Carole Montillet achieved another dream

France’s Carole Montillet reached another of her season’s goals by winning the Super-G in Val d’Isère only a week after her recent triumph in a downhill and celebrate her first World Cup victory in France in front of all her fans and her family!
After a very aggressive run down the La Daille women’s course, the 29-year-old skier from Villard- de-Lans beat by 23/100 Italy’s Super-G Olympic Champion Daniela Ceccarelli while Austria’s Michaela Dorfmeister confirmed her comeback with another strong 3rd place.
She finished just ahead of her team-mate Renate Goetschl, a superb 4th only half a second behind the winner. The 2000 Overall World Cup champion achieved quite an impressive comeback this month.
Teenager Fraenzi Aufdenblatten was an unexpected 5th – with start-number 45. Good enough for her to win the “winStar of the race” Award!
USA’s Kirsten Clark made it once more among the top-10. The winner from Lenzerheide in March 2001 is quite consistent since Aspen and ready for her second World Cup win. Eventually already next week, when the women’s circuit returns to Lenzerheide!
Italy’s Karen Putzer, certainly tired after her impressive success in GS on Thursday, only managed to come in 7th this time.

This race was also marked by a series of spectacular crashes and the accident of Italy’s Patrizia Bassis who suffers a bad injury at her back. She underwent surgery in nearby Grenoble but she is fortunately not in a life-threatening situation.

An emotional success for Carole

This third World Cup success may well be the most emotional for Carole Montillet who was determined to give her best in order to win her first major race in France. She delivered a very spectacular run and she almost skied out in the middle part while taking a lot of risks in order to create always more speed down the narrow “Goitschel Run”.
“It was a very short Super-G so it was crucial to find immediately the best rhythm in the first turns” she said after the race.
“I knew that there were some problems on the course when the race was stopped for quite a long time. I also heard the speaker repeating several times that the tricky red gate situated in the middle of the slope was very tough! Fortunately, I had no problem to remain totally focused and motivated”.
“We don’t race so often in France and I wanted to make the best out of this opportunity to please my fans and friends. I’m really proud of myself today”.
“My last races in Canada proved that I was in good shape and that my skis were fast and precise but also that the best way to win a race it to move at your limits from the first to the last gate”.
“I made some mistakes while attacking but I was perfectly concentrated and consistently looking for more speed”.

“It’s definitely a dream which came through for me today. Each of us want to win at home in front of the fans and the family. Before the season-start, I set myself three important goals – to win in Lake Louise where I often reached the podium, then here. My third goal is to be the best in Cortina d’Ampezzo on the nicest of all downhill runs. Then I will be totally satisfied and ready to think about the World Championships”.

First podium for Daniela since the Olympics

Ceccarelli, who reaches her first podium since the Olympic success last March, was glad to finally confirm her brilliant result from Utah after two disappointing races in North America. The Roman who lives now in Piedmont is very keen to win soon her first World Cup race in the coming weeks.

Dorfmeister is back!

It should also happen soon for Michaela Dorfmeister, again 3rd. The skier from south of Vienna is obviously more relaxed now after her first podium finish of the season in GS and she took incredible risks to win this competition. “I felt that I was moving at my limits but I was happy to be more aggressive than in recent weeks in the speed events” she admitted.
“It as exciting also for me, that’s the way I like racing”.

In two races she gained appreciable terrain on Janica Kostelic in the Overall World Cup standings which remain her first target of the season. The Croatian didn’t enjoy this short course, especially after the crash of several skiers starting at the beginning of the race.
“I had an OK-run, nothing special” she said. “Her goal is apparently to remain healthy as long as possible before the second part of the season which also included the World Championships in St Moritz.