ALPINE SKI. LIENZ, Austria – Never mind that young Anna Fenninger had never before stood on a World Cup giant slalom podium. On Wednesday, in front of a very loud home crowd, the Austrian soared right to the top step, winning the race in 2 minutes, 16.08 seconds.

It was the first World Cup victory for the 22-year-old, whose five other Cup podium finishes have come in super G and downhill but who claimed the gold medal in super-combined last year at the world championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

“It was a big surprise for me also,” Fenninger said of her success Wednesday. “Every time I thought my first win could be in the super G but now it’s in GS. It’s the biggest Christmas present for me. At home, it’s even better.”

Italian giant slalom specialist Federica Brignone, who had an unlucky start to the season with crashes in the two preceding GS races, was back to form Wednesday, finishing second, 0.20 seconds behind Fenninger, as France’s Tessa Worley also appeared back on her game, rounding out the podium in third, 0.39 seconds back.

With the sun beaming bright on the Tyrolean resort in the Dolomites, 2011 World Cup GS champion Viktoria Rebensburg put down an early lead in the first run, although the field was stacked tightly, with Austian Stefanie Koehle on her heels, just 0.01 seconds behind the German going into the second run. Elisabeth Goergl, who has been very fast in GS so far this season with a third place in Soelden and second in Aspen, was just 0.11 seconds back after the first run and the next nine racers were all within a second of Rebensburg going into the second run.

Although the course for the second run was set by her coach, Rebensburg was one of several racers to slide around a gate or two. She led at the top split in the second run but after a little bobble approaching the final steep pitch, she fell to fourth place when she crossed the finish line, 0.49 seconds back. Koehle also dropped her speed in the second run, but still finished in sixth place – a career best – after Lindsey Vonn, who finished a very respectable fifth.

As several racers dropped speed in the last section of the course in the second run (including Goergl, who ended up seventh), Fenninger, who was in sixth place after the first run, trailing by just 0.23 seconds, was one of few to accelerate.

“The first run was good, too, but I made a little mistake,” Fenninger said. “I was so close to the top so I risked a lot in the second."

 The Italians have a history of success in Lienz and due to its proximity to Italy consider it almost a home racing hill. They did very well once again on Wednesday with six racers in the top 25, including Irene Curtoni, who had the fastest second run time (1:08.72) and finished 11th after taking 29th in the first run. Wearing bib No. 42, Sabrina Fanchini, who has only competed in a handful of World Cup races and only scored points in three slaloms before Wednesday, finished eighth.

FISalpine.com
Wednesday 28 December 2011