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Slovenian Tina Maze Wins on Home Turf
Maribor, Slovenia — January 22, 2005

National heroine Tina Maze won a World Cup giant slalom Saturday while Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA) tied for fifth with Lindsey Kildow (Vail, CO) ninth as four U.S. women broke into the points.

Maze, the first-run leader, picked up her third GS win of the season - and the first by a Slovenian in Maribor since 1994 - in 2:16.36 with Italy's Karen Putzer second at 2:16.58.

Mancuso, eighth in the first run, earned her second top-5 of the season in GS, finishing with a time of 2:17.58 in the final GS before the World Championships begin Jan. 29 in Bormio and Santa Caterina, Italy.

Kildow, who has torn through speed events this winter with six top-3s, was 12th in the first run and finished in 2:17.99 for the best World Cup giant slalom of her career.

"It was a great day for the young girls. Julia and Lindsey did well," said Head Coach Patrick Riml. "We're getting more consistent. Julia's so strong now in GS - she's fourth, fifth, sixth in her last three GSes - and Lindsey showed what she can perform in GS, too.

"The snow was great, just a little wind but it didn't have any impact on the runs. The first course was pretty straight forward, not too many turns. Julia over-skied the bottom, just a little too round on the gates...and in the second run, the girls were pretty close with Maze and Putzer, only a couple of tenths...a good, solid run."

He added, "Sarah had what I thought was a great second run. She's been skiing better and better, feeling healthy and showing what she can do. Koz had a couple of mistakes on the bottom of her first run, certainly not what she can do in GS."

The women run slalom Sunday in Maribor and then the tech group named for the World Championships will train in northern Italy. Those on the speed team for the championships will be in Bormio at the start of the week, Riml said, to begin training for the title races.

WOMEN'S ALPINE WORLD CUP Maribor, SLO - Jan. 22, 2005 Women's Giant Slalom

1. Tina Maze, Slovenia, 2:16.36
2. Karen Putzer, Italy, 2:16.58
3. Martina Ertl, Germany, 2:17.79
4. Anja Paerson, Sweden, 2:17.48
5T. Julia Mancuso, Olympic Valley, Calif., and Nicole Hosp, Austria, 2:17.58 each

9. Lindsey Kildow, Vail, Colo., 2:17.99
22. Sarah Schleper, Vail, Colo., 2:19.37
26. Kristina Koznick, Eagan, Minn., 2:20.00

Did not qualify for 2nd run:
Caroline Lalive, Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Lauren Ross, Stowe, Vt.; Resi Stiegler, Jackson hole, Wyo.


Courtesy of US Ski Team