ALPINE SKI WORLD CUP. After a thrilling battle with the course conditions and a group of determined Austrians, Ivica Kostelic celebrated his first season victory in a ‘Classic’ World Cup race at Adelboden beating three very determined Austrians after two impressive runs. The Croatian slalom artist finished 26/100 of a second ahead of Marcel Hirscher, the winner at Val d’Isère, while Reinfried Herbst came in 3rd at 1,29 seconds.

Croatia's Ivica Kostelic slaloms past a pole on his way to win an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

Austria's Marcel Hirscher speeds down the course during the first run of an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

Two-time slalom World Champion Mario Matt achieved a strong comeback at the top with his 4th place after starting the first run in 43rd position! Canada’s Michael Janyk finally scored his first points this season with his promising 5th place ahead of Germany Felix Neureuther. Andre Myhrer, the super winner at Zagreb on Thursday was a distant 16th this time.

Austria's Mario Matt slaloms past a pole on his way to take fourth place in an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

Switzerland’s Silvan Zurbriggen didn’t manage to improve his slalom form after his disappointing show at Zagreb last week and had to be content with a more modest 10th place.

Croatia's Ivica Kostelic celebrates on podium after winning an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

Kostelic, 3rd at Levi, in Finland, and 2nd in Zagreb, took over the lead in both the slalom and the overall standings prior the next key races at nearby Wengen, where, weather permitting, a Super-combined, a downhill and a slalom are planned during the weekend.

First world Cup points for Ivica in December 2000

Ten years ago, a young little-known Croatian racer scored his first World Cup points at Sestrière, finishing 21st in the night slalom won by Norway’s Olympic champion Hans Petter Buraas. He added a few more points in two other races at Wengen and Schladming and ended the overall World Cup standings in 107th position, far from the winner Hermann Maier.

Yet that season was a huge success for him – and not only because his sister Janica, coming back from a gruelling knee injury sustained in a terrible crash at St. Moritz the previous season, managed to beat all the established favorites to clinch her first overall title.

In November 1999, the skier from Zagreb had suffered a bad crash in a Super-G at Beaver Creek, Colorado, severely damaging his knee. He needed much time to find back his form afterwards. A month later, it was the turn of Janica to hurt herself at St. Moritz after winning her first slaloms at Serre Chevalier and Sestriere - so both were happy to achieve such a promising comeback in 2001.

The following winters were marked by tough moments for both and incredible highlights achieved by the siblings including their first gold medal win in slalom at St. Moritz in 2003 and victories on the same day in January 2003 – Janica at Bormio and Ivica at Kranjska Gora! Then Janica stepped down in 2006 after clinching another Olympic title at Sestriere and her third overall crystal globe., so all the interest of their sports fanatic country moved to her older brother.

Ivica’s main goal

Since ever, Ivica’s main goal has been to become an complete skier able to excel in all specialities, yet his knee injuries at the beginning of his career forced him to focus on slalom when he returned on the tour. He set an impressive record at his first victory at Aspen in November 2001, a few days after his 22nd birthday, as he has started the first run with bib 64!

Later on in March, he captured the slalom World Cup title after a fierce battle against Bode Miller – after Janica’s amazing Olympic hat-trick at Salt Lake City.

After a series of up-and-down-seasons and three encouraging Olympic silver medals in 2006 and 2010 in combined and slalom, Ivica is finally where he has dreamed for year to be at that period of the season – in the ‘hot seat’ as leader of the overall World Cup standings. His latest impressive triumph at Adelboden – his 13th on the World Cup tour – propelled him in the lead with a total of 504 points – 71 more than Saturday’s giant slalom winner Aksel Lund Svindal from Norway, and 84 more than Switzerland’s Silvan Zurbriggen.

The season is still long

Except a series of amazing performances in the coming weeks by Austria’s veteran Benjamin Raich or Switzerland’s defending overall champion Carlo Janka, who did well in Saturday’s first giant slalom run, the final winner in March should belong to this group of three outstanding skiers.

“The season is still long and a lot of things can still happen but for sure it’s better to be in my position now than behind with a delay of hundred or two hundred points,” he told the press with a grin. “I’ll do my best to defend my chances in the coming months but without losing my main focus which is to ski each time as well and intensively as possible,” Ivica also explained at the press conference.

