Alpine Skiing 2016 - 2017 Discussion Thread

[heywoodu 13,560]

Goggia! What the... 

[Federer91 2,140]

Or maybe a win for Italy today  Great run by Goggia, she is a talent.

[Federer91 2,140]

Hot damn now Stuhec, what is going on 

[heywoodu 13,560]

Stuhec! What the...

 

Spoiler

Poor Goggia 

 

[heywoodu 13,560]

Oh damn that was a bad fall for Hählen. 

[Gianlu33 3,574]

Goggia  For a bit, amazing run for Stuhec 

[heywoodu 13,560]

Nicely done by Shiffrin! 16th so far and she had the highest top speed at the end  

[heywoodu 13,560]

Christina Ager escaped from a big fall at the same place Hählen went wrong.. 

[hckošice 13,266]

Ester Ledecká 21st with BIB 52

[hckošice 13,266]

Surprise podium at opening Lake Louise downhill

 

The new speed starting order that was unveiled on the ladies' tour on Friday was designed to keep television fans tuned into the broadcast longer than in the past. But anyone who stopped watching the opening downhill at Lake Louise after the top 20 starters would have missed the majority of the podium. Sofia Goggia, the Italian who one week earlier picked up the first podium of her career, took over the lead from Sweden's Kajsa Kling sporting bib 28. And the very next athlete on course, Slovenia's Ilka Stuhec, blasted into the lead with the 29th start.

 

When the snow spray settled, Stuhec claimed her career-first podium and victory with a 0.22-second lead over Goggia. Kling held onto the third-place position, 0.31 seconds back. All three athletes were ecstatic with their results. 

 

 

"I had a feeling that I could show some more than just average [results] around 10th to 15th place, that I could ski good and I could ski fast and apparently, today, the fastest," Stuhec said. "I knew I could ski fast and I just needed to put it in a race and I did." 

 

Kling was eyeing her career-first victory before the later runners bumped her to third, but it still marks a solid start to the season for the Swede. She has only one previous podium from the St. Moritz super-G in 2013. 

 

"I think I was pretty stable the whole training week and it felt good during the preseason as well, so I am happy with this," said Kling. "I feel like I can do some parts better, so hopefully I can nail it tomorrow."

 

For Goggia, the result at Lake Louise was a bit of retribution against a mountain that hasn't been so kind in the past.

 

"This was really unexpected even if Killington was a little bit more [unexpected] because I feel more confident in downhill and in super-G than in giant slalom. ... I just tried to ski without any expectations," remarked Goggia. Three years ago she suffered a torn ACL in a crash at Lake Louise. "I had to face my demons on these days. ... It was a big surprise when I saw the green light. I was like, 'Oh my God' that I'm going to do that on this slope." 

 

The ladies will contest another downhill at Lake Louise on Saturday. 

 

 

Full race results are available Here

 

Ilka Stuhec