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Kirchgasser Leads After First Kranjska SL Run

FRIDAY, 27 JANUARY 2012
Submitted By: Mariangela Silvestre

KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia – Michaela Kirchgasser had never been in the leader’s box for an entire run before, but she earned this rare treat in the first run of the World Cup slalom at Kranjska Gora on Sunday.

The third racer down the steep and tightly set course, the Austrian got to see the following 70 racers come down and fail to match her time of 52.94 seconds.

Right before her, Olympic slalom champion Maria Hoefl-Riesch missed a gate at the top of the course and then right after her, Kirchgasster watched her compatriot, slalom ace Marlies Schild, miss exactly the same gate.

“It’s tight. Normally there’s more space between the gates,” said Kirchgasser, who is racing for the first time since taking some time off to heal from a bone bruise suffered during the first slalom run in Zagreb a few weeks ago, where she nonetheless landed the first slalom podium of her World Cup career. “I had a little bit of fear when I woke up this morning. I didn’t know how it would be on this hard, icy slope. But yeah, it was a good run. This is the first time (to have the lead after the first run). It’s cool. It’s a great feeling. I’m really happy.”

Kirchgasser has finished top 10 in every slalom race this season but most of her World Cup success has come in giant slalom, having landed five podiums in the discipline, including her only Cup victory back in 2007. She also has two podiums in super-combined, the most recent in St. Moritz in 2010.

Both Schild and Hoefl-Riesch threw their arms out in frustration, shaking their heads on the side of the course after missing the gate. Schild was disappointed but acknowledged that it’s easy to miss gates in slalom racing – especially when attacking full force.

“One mistake and that’s it,” Schild said. “This happens sometimes in slalom. It happened so fast. I saw this [flush] in inspection. I thought it would not be a problem. I thought I could go full speed, but it was the wrong way.

Schild added that she did not see Hoelf-Riesch miss the same gate.

“Maybe I would have done it different, if I’d seen it,” Schild said. “I just hope I do better the next race.”

The second run will prove thrilling as Slovakia’s Veronika Zuzulova, whose coach set the first run course and who is hungry for a first Cup victory after landing several slalom podiums throughout her career, is only 0.11 seconds behind. The first racer on course, Tanja Poutiainen also fired down the first run and is only 0.27 seconds back going into run No. 2 and local favorite Tina Maze is in fourth place, just 0.42 seconds back.

The only other racers within a second of Kirchgasser going into run No. 2 include Germany’s Lena Duerr in fifth place, 0.43 seconds back and Swedes Frida Hansdotter and Therese Borssen, in sixth and seventh, respectively, 0.46 and 0.70 seconds back.

The second run kicks off at 13:30 local time.

source: www.fisalpine.com

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