Schild finally basks in slalom glory at world championships
Source: Agencies |
February 20, 2011, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
Marlies Schild maintained her perfect record of winning every slalom race she has completed this season yesterday to put a golden seal on her brilliant career at the world championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.
Victory at a worlds or Olympics had always eluded the 29-year-old Austrian despite having the second highest total of World Cup wins but she finally topped the podium by edging out teammate Kathrin Zettel.
Sweden's in-form Maria Pietilae-Holmner, who won a silver medal in the giant slalom at home in Are in 2007, took the bronze after picking up a place on her second descent.
Zettel finished 0.34 seconds behind over two runs on the Gudiberg course to complete the domination of the championships by Austrian women who bagged four of five gold medals on offer.
"This is far more than just another medal in my collection," Schild told reporters after winning in a combined time of one minute 45.79 seconds.
"This is everything I was looking for, all I needed. Whatever you might think, a gold medal is something else."
Despite her victory Schild's immediate thoughts were for boyfriend Benjamin Raich who tore his knee ligaments in the team event three days ago.
"It's important in the hard times we're going through," she said. "I was very sad about Benni's injury and I still am."
The Salzburg skier has had her own bitter experience with injuries with knee damage keeping her out of action two seasons ago before she returned to become the world's most prolific slalomist still on the tour.
Only Switzerland's Vreni Schneider stands in front of her total of 26 World Cup slalom wins.
"I was one of the favorites but it was a very tough race, without a second to relax," said Schild, who since returning from her knee problems has won every slalom she had finished except one - the Olympic race in Whistler when she lost to Germany's Maria Riesch.
Riesch, the Garmisch-born defending champion, lost her crown in front of her home crowd and even missed the podium, finishing fourth, leaving the host country without a gold medal with only the men's slalom race left today.
(Reuters)
Victory at a worlds or Olympics had always eluded the 29-year-old Austrian despite having the second highest total of World Cup wins but she finally topped the podium by edging out teammate Kathrin Zettel.
Sweden's in-form Maria Pietilae-Holmner, who won a silver medal in the giant slalom at home in Are in 2007, took the bronze after picking up a place on her second descent.
Zettel finished 0.34 seconds behind over two runs on the Gudiberg course to complete the domination of the championships by Austrian women who bagged four of five gold medals on offer.
"This is far more than just another medal in my collection," Schild told reporters after winning in a combined time of one minute 45.79 seconds.
"This is everything I was looking for, all I needed. Whatever you might think, a gold medal is something else."
Despite her victory Schild's immediate thoughts were for boyfriend Benjamin Raich who tore his knee ligaments in the team event three days ago.
"It's important in the hard times we're going through," she said. "I was very sad about Benni's injury and I still am."
The Salzburg skier has had her own bitter experience with injuries with knee damage keeping her out of action two seasons ago before she returned to become the world's most prolific slalomist still on the tour.
Only Switzerland's Vreni Schneider stands in front of her total of 26 World Cup slalom wins.
"I was one of the favorites but it was a very tough race, without a second to relax," said Schild, who since returning from her knee problems has won every slalom she had finished except one - the Olympic race in Whistler when she lost to Germany's Maria Riesch.
Riesch, the Garmisch-born defending champion, lost her crown in front of her home crowd and even missed the podium, finishing fourth, leaving the host country without a gold medal with only the men's slalom race left today.
(Reuters)
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
