ALPINE SKI WORLD CUP 1997/98
Altenmarkt (AUT) Women's 4th Dowhhill & 4th Super-G. 18.Jan.1998
Renate Goetschl and Martina Ertl win speed events

It was another tough day for the favorites in Altenmarkt, south of Salzburg, where the first speed events hold in 1998 took place by excellent weather conditions : as in Bormio last week, the top favorite in downhill and Super-G, Germany's Katja Seizinger, could not improve her winning streak on the demanding "Kaelberloch" course on which two races were organized on the same day. The leader in the Overall World Cup standings came 2nd in the downhill behind the defending downhill World Cup Champion, Renate Goetschl, and 5th in the Super-G dominated by her own teammate Martina Ertl.
Seizinger had won all six speed events raced earlier this season in North America and Val d'Isere, France.
In the downhill Goetschl beat her by 63/100 of a second while another Austrian, Alexandra Meissnitzer was 3rd half a second behind Katja. It's the first season's win for an Austrian and the first in a downhill since the success of Renate in Vail in December 1996.
America's Picabo Street was pleased by her strong 10th place at 1,77 behind the winner. No other US skier could score points in that competition.
In the Super-G the outsiders had again a great time : Ertl , winner in a giant slalom last week in Bormio, set an unexpected best time in front of Switzerland's veteran Heidi Zurbriggen and France's Melanie Suchet who haven't done particularly well in that specialty in the past months.
Goetschl was 4th in front of Seizinger and Meissnitzer.
Kirsten Clark was this time the best American in 27th place while Picabo Street missed a gate and gave up in the middle of the course.
Seizinger still has a comfortable lead in the various World Cup standings concerned by today's competitions : in the Overall World Cup her advance on her colleague Hilde Gerg is now close to 300 points. Ertl is now a strong 3rd in front of Compagnoni and Sweden's Ylva Nowen.
Street in 55th with 76 points. It was quite a long day for the women who had to get up early to take part in the first event which started at 9.15 AM : fortunately the weather was gorgeous and the track in perfect conditions thank to the intensive work done by the volunteers.
Goetschl, gold medal winner in the combined at the World Championships in Sestriere last year, surprised herself with an almost perfect run from top to bottom.
The 22-year-old skier from the nearby province of Styria who could only conquer one top-3 finish in the past downhills didn't expect to cruise with so much smoothness on the rather soft snow which covered the technical course.
" I feel usually better on hard snow on which I can be very aggressive but today I was may be more relaxed and confident than in the last weeks " said the Austrian who was only 17 in March 1993 when she clinched the first World Cup race in which she raced during the finals at Lillehammer. It was a slalom. Later on she became a noted speed specialist who excelled in downhill and Super-G. "It's great to do so well here in front of many of my friends who came to support me here. I'm also pretty proud to have skied faster this time than Katja Seizinger. Our team has not done so well since the season start while the men keep winning. We proved today that we are also ready for the Olympics". With Goetschl and Meissnitzer, who reached her first podium in downhill for two year, the Austrian team will definitely aim for several medals in Nagano.
Seizinger had no problem to handle her first defeats in speed events this season.
The reigning Olympic champion was even pleased to have at least reached another top-3 position in Austria. "I was not too optimistic about my chances when I found out that the course was much softer today than during the training runs" she said. "It was much slower and I skied to aggressively. I don't really mind this result , anyway I didn't plan to win all the downhills this season. In the Super-G I did too many mistakes to have a chance to win it. I will use this races as a positive experience for the next competitions. So far I have obtained much more than I thought at the beginning of the winter."
Picabo Street was also satisfied with her second top-10 place this winter. The 1996 World Champion is progressing step by step since her comeback in Val d'Isere in December.
"I'm still far away from the great physical shape I had in the past years and I need more races to built it up" she said.
"I'm happy with my mental attitude and my momentum but I don't have found back the power which I had in the past. I feel it in the turns. On the flats my skis are running well which is very encouraging. I will improve day after day and I will be ready for a good Olympic run in February. I don't put myself under pressure now : I know that I come back from a tough injury and that I need time to be again at the top. "
Martina Ertl could confirm Picabo's approach : the 24-year-old police officer from Lenggries, in Bavaria, also needed some time to find back her best form after injuring twice her right knee last season. Very consistent in giant slalom and Super-G in the past months she can now aim for more wins and medals after this second success in a week.
