Alpine skier Tanja Poutiainen lands third and second positions in World Cup races over weekend

First World Cup slalom podium for two years

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Finland's top Alpine skier Tanja Poutiainen was all smiles after the Sunday World Cup slalom race in Sierra Nevada, Spain. She came in second in the race, which was won by Marlies Schild of Austria. Schild has already secured this season’s World Cup title in the discipline.
      For Poutiainen this was the first time in over two years that she landed in the top three in a WC slalom event. The previous time the 26-year-old Rovaniemi native was on the podium in a slalom event was in January 2005.
     
Schild beat Poutiainen by 0.32 seconds. Third-placed Veronika Zuzulova of Slovakia came in 0.93 seconds behind the winner.
      After the first round Poutiainen was in fourth place. In her second effort, however, she gained on Schild by 0.86 seconds, while producing the third fastest run of the round behind Nicole Hosp of Austria and Chiara Costazza of Italy.
      "It was a daring attempt. I held nothing back, and it went all right", Poutiainen explained.
     
Austria’s Schild, in turn, secured the 14th World Cup victory of her career. This winter she has dominated the slalom scene in exhibition style by winning six of the season’s seven events. In the World Championships, however, she had to settle for a silver medal.
      In the battle for the overall World Cup Championship Schild’s greatest rival is her compatriot Renate Götschl. Poutiainen, in turn, is currently in second spot in the giant slalom World Cup, 36 points behind the leader Hosp.
     
On Saturday, Poutiainen came in third in a World Cup giant slalom event behind Austrians Michaela Kirchgasser and Nicole Hosp.
      After the first run Poutiainen was in the lead, but was perhaps needlessly cautious in her second attempt.
      "At the end of the second run I was playing it safe. I got the feeling, 'Oh no, I could have done this quicker'. Finding the balance between doing it right and overdoing it is sometimes tricky", Poutiainen sighed.
      For Kirchgasser, 21, Saturday’s victory was her first on the World Cup circuit.
      "This is unbelievable", the young Austrian rejoiced. "First the team event gold in the World Championships in Åre, and now my first World Cup victory. I knew I had an individual win in me, I just didn’t expect it today."


Links:
  FIS pages: Tanja Poutiainen

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