MountainZone.com HomeWorld Cup 2005

Search
MountainZone.com



Google








US' Koz 4th; Sweden's Paerson Wins
Soelden, Austria — October 23, 2004

Kristina Koznick (Eagan, MN) tore through the third-fastest final run Saturday to open the 2005 World Cup season finishing fourth in a giant slalom behind defending World Cup champion Anna Paerson of Sweden. Two other U.S. women also finished in the points by also producing their best GS result - Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA) was 15th and Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, WY) 23rd.

On a sunny, 35-degree afternoon, Paerson won on the Rettenbach Glacier in 2:25.21 with Finn Tanja Poutiainen in second place at 2:25.53. Koznick, whose best result in a disappointing 2004 season was fourth, finished in 2:26.95. Mancuso was timed in 2:28.94 for her first World Cup top-15 in GS while Stiegler - starting 67th - collected her first GS points with a two-run time of 2:29.30. Kaylin Richardson (Edina, MN) was a near-miss, finishing 31st in the first run, just .01 away from qualifying.

Koznick, a two-time Olympian who trains independently, equaled the best result of her disappointing 2004 season. "This is an awesome start," she said. "I was skiing really good GS this summer but I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to jinx myself...

"I decided I was skiing really well, training with Anja and Sonja [Nef, for world and World Cup champion from Switzerland], and I knew I was fast. In the past, I'd always tell people because I was so excited," she said, "and this time I said I'd keep it to myself. It doesn't matter what I say - it matters what I did, and if I skied fast, they could figure it out." A year ago, she injured her hip in a pre-race training accident and was troubled all winter. This season, she said, she's "in great shape. Being healthy is definitely a key to skiing well."

Mancuso sees top-15 translating to more confidence

Mancuso said, "It was sort of fun, seeing I could do what I was doing in training. I'm glad I could put two good runs together. This'll give me confidence going into my next race."

After two days of warming temperatures and soft snow, she said, conditions "were awesome. It was a little bumpy in places but it cleared up nicely and was a good course." She made certain to finish the second run, Mancuso said, "and I had a couple of bobbles, but my confidence allows me to attack more. I know my body and skis will come around. I've been working on pushing it more...

"We've really been taking a more direct line in training and it worked well. In my first run, I was thinking, 'Ski like I've been training because I know I've been fast.' It's hard to ski over that line and wanting to push because I've never been this confident, but I made it down and that's good."

U.S. women's coaches Patrick Riml and Trevor Wagner were highly pleased to see the Americans - without the top skiers, Sarah Schleper (Vail, CO) and Kirsten Clark (Raymond, ME), who were missing while rebounding from injuries - "bring their strong skiing from training into the race. They had to execute and they did," Riml said. "For years, we've come to Soelden and had negative feelings and not done well, and I'm not sure why. Last year, Sarah got rid of some of that with our best finish here, going seventh, and today Kristina and Julia and Resi did so well...and Kaylin was there, too."

Wagner added, "Everybody gave it their all and was attacking. It was the only way to go it - go for it - and the girls did a great job. We've trained with Koz and knew she was skiing well and the others carried it into the race, too."

Tough course requires lots of focus

The high-elevation course, at about 10,000 feet (3,050 meters at the start), and almost continual flow make for one of the toughest race hills on the World Cup tour, the coaches said. ""The top three or four gates are pretty flat, tuck turns," Wagner said. "Then it breaks over onto a mini-pitch of three or four gates and you get good speed, two more gates of flat, then onto the breakover. Both runs you're carrying pretty good speed into the breakover, so you had to keep charging and not back off, and you wanted good position on your skis, get that good rhythm...

"The girls need a pat on the shoulder. It's a rough course and they all executed well, did everything they could."

The men open their season Sunday above Soelden with a giant slalom. A year ago, Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) won in Soelden and went on to capture the men's GS World Cup title. Miller will be joined by five other U.S. men - Daron Rahlves (Sugar Bowl, CA), Erik Schlopy (Park City, UT), Dane Spencer (Boise, ID), Jimmy Cochran (Keene, NH) and Jake Zamansky (Aspen, CO).

The next women's race will start the Aspen Winternational Nov. 26-28 in Aspen, Colo., where they will run the season's second GS and then two slaloms.

WOMEN'S ALPINE WORLD CUP
Rettenbach Glacier
Soelden, AUT - Oct. 23, 2004
Giant Slalom

1. Anja Paerson, Sweden, 2:25.21
2. Tanja Poutiainen, Finland, 2:25.53
3. Maria Jose Rienda Contreras, Spain, 2:26.78
4. Kristina Koznick, Eagan, Minn., 2:26.95
5. Martin Ertl, Germany, 2:26.99

15. Julia Mancuso, Olympic Valley, Calif., 2:28.94
23. Resi Stiegler, Jackson Hole, Wyo., 2:29.30

Did not qualify for 2nd run: Kaylin Richardson, Edina, Minn.; Libby Ludlow, Bellevue, Wash.; Lauren Ross, Stowe, Vt.; Caroline Lalive, Steamboat Springs, Colo.
DNF-1: Lindsey Kildow, Vail, Colo.


Courtesy of US Ski Team