“I feel strong and in charge for the moment, my recent win at Munich gave me much momentum and I’m having a lot of fun right now,” added the Croat who spent more time last summer with diving and relaxing on the Adriatic coast than training in the gym or on snow. In past years, he was very tense which often created aching health problems such as strong back pains. In February 2009, he could not compete at the FIS Worlds at Val d’Isère because of his bad back!

“I enjoy competing on traditional slopes as this one here at Adelboden where so many spectators who really appreciate ski racing are encouraging all the racers,” Kostelic also said. “I was lucky to wear bib number one this morning and I was able to make the best out of it on that very demanding course set by that German trainer. It was a technically very interesting course which perfectly suited me.”

“The second run was different yet I had to give my best as Hirscher did a great job there. I watched him going down through the first gates and I knew that I also had to go for it. He was attacking hard. I even saw his tracks on the last turns and I was amazed to see how he managed to keep on curving so well in the final gates. It was an exciting battle which gives me much energy.”

Kostelic is looking forward with even more excitement to the next weekend of racing at Wengen where he already won the slalom twice. “It’s a very special place, the mountains are so beautiful and I like the entire atmosphere there. I would be happy to do better than in recent years in the Super-combined but the downhill is not so good for me with all its gliding sections. But I will just do my best as usual without thinking about the points.”

Ivica, who is travelling with his own group of trainers which include his dad Ante, also receives crucial advises of his successful sister who has been on his side for a few years now. “Janica is a true expert, she knows what it means to move at a certain level and her inside information are always great,” he also commented after the race. “I’ll never be as relaxed as she was – she was born with that gift – but I have learned to be extremely focused. It helps me a lot now.”

Contributed by PkL
FISalpine.com
Sunday 9 January 2011

Place   Adelboden (SUI)   Discipline   Slalom
Date   09.01.2011   Category   FIS World Cup
Race codex   1406   Gender   M
Valid for FIS Points   YES   TD Name   Zingerle Josef (ITA)

