ALPINE SKI WORLD CUP. SEMMERING, Austria – In front of a home crowd of 14,000 people, Marlies Schild claimed her third victory of the season Wednesday evening, winning the World Cup slalom in Semmering.

Austria's Marlies Schild speeds down the course during the first run of an alpine ski World Cup women's slalom race, in Semmering, Austria, Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2010. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Creating a large cushion in the first run with a 1.20-second lead, it looked as if the Austrian might completely run away with the race as she did last week in Courchevel, France, where she won by almost two seconds. Perhaps the most amazing performance of the day, however, was that of Maria Riesch, who almost skied off-course in the first run, nearly missing a gate right before the finish line and was 2.40 seconds out going into the second run. Under the lights, starting 14th after Sweden’s Frida Hansdotter stood in the leader’s box for nearly half the race, Riesch put down the run of her life, crossing the finish line more than two seconds ahead of Hansdotter and held on until only Schild could upstage her … by 0.32 seconds.

Second placed Germany's Maria Riesch speeds down the course during an alpine ski World Cup women's slalom race, in Semmering, Austria, Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2010. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Also charging for the race of her life, Riesch’s teammate, 20-year-old Christina Geiger, claimed the first podium of her World Cup career, finishing third, 0.52 seconds off the winning pace.

Schild knew she had a solid lead as she waited at the top of the course in the second run, but realized she wouldn’t have much breathing room in order to beat Riesch.

“It was good today to have this great advantage, but it’s not so easy,” Schild said. “I knew at the start that Maria was still leading. I had over two seconds and then I thought, ‘OK, what should I do?’ I tried to ski like I do always but I didn’t get the rhythm then I caught a stone with my edge and made some mistakes. I just tried to come to the finish and I think I’m lucky.”

Riesch said she was angry making the mistake at the very end of her first run – set by her coach, no less – but also felt lucky to cross the finish line and have a chance to gun it in the second run, which she certainly did, laying one down almost a second faster than anyone else. With two second places in two days in Semmering, Riesch increases her lead in the World Cup overall standings to 738 points over Lindsey Vonn’s 617. Vonn finished her day early Wednesday, losing her rhythm and crashing in the first run.

“It was great days for me, being on the podium twice in Semmering makes me really happy,” Riesch said. “It’s important when you want to go for the overall podium that you’re consistent. Sometimes some mistakes are happening like the first run in the slalom, but still, with this end result, I’m really, really happy.”

Geiger, a slalom specialist who previously had two eighth places a ninth and a 10th as her top Cup results, was thrilled about her first podium and said her goal for the season is to ski for the German team at the world championships this February in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

After Schild ran away with the first run, the second proved exciting as a sea of people lined the brightly lit night course in Semmering. Taking advantage of her coach’s course set, Handsdotter, who finished 30th in the first run, ended up 11th. Tanja Poutiainen, third after the first run, ended up fourth, followed by Therese Borssen and France’s Nastasia Noens as Austrians Michaela Kirchgasser and Kathrin Zettel had the crowd roaring and tied for seventh. Veronika Zuzulova was ninth and Sarka Zahrobska 10th.

Susanne Riesch, who made the same mistake as her sister but reeled it in to finish the first run in fourth place, had another big mistake in the second run and ended up 15th.

Other noteworthy performances included Lichtenstein’s sole representative Marina Nigg, who skied from bib No. 53 to 14th place, Canada’s Erin Mielzynski and Eve Routhier, who started 50th and 42nd and skied to 20th and 23rd, respectively, and Italy’s Sabrina Fanchini, who wore bib No. 69 and finished 26th. Starting 32nd, American Sarah Schleper was ninth after the first run and was leading Riesch’s time in the second when she straddled a gate at the halfway point and had to hike back to it to finish the race.

by Shauna Farnell
FISalpine.com
Wednesday 29 December 2010

From left, second placed Germany's Maria Riesch, first placed Austria's Marlies Schild and third placed Germany's Christina Geiger celebrate at the end of an alpine ski World Cup women's slalom race, in Semmering, Austria, Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2010. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)