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Rudi Riet
AKA songfta AKA randomduck - a USSS coach, as well
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First Run Report
Killington's race crew prepared a Superstar trail that was ready to race. The course, set by one of the French coaches, had rhythm with a couple "gotcha" gates, one on the middle flats, the other halfway down the final headwall. The weather was hazy sun, temperatures in the mid 20s Fahrenheit, with a slight breeze from left to right across the course.
The skier who mastered these in run one was Ragnhild Mowinkel of Norway, whose approach was to attack the fall line and find speed. Her run looked fast, like she was on the edge of disaster in many places, but she linked the whole thing together to take a 0.37 second lead over Federica Brignone of Italy, whose run proves that she's fully recovered from her off-season injuries. Stephanie Brunner (AUT), Tessa Worley (FRA), and Viktoria Rebensburg (GER) rounded out the top five.
Mikaela Shiffrin was first out of the start this morning, and her run didn't benefit from this. The snow is dry and hard, according to multiple athletes and coaches I spoke with, and it benefitted from an established track (Mowinckel started seventh), so Mikaela was basically setting her own track. She also got a bit low at the second "gotcha" gate, a delay 6 gates from the finish, and that cost her a tenth or two. She is 0.67 seconds out of the lead, so it's not insurmountable, but the work is cut out for her.
Mikaela Shiffrin approaches the finish of the first run
Some remarkable performances came from lesser-known athletes. Alex Tilley of Great Britain had a screamer of a run going until the first tricky gate, and ended up in 16th for the run. And Mikaela Tommy of Canada shocked herself with a 17th place first run out of the 22nd start. She didn't qualify for a second run in Sölden, so this was a keeper. It was made more special by her family being there to greet her in the media area.
Marie-Michele Gagnon and Mikaela Tommy
I spoke briefly with Tilley, who was a little disappointed in her flub on the flats, but is happy that she's in good striking range for a top 10. She's very upbeat about her season, and her coach, Killian Albrecht, says she's one to watch going forward: a lot of upside with her skiing and motivation.
The other USST athletes had a tough time with the course - and likely with the pressure of racing in front of a very welcoming home crowd. Foreste Peterson finished 49th, Patricia Mangan 51st, and Abi Jewett 61st (only the top 30 make the cut for the second run). A.J. Hurt and Nina O'Brien were DNF.
Additional images by @AaronFM:
Stephanie Brunner (AUT)
Viktoria Rebensburg (GER)
Tessa Worley (FRA)
Petra Vlhova (SVK)
Katharina Liensberger (AUT)
Weather should be similar for the second run - we shall see what transpires!
Killington's race crew prepared a Superstar trail that was ready to race. The course, set by one of the French coaches, had rhythm with a couple "gotcha" gates, one on the middle flats, the other halfway down the final headwall. The weather was hazy sun, temperatures in the mid 20s Fahrenheit, with a slight breeze from left to right across the course.
The skier who mastered these in run one was Ragnhild Mowinkel of Norway, whose approach was to attack the fall line and find speed. Her run looked fast, like she was on the edge of disaster in many places, but she linked the whole thing together to take a 0.37 second lead over Federica Brignone of Italy, whose run proves that she's fully recovered from her off-season injuries. Stephanie Brunner (AUT), Tessa Worley (FRA), and Viktoria Rebensburg (GER) rounded out the top five.
Mikaela Shiffrin was first out of the start this morning, and her run didn't benefit from this. The snow is dry and hard, according to multiple athletes and coaches I spoke with, and it benefitted from an established track (Mowinckel started seventh), so Mikaela was basically setting her own track. She also got a bit low at the second "gotcha" gate, a delay 6 gates from the finish, and that cost her a tenth or two. She is 0.67 seconds out of the lead, so it's not insurmountable, but the work is cut out for her.
Mikaela Shiffrin approaches the finish of the first run
Some remarkable performances came from lesser-known athletes. Alex Tilley of Great Britain had a screamer of a run going until the first tricky gate, and ended up in 16th for the run. And Mikaela Tommy of Canada shocked herself with a 17th place first run out of the 22nd start. She didn't qualify for a second run in Sölden, so this was a keeper. It was made more special by her family being there to greet her in the media area.
Marie-Michele Gagnon and Mikaela Tommy
I spoke briefly with Tilley, who was a little disappointed in her flub on the flats, but is happy that she's in good striking range for a top 10. She's very upbeat about her season, and her coach, Killian Albrecht, says she's one to watch going forward: a lot of upside with her skiing and motivation.
The other USST athletes had a tough time with the course - and likely with the pressure of racing in front of a very welcoming home crowd. Foreste Peterson finished 49th, Patricia Mangan 51st, and Abi Jewett 61st (only the top 30 make the cut for the second run). A.J. Hurt and Nina O'Brien were DNF.
Additional images by @AaronFM:
Stephanie Brunner (AUT)
Viktoria Rebensburg (GER)
Tessa Worley (FRA)
Petra Vlhova (SVK)
Katharina Liensberger (AUT)
Weather should be similar for the second run - we shall see what transpires!
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