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January 24, 2014

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Goergl finds her groove in lead up to the Olympics

Elisabeth Goergl of Austria took advantage of an early start number to win a World Cup super-G yesterday in Cortina D’Ampezzo and boost her status as a medal contender at the Sochi Olympics.

Wearing the No. 9 bib, Goergl timed 1 minute, 24.23 seconds down the Olympia delle Tofane course.

With changing light making it more difficult for the top-ranked skiers starting 16-22, overall World Cup leader Maria Hoefl-Riesch finished second, 0.04 seconds behind.

Nicole Hosp of Austria was another early starter and she finished third, 0.34 back.

It was the sixth win of Goergl’s World Cup career and her victories are now spread evenly between giant slalom (2), super-G (2) and downhill (2).

Goergl also swept gold medals in both super-G and downhill at the 2011 world championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, and took bronze in both downhill and giant slalom at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

With her last win coming in a downhill in Altenmarkt two weeks ago, her form is right on track for the Sochi Games, which open February 7.

“Yes, I feel very comfortable on my material,” said Goergl, who let out a loud scream when she finished her run and saw the No. 1 next to her name. “The shape is growing, and I’m happy that I can ski the way that I want to ski, and that I’m healthy.”

Goergl’s mother, Traudl Hecher, won bronze medals at the 1960 and ‘64 Olympics. Her older brother Stephan was also a World Cup skier, although he retired midway through last season.

“Of course I saw all the trophies of my mom. And I was very psyched the very first time on skis,” Goergl said. “I always wanted to go faster.”

In the overall standings, Hoefl-Riesch holds a 107-point lead over Fenninger.

 


 

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