"I feel almost as strong than in 1996 when I could win four races including a Super-G " she said ."I didn't take all risks this morning in the downhill so that I still had much energy for the Super-G. It's a important success because it should bring me a spot in the Olympic team. Super-G is for years now a great German specialty and it's quite a struggle to qualify next to great skiers such as Katja Seizinger, Katrin Gutensohn or Hilde Gerg who all got top-3 places this winter."
"Now I plan to race in three or four events in Nagano. But before the Games, I still hope to improve my form in the technical events".
These races also confirmed the strong form of the French team in the speed events : Melanie Suchet, 2nd in a downhill in Canada in December, got her best result in a Super-G after being 5th in the downhill behind her teammate Florence Masnada. Carole Montillet and Regine Cavagnoud also came among the top-15.
Very confident also was Heidi Zurbriggen after her excellent Super-G : the 30-year-old sister of Pirmin Zurbriggen, one of the greatest champions in ski racing's history, has not finished among the top-3 for a year. It's also the first podium for her team since the season start.
"This result comes in the right moment" she explained. " I have been struggling for months now because of technical problems and it was about time to get back on front. With the help of Pirmin, I was able to fix my ski boots during the Christmas break. Now I have a better position on the skis. Yet I was hoping for a better position than the 12th place in the downhill this morning and I was quite upset when I started in the Super-G. It may have helped me to be more focused and more relaxed in the same time. I worry to much before the races : now things should improve in Cortina d'Ampezzo where I won a downhill last winter".
More disappointing were the results of Italy's double World Champion Isolde Kostner, only 7th and 10th in the downhill and the Super-G. A double bronze medal winner in Lillehammer in 1994, she needs to improve her level in the coming weeks if she wants to clinch more medals in Japan.
Women's 4th Downhill, 18.01.1998
Rank Name Nat. Total
 1 GOETSCHL Renate  AUT   1:30.10
 2 SEIZINGER Katja  GER   1:30.73
 3 MEISSNITZER Alexandra  AUT   1:31.23
 4 MASNADA Florence  FRA   1:31.30
 5 SUCHET Melanie  FRA   1:31.32
 6 SCHUSTER Stefanie  AUT   1:31.34
 7 KOSTNER Isolde  ITA   1:31.61
 8 PEREZ Bibiana  ITA   1:31.80
 9 MARKEN Ingeborg Helen  NOR   1:31.84
 10 STREET Picabo  USA   1:31.87
 10 OBERMOSER Brigitte  AUT   1:31.87
 12 MONTILLET Carole  FRA   1:31.97
 12 ZURBRIGGEN Heidi  SUI   1:31.97
 14 GERG Hilde  GER   1:32.00
 15 HAEUSL Regina  GER   1:32.05
 16 CAVAGNOUD Regine  FRA   1:32.09
 17 GLADISHIVA Svetlana  RUS   1:32.10
 18 ZELENSKAJA Warwara  RUS   1:32.15
 19 ERTL Martina  GER   1:32.22
 20 TURGEON Melanie  CAN   1:32.40
 21 DORFMEISTER Michaela  AUT   1:32.41
 22 KRISTIANSEN Kristine  NOR   1:32.48
 23 GUTENSOHN Katharina  GER   1:32.52
 24 BORGHI Catherine  SUI   1:32.53
 25 SCHNEIDER Tanja  AUT   1:32.61
 26 GIMLE Trude  NOR   1:32.67
 27 STROEM Grete  NOR   1:32.70
