Rudi Riet
AKA songfta AKA randomduck - a USSS coach, as well
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Some notes from the second run:
The surface, overall, was far softer, and it proved challenging for the later runners. That said, many of the athletes overskied the surface again, dumping time hand over fist. Those who dialed in the conditions mostly moved up in the rankings.
Some spoilers for those watching on NBC right now:
All-in-all, a great first day. It's forecast to get cold overnight, so the setup for the slalom should be ideal for the slice-and-dic crowd - and ideal for Shiffrin to score a repeat victory.
The surface, overall, was far softer, and it proved challenging for the later runners. That said, many of the athletes overskied the surface again, dumping time hand over fist. Those who dialed in the conditions mostly moved up in the rankings.
Some spoilers for those watching on NBC right now:
1. Viktoria REBENSBURG (GER) 1:57.63
2. Mikaela SHIFFRIN (USA) 1:58.30
3. Manuela MOELGG (ITA) 1:59.12
4. Stephanie BRUNNER (AUT) 1:59.28
5. Federica BRIGNONE (ITA) 1:59.38
6. Tessa WORLEY (FRA) 1:59.74
7. Frida HANSDOTTER (SWE) 1:59.86
8. Ana DREV (SLO) 2:00.08
9. Melanie MEILLARD (SUI) 2:00.16
10. Petra VLHOVA (SVK) 2:00.39
Overall, very solid skiing from the top three finishers. The late runners also had to contend with spitting rain, so warm was the air from the storm front moving through. The racers noted this: every one of the late-runners I spoke with said that the rain was their only concern, but that it didn't change things too much in terms of the surface, which was already soft on top.
It's safe to say that Rebensburg is completely recovered from her recent injuries, and her skiing is a level above the other women in GS right now. She's confident - she even declared herself "100 percent back" in the post-race press conference.
MS was happier with her result today compared to Sölden, but still feels she's chasing the lead of the World Cup. She admits she prefers being the chaser, as she likes to rise to the occasion and attack, rather than try and defend her position.
Moelgg took one for the older racers on tour. At 34, she's one of the older women on the World Cup circuit, and she admits that training in a strong squad of mostly younger colleagues has raised everybody's game on the Italian squad. Moelgg has her eyes set on a solid season, and perhaps an Olympic medal - "I don't have one," she mused.
For the rest of North America, it wasn't a great day. Marie-Micheel Gagnon finished 24th, with Megan McJames moving up one spot from her first run into 29th. There's a big talent gap in the USST's GS squad, and today made that painfully evident. Whereas the powerhouses of the alpine skiing world showed off a lot of young talent today: Meillard for the Swiss, Brunner for the Austrians, Bassino for Italy.
Some pix:
Melanie Meillard (SUI)
Lara Gut (SUI)
Marie-Michelle Gagnon (CAN)
Viktoria Rebensburg (GER) being interviewed by ORF (Austrian TV)
Viktoria Rebensburg press conference
2. Mikaela SHIFFRIN (USA) 1:58.30
3. Manuela MOELGG (ITA) 1:59.12
4. Stephanie BRUNNER (AUT) 1:59.28
5. Federica BRIGNONE (ITA) 1:59.38
6. Tessa WORLEY (FRA) 1:59.74
7. Frida HANSDOTTER (SWE) 1:59.86
8. Ana DREV (SLO) 2:00.08
9. Melanie MEILLARD (SUI) 2:00.16
10. Petra VLHOVA (SVK) 2:00.39
Overall, very solid skiing from the top three finishers. The late runners also had to contend with spitting rain, so warm was the air from the storm front moving through. The racers noted this: every one of the late-runners I spoke with said that the rain was their only concern, but that it didn't change things too much in terms of the surface, which was already soft on top.
It's safe to say that Rebensburg is completely recovered from her recent injuries, and her skiing is a level above the other women in GS right now. She's confident - she even declared herself "100 percent back" in the post-race press conference.
MS was happier with her result today compared to Sölden, but still feels she's chasing the lead of the World Cup. She admits she prefers being the chaser, as she likes to rise to the occasion and attack, rather than try and defend her position.
Moelgg took one for the older racers on tour. At 34, she's one of the older women on the World Cup circuit, and she admits that training in a strong squad of mostly younger colleagues has raised everybody's game on the Italian squad. Moelgg has her eyes set on a solid season, and perhaps an Olympic medal - "I don't have one," she mused.
For the rest of North America, it wasn't a great day. Marie-Micheel Gagnon finished 24th, with Megan McJames moving up one spot from her first run into 29th. There's a big talent gap in the USST's GS squad, and today made that painfully evident. Whereas the powerhouses of the alpine skiing world showed off a lot of young talent today: Meillard for the Swiss, Brunner for the Austrians, Bassino for Italy.
Some pix:
Melanie Meillard (SUI)
Lara Gut (SUI)
Marie-Michelle Gagnon (CAN)
Viktoria Rebensburg (GER) being interviewed by ORF (Austrian TV)
Viktoria Rebensburg press conference
All-in-all, a great first day. It's forecast to get cold overnight, so the setup for the slalom should be ideal for the slice-and-dic crowd - and ideal for Shiffrin to score a repeat victory.
