ALPINE SKI WORLD CUP. ZAUCHENSEE, Austria – It was a day of double takes in the women’s World Cup super G in Zauchensee on Sunday. After a number shake ups and near victories, it was Lara Gut who walked onto the top step, her first victory in more than two years (and second ever on the World Cup) after missing all of last season to recover from a hip injury.

First placed Switzerland's Lara Gut speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup super-G in Altenmark-Zauchensee, Austria, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Gut won with a finish time of 1 minute, 12.82 seconds, 0.53 seconds ahead of Lindsey Vonn, and 0.72 ahead of her teammate Dominique Gisin. A few weeks ago, Gut earned the first podium of her comeback season with a third place in the Val d’Isere downhill, but winning on Sunday, she said, brings things to a whole new level.

“I’m just really happy,” said the 18-year-old Swiss skier. “I won two years ago and then it was over. After my crash and my injuries … I was on the podium in Val d’Isere, but it’s something other when you’re on the podium or when you win. I came into the finish and saw my name green. I said ‘yes!’”

First placed Switzerland's Lara Gut celebrates at the end of an alpine ski, women's World Cup super-G in Altenmark-Zauchensee, Austria, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

The day began with Britt Janyk (who ended up ninth) in the lead and then Elena Fanchini (seventh). The trickiness of the course set soon became evident with racers going wide and dropping speed around the ‘S’ turns and then local favorite Anna Fenninger was charging down with lead interval times but was carrying too much speed and crashed into the nets. Wearing bib No. 15, Gisin fired down the course and for a moment after crossing the finish line, appeared frustrated with her run until she looked at the results and saw her name on top. One, two, three times her head turned back to the board and she started laughing in disbelief.

“I was like, OK, check the board, it’s not possible, check it again, it’s not possible check it again, I don’t know … maybe. I was all over the place. I did so many mistakes, but I guess if you’re fast, you do mistakes,” Gisin said, smiling big. “I’m just happy I was able to let myself go today and take risks. I’m on a good path – our whole team was great today, La was so strong. It was really tricky – you always took speed into every gate, then there was another edge. I’m just so happy about this run.”

First placed Switzerland's Lara Gut, left, and third placed compatriot Dominique Gisin celebrate on the podium at the end of an alpine ski, women's World Cup super-G in Altenmark-Zauchensee, Austria, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Right after Gisin, her teammate Fabienne Suter was throwing down a speedy run, leading the first two intervals but then missed a gate. The other Austrian favorite in the race, Andrea Fischbacher, met exactly the same fate as Fenninger in the very same place, Maria Riesch had a shaky run going wide on several gates but ended up sixth and then it was Vonn’s turn.

Vonn led her run at every split and then went wide on the same left-footer where she made a mistake during her winning run in Saturday’s downhill. She crossed the finish line 0.19 seconds ahead of Gisin and it looked as if she would have a healthy double stack of victories for the weekend.

Second placed Lindsey Vonn, of the U.S., speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup super-G in Altenmark-Zauchensee, Austria, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

“I made a big mistake today – in the same place as yesterday. I’m still happy with second, there’s just a little bit of disappointment,” Vonn said. “When I crossed the finish line I was surprised I was leading. I knew Lara would be dangerous as well as Niki Hosp. I wasn’t sure I’d even be on the podium today.”

Second placed Lindsey Vonn, of the U.S., smiles at the end of an alpine ski, women's World Cup super-G in Altenmark-Zauchensee, Austria, Sunday, Jan 9, 2011. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Following Vonn, Elisabeth Goergl blazed down the course to eventually end up fourth (0.91 seconds off the winning time) and Anja Paerson became one of the 12 racers on the DNF list when she missed a gate coming into the forest section of the course.

Then it was Gut’s time to shine and she laid down a trail of fire from start to finish, leading at every split.

“It was fun today,” Gut said. “I had bib No. 24 and I saw where everyone did mistakes. In inspection I was thinking, OK, I have to be careful and ski well. I will try to give my best to ski as straight down as possible, and I did. It wasn’t a perfect run. On this slope, you just have to ski and make less mistakes than the other girls. In the finish I saw Niki Hosp skiing down much fatster than me, then she did a big mistake. I think I was also a little lucky today.”

First placed Switzerland's Lara Gut celebrates at the end of an alpine ski, women's World Cup super-G in Altenmark-Zauchensee, Austria, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Hundreds of screaming heads came to life and fixed their eyes on the result board when Austrian Niki Hosp, who also missed all of last season due to injury and was back on the podium in the Val d’Isere super-combined, came down the course wearing bib No. 31, gathering speed the whole way. At one point, her time was nearly a half second ahead of Gut’s. But on the last set of turns before the finish jump, she went wide and dropped a lot of speed. She ended up fifth, and was joyful with this result until she later learned that she could have easily won the race.

“I didn’t know about the lead,” Hosp said. “I got on the start and I knew I had to risk a little bit and it worked really well until the last part. I was risking a little too much, it was a little bumpy and I lost the line. But I’m just happy about this race today because I know I can ski with the best girls and beat them.”

Check back to fisalpine.com for video with Gut, Vonn, Gisin and Hosp.

By Shauna Farnell
FISalpine.com
Sunday 9 January 2011

From left second placed Lindsey Vonn, of the U.S., first placed Switzerland's Lara Gut and third placed compatriot Dominique Gisin celebrate on the podium at the end of an alpine ski, women's World Cup super-G in Altenmark-Zauchensee, Austria, Sunday, Jan 9, 2011. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)