Czech Sarka Zahrobska won a women’s alpine World Cup slalom in Vail, Colorado, for the second straight year on Sunday, thriving on an icy course that spelled disaster for many.
The 24-year-old Zahrobska, who won the slalom world title in Are, Sweden, in 2007 and earned world championship silver at Val d’Isere earlier this year, won with a combined time of 1 minute, 43.45 seconds.
She was 0.58 seconds in front of Austrian Marlies Schild and 0.77 seconds in front of Austria’s Kathrin Zettel.
PHOTO: EPA
“The conditions were really icy, and that’s something I like,” Zahrobska said.
The American two-time overall World Cup champion Lindsey Vonn, however, was less pleased after skiing off the course less than halfway into her opening run.
“It’s just a little bit too icy for the girls. I don’t think it does anyone a service to have it this difficult,” Vonn said. “It’s essentially like pond ice. It’s like ice skating ... it’s not ski racing anymore.”
PHOTO: EPA
Vonn’s disappointment was part of a dismal day for the US team, with no Americans advancing to the second leg.
“Embarrassing,” said US women’s coach Jim Tracy, who declined to blame the conditions. “No excuses. We just didn’t ski the way we were supposed to ski, simple as that.”
Zettel, who finished second in Saturday’s giant slalom, seized the lead in the overall World Cup standings from Finland’s Poutiainen, who didn’t start because of a back injury.
Zettel leads the overall standings with 220 points, followed by Germany’s Maria Riesch on 176 and Poutiainen on 165.
German sisters Susanne and Maria Reisch missed out on podium places, settling for fourth and fifth. Maria Reisch, reigning World Cup slalom champion and winner of the first slalom of this season at Levi, Finland, remained atop the discipline standings with 145 points, with Zahrobska second on 132.
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