 28 PACE LINDSAY Kate  CAN   1:32.78
 29 BRACUN Spela  SLO   1:32.79
 30 SALCHINGER Marianna  AUT   1:32.80
 31 BASSIS Patrizia  ITA   1:32.88
 32 CLARK Kirsten L  USA   1:32.94
 33 MONAHAN Kathleen  USA   1:33.04
 34 BERTHOD Sylviane  SUI   1:33.05
 35 MERLIN Barbara  ITA   1:33.08
 36 REY BELLET Corinne  SUI   1:33.15
 37 GOETZENBRUCKER Doris  AUT   1:33.24
 38 BRAUNER Sibylle  GER   1:33.25
 39 CECCARELLI Daniela  ITA   1:33.34
 40 COLLENBERG Jeanette  SUI   1:33.35
 41 MENDES Jonna  USA   1:33.48
 42 SUHADOLC Mojca  SLO   1:33.56
 43 RUNGGALDIER Ylvie  ITA   1:33.59
 44 MERLIN Alessandra  ITA   1:33.60
 45 NORHEIM Tonje  NOR   1:33.62
 46 TAGLIABUE Elena  ITA   1:33.70
 47 THANNER Veronika  AUT   1:33.71
 48 DAETWYLER Celine  SUI   1:33.91
 49 VOGT Miriam  GER   1:33.96
 50 ROBERT Nathalie  FRA   1:34.11
 51 LARIONOVA Anna  RUS   1:34.51
 52 LEMBERGER Diana  GER   1:34.67
 53 NESTERENKO Ekaterina  RUS   1:35.03

Did not finish 1st run:
WELF Sovrana (ITA), DALLOZ Leatitia (FRA)

 Women's 4th Super-G, 18.01.1998
Rank Name Nat. Total
 1 ERTL Martina  GER   1:25.90
 2 ZURBRIGGEN Heidi  SUI   1:25.96
 3 SUCHET Melanie  FRA   1:26.26
 4 GOETSCHL Renate  AUT   1:26.32
 5 SEIZINGER Katja  GER   1:26.45
 6 MEISSNITZER Alexandra  AUT   1:26.52
 7 CAVAGNOUD Regine  FRA   1:26.70
 8 REY BELLET Corinne  SUI   1:26.80
 9 DORFMEISTER Michaela  AUT   1:26.86
 10 KOSTNER Isolde  ITA   1:26.90
 11 SCHUSTER Stefanie  AUT   1:26.95
 12 GUTENSOHN Katharina  GER   1:27.09
 13 GIMLE Trude  NOR   1:27.14
 13 MONTILLET Carole  FRA   1:27.14
 15 OBERMOSER Brigitte  AUT   1:27.19
 16 ZELENSKAJA Warwara  RUS   1:27.24
 17 BORGHI Catherine  SUI   1:27.36
 18 KRISTIANSEN Kristine  NOR   1:27.39
 19 MITTERWALLNER Christiane  AUT   1:27.46
 20 BRAUNER Sibylle  GER   1:27.50
 21 PUTZER Karen  ITA   1:27.53
 22 MERLIN Alessandra  ITA   1:27.64
 23 TURGEON Melanie  CAN   1:27.70
 23 SCHNEIDER Tanja  AUT   1:27.70
 25 GLADISHIVA Svetlana  RUS   1:27.87
 26 NORHEIM Tonje  NOR   1:27.99
 27 CLARK Kirsten L  USA   1:28.00
 27 HAEUSL Regina  GER   1:28.00
 29 BASSIS Patrizia  ITA   1:28.01
 30 MENDES Jonna  USA   1:28.04
 31 BRACUN Spela  SLO   1:28.07
 32 LALIVE Caroline  USA   1:28.08
 33 SUHADOLC Mojca  SLO   1:28.09
 34 MASNADA Florence  FRA   1:28.11
 34 WELF Sovrana  ITA   1:28.11
 36 MARKEN Ingeborg Helen  NOR   1:28.26
 36 CECCARELLI Daniela  ITA   1:28.26
 38 KALAN Anja  SLO   1:28.30
 39 HEREGGER Selina  AUT   1:28.41
 40 MERLIN Barbara  ITA   1:28.43
 41 DALLOZ Leatitia  FRA   1:28.46
 42 MONAHAN Kathleen  USA   1:28.65
 43 STROEM Grete  NOR   1:28.66
 44 BERTHOD Sylviane  SUI   1:28.76
 45 ROBERT Nathalie  FRA   1:28.84
 46 SKOGLUND Tatum  USA   1:29.09
 47 VOGT Miriam  GER   1:29.50
 48 TSCHIRKY Monika  SUI   1:29.55
 49 PACE LINDSAY Kate  CAN   1:29.56
 50 LARIONOVA Anna  RUS   1:29.78
 51 BRESCIANI Elena  ITA   1:30.13
 52 SALCHINGER Marianna  AUT   1:30.19
 53 LEMBERGER Diana  GER   1:30.40
 54 PASTINARU Simona  RUM   1:34.61

Did not finish 1st run:
STREET Picabo (USA), GERG Hilde (GER), MORALLET Alexandra (FRA), PEREZ Bibiana (ITA), KASHIWAGI Kumiko (JPN), TAGLIABUE Elena (ITA)