Rank Bib FIS Code Name Year Nation Run 1 Run 2 Total Time FIS Points
 1  1  380260 KOSTELIC Ivica  1979  CRO   55.24  55.66  1:50.90  0.00
 2  9  53831 HIRSCHER Marcel  1989  AUT   56.02  55.14  1:51.16  1.43
 3  5  50605 HERBST Reinfried  1978  AUT   57.68  54.51  1:52.19  7.10
 4  43  50707 MATT Mario  1979  AUT   58.07  54.38  1:52.45  8.53
 5  13  102435 JANYK Michael  1982  CAN   56.74  55.76  1:52.50  8.80
 6  12  201702 NEUREUTHER Felix  1984  GER   57.09  55.56  1:52.65  9.63
 7  26  500656 LARSSON Markus  1979  SWE   57.09  55.63  1:52.72  10.01
 8  17  192506 MISSILLIER Steve  1984  FRA   57.36  55.48  1:52.84  10.67
 9  27  501101 BYGGMARK Jens  1985  SWE   58.02  54.86  1:52.88  10.89
 10  4  510890 ZURBRIGGEN Silvan  1981  SUI   57.26  55.64  1:52.90  11.00
 11  24  910000 IMBODEN Urs  1975  MDA   58.60  54.56  1:53.16  12.43
 12  38  561148 SKUBE Matic  1988  SLO   58.82  54.45  1:53.27  13.04
 13  11  501111 HARGIN Mattias  1985  SWE   56.81  56.51  1:53.32  13.31
 14  8  50624 PRANGER Manfred  1978  AUT   56.58  56.86  1:53.44  13.97
 15  22  501223 BAECK Axel  1987  SWE   58.08  55.46  1:53.54  14.52
 16  7  501017 MYHRER Andre  1983  SWE   56.71  56.84  1:53.55  14.58
 17  29  102912 SPENCE Brad  1984  CAN   58.78  55.08  1:53.86  16.28
 18  30  301709 YUASA Naoki  1983  JPN   58.97  55.00  1:53.97  16.89
 19  46  150594 TREJBAL Filip  1985  CZE   58.86  55.40  1:54.26  18.48
 20  44  102922 WHITE Trevor  1984  CAN   59.00  55.34  1:54.34  18.92
 21  40  510997 BERTHOD Marc  1983  SUI   58.55  55.89  1:54.44  19.47
 22  45  511896 MURISIER Justin  1992  SUI   58.95  55.67  1:54.62  20.46
 23  71  480736 KHOROSHILOV Alexander  1984  RUS   59.02  55.94  1:54.96  22.33
 24  37  530165 BRANDENBURG Will  1987  USA   58.85  56.24  1:55.09  23.05
 25  48  193347 TISSOT Maxime  1986  FRA   58.82  58.08  1:56.90  33.00
 26  25  301312 SASAKI Akira  1981  JPN   58.30  59.77  1:58.07  39.44
 27  18  560355 VALENCIC Mitja  1978  SLO   58.58  1:02.74  2:01.32  57.31
 28  52  293797 GROSS Stefano  1986  ITA   58.35  1:11.09  2:09.44  101.98
Disqualified 2nd run
   20  511127 GINI Marc  1984  SUI         
Disqualified 1st run
   39  102727 STUTZ Paul  1983  CAN         
   3  192665 GRANGE Jean-Baptiste  1984  FRA         
Did not start 1st run
   33  421328 SVINDAL Aksel Lund  1982  NOR         
   31  421483 JANSRUD Kjetil  1985  NOR         
Did not qualify 1st run
   77  103646 ZAITSOFF Sasha  1990  CAN         
   75  30149 SIMARI BIRKNER Cristian Javier  1980  ARG         
   72  201896 STEHLE Dominik  1986  GER         
   69  990048 BORSOTTI Giovanni  1990  ITA         
   68  380292 ZRNCIC-DIM Natko  1986  CRO         
   67  511908 SCHMIDIGER Reto  1992  SUI         
   66  380290 SAMSAL Dalibor  1985  CRO         
   64  560425 VAJDIC Bernard  1980  SLO         
   60  202462 DOPFER Fritz  1987  GER         
   59  194364 PINTURAULT Alexis  1991  FRA         
   58  192504 MERMILLOD BLONDIN Thomas  1984  FRA         
   57  421669 HAUGEN Leif Kristian  1987  NOR         
   56  532138 KASPER Nolan  1989  USA         
   53  150644 KRYZL Krystof  1986  CZE         
   51  50981 HOERL Wolfgang  1983  AUT         
   47  511174 VOGEL Markus  1984  SUI         
   41  290732 THALER Patrick  1978  ITA         
   35  50547 SCHOENFELDER Rainer  1977  AUT         
   28  501116 LAHDENPERAE Anton  1985  SWE         
Did not finish 2nd run
   42  180251 PALANDER Kalle  1977  FIN         
Did not finish 1st run
   78  92562 PRISADOV Stefan  1990  BUL         
   76  293006 INNERHOFER Christof  1984  ITA         
   74  180534 SANDELL Marcus  1987  FIN         
   73  501557 PIETILAE HOLMNER Johan  1991  SWE         
   70  220083 BAXTER Noel  1981  GBR         
   65  193986 PLACE Francois  1989  FRA         
   63  150495 VRABLIK Martin  1982  CZE         
   62  500909 ANDERSSON Oscar  1982  SWE         
   61  193967 MUFFAT JEANDET Victor  1989  FRA         
   55  250127 BJORGVINSSON Bjorgvin  1980  ISL         
   54  501255 OEHAGEN Johan  1987  SWE         
   50  50931 BECHTER Patrick  1982  AUT         
   49  102456 BIGGS Patrick  1982  CAN         
   36  50824 DREIER Christoph  1981  AUT         
   34  534508 CHODOUNSKY David  1984  USA         
   32  532431 MILLER Bode  1977  USA         
   23  150398 BANK Ondrej  1980  CZE         
   21  421400 MYHRE Lars Elton  1984  NOR         
   19  291145 DEVILLE Cristian  1981  ITA         
   16  534562 LIGETY Ted  1984  USA         
   15  293098 RAZZOLI Giuliano  1984  ITA         
   14  102239 COUSINEAU Julien  1981  CAN         
   10  292491 MOELGG Manfred  1982  ITA         
   6  50625 RAICH Benjamin  1978  AUT         
   2  191459 LIZEROUX Julien  1979  FRA