Tanja Poutiainen takes fifth career World Cup win - returns to overall lead

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Tanja Poutiainen was all smiles in Zagreb, Croatia last night. The 24-year-old Rovaniemi native won her third slalom World Cup event of the season, strengthening her lead in the discipline’s World Cup standings to 120 points over Austrian Marlies Schild, who finished third yesterday.
      Poutiainen also regained control in the women’s overall World Cup points, although her lead over Austria’s Renate Götschl is only a slim eight points.
     
"I feel wonderful. The competition was great, and the atmosphere was incredible", Poutiainen commented after the race. "I went full throttle on the second run, but sensibly anyway. It went more or less according to my plans. In the first run I had a small mistake at the end."
      Poutiainen was third after the first leg of the competition. She eventually beat second-place finisher, American Kristina Koznick by 0.07 seconds. Home favourite Janica Kostelic, who poses a serious threat to Poutiainen in the battle for the overall World Cup title, straddled a gate in the first leg and was thus forced to retire.
     
Poutiainen has won five World Cup events in her career, with four of the victories recorded this season. She tried the Super-G once this season, but otherwise focuses solely on slalom and giant slalom.
      "I do not think about the overall situation actively. Slalom and giant slalom are my thing, and foremost in my thoughts", Poutiainen remarked. "The most important thing is the lead in the slalom World Cup, and retaining it."
      Poutiainen also leads the giant slalom World Cup standings at present. Her quest continues in Maribor, Slovenia over the weekend, with both a slalom and giant slalom scheduled.
      Finland’s second representative, Henna Raita, finished 26th in Zagreb, over three seconds behind the lead.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Ahonen wins first Four Hills event; Poutiainen extends World Cup lead (30.12.2004)

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