Rebensburg on roll despite shaky run
Wins second straight event in spite of final run mistake, Canada’s Prefontaine 10th
MARIBOR, SLOVENIA— Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany overcame a huge mistake early in the final run to win her second straight women’s World Cup giant slalom on Saturday. The 2010 Olympic champion caught a bump and only made the next gate after firmly slowing down.
“The run was chaotic from top to bottom,” Rebensburg said. “At the fourth gate, I was thinking, ‘OK, I can stop here.’ But I won the race, that’s the only thing that matters.”
Rebensburg finished in a two-run time of two minutes, 29.82 seconds to beat Ana Drev of Slovenia by 0.32, and Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein by 0.34.
It was Rebensburg’s 10th victory in GS, matching the German best mark set by Martina Ertl-Renz from 19942003.
Marie-Piér Prefontaine of SaintSauveur, Que., was the top Canadian in 10th.
Lindsey Vonn failed to finish her second run. After a fast start, she led then leader Michaela Kirchgasser of Austria by 0.74 before losing balance and sliding into the safety netting. Vonn, who was unhurt and promptly skied down to the finish area, stayed overall leader as her main rival, Lara Gut of Switzerland, also skied out in the final run. Vonn has 900 points, Gut 855.
Rebensburg and Drev also came one-two in Flachau, Austria, two weeks ago, which was the German’s first win in the discipline in more than three years.
“It’s all coming together now,” said Rebensburg, who was runner-up to Eva-Maria Brem after the first run.
The Austrian dropped to fourth, 0.41 behind Rebensburg. It was the third straight race in which Brem came fourth but she remained top of the season’s discipline standings with 442 points, 32 clear of Rebensburg.
With Slovenian standout Tina Maze taking a yearlong break from racing, all hopes of the home fans were with Drev.
“I didn’t feel that pressure,” said Drev after earning her second career podium finish. “It was my dream to ski well in my home race.”
Course workers used salt between the runs to harden the top layer after the Pohorje course visibly deteriorated during the opening leg due to mild temperatures.
The weakened surface slowed later starters. Even racers who were up to 5.77 seconds off the lead finished in the top 30 and qualified for the second run.
Vonn, who started 15th and came 2.45 back in 12th in the opening run, called it “a shame.”
“Later starters have no chance at all,” said Vonn, the only starter who has won this race before — in 2013. “On the top the snow isn’t bad, on the bottom it’s like sugar.”
Weirather, who climbed a spot after finishing the opening run in fourth, agreed with the American.
“It was a day full of fighting. It didn’t feel well,” Weirather said. “It was tough to stay on the race line. The race was on the limits. It makes me proud that I’ve done so well in these difficult conditions.”
Federica Brignone of Italy, who won the season-opening GS in October, went through a gate and crashed into the safety netting but skied down to the finish area shortly afterward.
A slalom is scheduled for Sunday.