Rudi Riet
AKA songfta AKA randomduck - a USSS coach, as well
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Second run notes:
Snow was firmer, and the wind persisted. The surface, according to a few racers I spoke with, was grippy ice.
And the second run set had its share of victims. Many of the athletes would get into the back seat and simply not recover. Such is slalom racing - there's little margin for error on those short skis.
There were some standout performances today:
Biggest move up the ranks: Katharina Gallhuber (AUT), moving up from 38th start to 7th place over two runs. She was understandably pumped with her day.
Biggest North American move: Laurence St. Germain, who just made the flip after starting 47th in the first run, then had a corker of a second run and moved up to 14th for the day. She was in great spirits afterward when I spoke with her - she's someone to watch for CAST for the rest of the season.
Vlhova made up for a lackluster first run with a great second run... only to be overshadowed by Shiffrin's spectacular second run. Still, Vlhova is MS's closest competition right now on the short sticks. Wendy Holdener, Frida Hansdotter, and Bernadette Schild are all great, but they seem to be competing for third place these days - MS and PV are that much stronger right now.
Tough day for the USST. Resi Stiegler's first run was OK, but her second run did her no favors. She "overskis" everything: too much turn, too much braking against the fall line, too little movement down the hill. The other USST women didn't make the flip.
Aside from St. Germain, Team Canada's hopes were on the shoulders of Marie-Michele Gagnon (DNF 2nd) and Erin Mielzynski (DNF 1st). For Team GB, Alex Tilley's first run was nothing to write home about (DNF).
One thing that was a running theme throughout is that the crowd here was cheering for everybody, and with great volume. The racers notice this after they cross the finish, even when there are DNFs: the cheers are loud and supportive.
Laurence St. Germain (CAN)
Melanie Meillard (SUI) pumping up the jam.
Petra Vlhova (SVK) and Denise Feierabend (SUI) wait for the final racers to compete.
Shiffrin races toward the finish of run 2.
The final podium.
Snow was firmer, and the wind persisted. The surface, according to a few racers I spoke with, was grippy ice.
And the second run set had its share of victims. Many of the athletes would get into the back seat and simply not recover. Such is slalom racing - there's little margin for error on those short skis.
There were some standout performances today:
Biggest move up the ranks: Katharina Gallhuber (AUT), moving up from 38th start to 7th place over two runs. She was understandably pumped with her day.
Biggest North American move: Laurence St. Germain, who just made the flip after starting 47th in the first run, then had a corker of a second run and moved up to 14th for the day. She was in great spirits afterward when I spoke with her - she's someone to watch for CAST for the rest of the season.
Vlhova made up for a lackluster first run with a great second run... only to be overshadowed by Shiffrin's spectacular second run. Still, Vlhova is MS's closest competition right now on the short sticks. Wendy Holdener, Frida Hansdotter, and Bernadette Schild are all great, but they seem to be competing for third place these days - MS and PV are that much stronger right now.
Tough day for the USST. Resi Stiegler's first run was OK, but her second run did her no favors. She "overskis" everything: too much turn, too much braking against the fall line, too little movement down the hill. The other USST women didn't make the flip.
Aside from St. Germain, Team Canada's hopes were on the shoulders of Marie-Michele Gagnon (DNF 2nd) and Erin Mielzynski (DNF 1st). For Team GB, Alex Tilley's first run was nothing to write home about (DNF).
One thing that was a running theme throughout is that the crowd here was cheering for everybody, and with great volume. The racers notice this after they cross the finish, even when there are DNFs: the cheers are loud and supportive.
Laurence St. Germain (CAN)
Melanie Meillard (SUI) pumping up the jam.
Petra Vlhova (SVK) and Denise Feierabend (SUI) wait for the final racers to compete.
Shiffrin races toward the finish of run 2.
The final podium.