World Cup slalom leader Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) skied two great slalom runs but still finished second behind Germany’s Maria Riesch, who won both the first and second runs, at the Audi FIS World Cup in La Molina, Spain on Sunday. Riesch built nearly a full second lead on the field with her first run and dominated the day.
“For a second I thought Lindsey may get the win, but Maria’s first run was too good,” Women’s Alpine Head Coach Jim Tracy said. “Maria pretty much schooled everyone on the first run. But Lindsey is super confident and it definitely showed today.”
According to Tracy, while challenging course conditions presented themselves, Vonn was on a mission after Saturday’s giant slalom where she missed a gate.
“Today’s conditions were challenging with about a foot of new snow over the ice. But, Lindsey rose to the occasion,” Tracy said. “She didn’t like what happened yesterday and today she put her game face on and executed really well.”
Vonn came into the second run in fourth place, but laid it all out on the course to end up second. While disappointed not to win, she was the first to give a high five to her friend Riesch on her first victory of the season.
“She was maybe a little conservative on the first run and obviously Maria wasn’t, but being slightly conservative on the first run enabled her to lay it down on the second run knowing that she could certainly win the race if she wanted to,” Tracy said.
The course, with or without unexpected snow conditions, presented a challenge to anyone who skied it with technical sections that challenged all racers who encountered them.
“This is a super tough hill. It’s got about 12 to 13 gates in the steeps and it’s icy with new snow on the edges,” Tracy said. “We’ve had challenging courses and weather conditions for almost every race now and this is just another one.”
Sarah Schleper (Vail, CO) tied her result from Levi, Finland, finishing 25th – her best result in a slalom since 2006.
The U.S. Ski Team’s Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA) fought her way into the second run and is making strides in her comeback.
“Julia had some good sections, but as usual she isn’t quite there yet,” Tracy said. “She didn’t qualify in Aspen – she went out – so this was a start. It’s still going to take some time.”
The women’s Audi FIS World Cup now rolls in to St. Moritz, Switzerland, for a super combined, downhill and super G Dec. 19-21.
source: sportsnetwork.com
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