Germany’s Maria Riesch won this first Slalom race on the Alpine Ski World Cup circuit; after the giant slalom in Sölden, the White Circus moved to the ice of the Arctic Circle in the ski resort of Levi in Finland.
Contending for the podium were big names such as Tina Maze, Riesch, Worley, and the Scandinavian skiers who train here on the snow of Finland all winter long and know the courses to perfection, while a major absentee was Lindsey Vonn, who preferred to train on the slopes in the United States ahead of the next race in Aspen. The slope was in good condition thanks to yesterday’s -9 degrees and light snowfall that did not disrupt the competition; the course, consisting of half natural and half artificial snow, had been injected with water to make the snowpack firmer.
The first run ended with a disappointing performance by the Italian skiers, with Federica BRIGNONE, Nicole GIUS, Michela AZZOLA, and Manuela MOELGG—still out of form and competing in her first World Cup race after missing Sölden—all failing to qualify.
Only 16th-placed Irene CURTONI and 17th-placed Chiara COSTAZZA qualified for the second run, while Finland’s Tanja POUTIAINEN led the race with a time of 1:00.24, followed in second place by Germany’s Maria RIESCH at 1:00.54 and in third place by the very young American Mikaela SHIFFRIN at 1:00.78
The second run, held at 12:45 PM, saw the skiers battle hard on the Levi Black course, giving their all in thrilling head-to-head challenges right down to the final minute.
In the second run, Maria Riesch managed to unseat hometown favorite POUTIAINEN, who despite a strong run was unable to hold on to first place; the very young and talented Mikaela SHIFFRIN held on to third place, confirming her status as a bright young promise of American skiing, while fourth place went to Tina Maze, who preferred not to take excessive risks and brought home valuable points in the title race.
It was a subdued performance for the Italians, who finished the race with 16th place for Chiara COSTAZZA and 19th place for Irene Curtoni.
Now everyone looks ahead with confidence to next week’s event in Aspen, where the women’s circuit is sure to put on a great show!
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