Alta Badia – women’s giant slalom.

First victory for Denise Karbon

Italy´s Denise Karbon choose the perfect race to celebrate her first World Cup victory – in front of her friends and fans in Alta Badia, on the legendary “Gran Risa” course.
Nine years after Sabrina Panzanini, Karbon came from behind to beat all the other favourites including Austria´s Nicole Hosp, 2nd at 3/100 of a second and Elisabeth Goergl, 3rd at 37/100. Karbon clocked the fifth best time in the first leg.

Sweden´s Anja Paerson, who seemed unbeatable after her demonstrations in Soelden and Park City, had to be content with her 4th place, only 1/100 behind the podium. Yet she easily kept the lead in the overall World Cup standings as none of her main rivals came close to her.

In fact, France’s Carole Montillet only finished 24th while Germany´s Martina Ertl fell in the second run. She was already far behind the leaders in the opening leg. Michaela Dorfmeister was 16th and Renate Goetschl, the recent winner in Super-G in Lake Louise a distant 21st.

Two other Italian skied among the top-10, Nicole Gius 5th and Karen Putzer who can be happy with her 8th place. She competed for the first time since the World Cup opening in Soelden after injuring herself at her right hip.

Switzerland´s Sonja Nef was a solid 7th confirming that her form is improving after each race. She torn ligaments at her knee last February and finished 2nd in a slalom in Park City two weeks ago.

Karbon was nervous

A tiny yet determined competitor, Karbon often came close to victory in recent seasons thanks to her very aggressive second runs. She clinched silver in giant slalom last February in St Moritz after a taking all risks in her second run. In the first run, she was a far 6th .

“I was quite pleased by my first run today because I didn’t lose so much time on the leaders despite making too many mistakes” said the 23-year-old racer. “I was nervous and tense and skied too roughly. Before the race, everybody told me that I’m going to win here!”

“Fortunately, I gained much confidence and momentum with my 5th place. I was able to ski much better in the afternoon. The snow was aggressive but not icy so you had to be smooth and precise. I skied quite perfectly and I knew at the arrival that I had a strong chance for the podium. I felt as comfortable and relaxed as in St Moritz”.

“It’s wonderful to win this race in front of my fan-club and my friends from Castelrotto, which is not so far away from here. It’s great for our team and it also pays me back for all the misfortune I had in past years. I was often injured and I had to fight hard to make it back into the ski team”.

Nicole Hosp is back

Nicole Hosp, who crashed badly in Soelden, is definitely back on track. She was already 2nd in Park City behind Paerson and it’s only a matter of time until her next victory. She already won a giant slalom last season in Soelden where she tied for first place with Norway’s Andrine Flemmen and Slovenia’s Tina Maze. But only few expected her teammate Goergl to fight for victory on this treacherous slope used by the men since 1985.

The daughter of Traudl Hecher, a double Olympic bronze medal winner in downhill in 1960 and 1964, Goergl fought hard for her first triumph on the World Cup tour after clocking the fastest time in the opening leg.
“I believed in my chances but I could not repeat my first run,” she said. “I made more mistakes and you can’t afford it at this level. I’m pleased to reach my first podium in giant slalom but also sorry to have missed the victory by three hundredths. It’s tough but I have to accept it. I will have many more opportunities in the future. I plan to ski all four events in future. Next week I’ll already be skiing in downhill in St Moritz. Within a few year, I also want to compete for the overall World Cup trophy”.

Anja was not happy

Not happy at all was Anja Paerson, a near 3rd in the first leg only .05 second behind Goergl. “It’s terrible to be 4th especially so close to the podium. I didn’t find my best rhythm in the morning. The snow was very slippery and I couldn’t attack as hard as I wanted. I also had some problems with my goggles. I had tears in my eyes and I could not see the course as clearly as I wanted”.
“I decided to choose a shorter ski in the afternoon, but it didn’t work out much better. I didn’t feel sure and then it’s hard to ski well. Of course it’s good to score again some heavy points for the overall standings but I wanted to win on this great hill. It’s a perfect slope for the women too – we should come back here more often!”

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Anja will try to get back on the podium in the two slalom races planned in Madonna di Campiglio, near Trento.

Patrick Lang