup tour. "It was a big dream, I'd been thinking about winning in all five disciplines for a long time,” she explained after the race. “I knew I had a good chance here and I gave it my all because I knew it was really a chance not to be missed," she also told reporters.
 
"It's a great reward for me and a wonderful achievement for my group. For a such a small team of five peoples to achieve what we're doing this season is simply extraordinary. I'm over the moon," Maze added.

 “Now I’m looking forward for the next races at Cortina d’Ampezzo. I would be happy to also get onto the podium in downhill this season. Yet I want to keep on moving on a race-per-race program to remain fully focused and motivated. I don’t want to think about my chances to capture the crystal globe now. It has always been a huge goal for me, yet it’s still far ahead for me. At there are also some important races for me at Schladming in a few weeks,” also commented Tina, in the lead in the Overall standings since her win at Soelden.

Interestignly enough, only a limited amount of champions managed to collect the big globe after having won the first race of the season.
 
Fenninger was going for it too!
 
Anna Fenninger may well be one of her toughest rivals at Schladming where she can aim for medals in all four events she plans now to enter. The reigning combined World Champion came very close to celebrate her maiden win in a speed event.

"It's disappointing to lose this race by a few hundredths after such an excellent run, but at the same time it was my goal to be entered in four disciplines in Schladming," said the young Austrian, who won the last giant slalom at Semmering a few weeks ago.
 
Four-times World Cup champion Lindsey Vonn, who was joint sixth on Saturday after taking a self-imposed three-week break, finished exactly a second behind Maze. "It's a shame to miss the podium by a mere one hundredth, but I knew it would be difficult to get onto the podium here after taking a break in the middle of the season," said the American.

“I surely enjoyed coming back here and feeling again the adrenaline prior the competitions. It surely was nice to be again at home for Christmas that has not been the case in the past ten years, but now I’m fully back and ready to fully charge again.”

"I hope now to be back to my best in Cortina d'Ampezzo next week. As for Tina, well she's just running away with the Cup, isn't she?"
 
Lindsey plans to travel to nearby Flachau, where the next night slalom is scheduled on Tuesday night, yet she will make a last minute decision about entering the race there. She has not race in slalom at all this season except at St. Moritz where he raced a few gates in the combined slalom.

A.I.J.S.
January 13, 2013