Tanja Poutiainen

Font size: AP Finland's Tanja Poutiainen, center, winner of an alpine ski, women's World Cup giant slalom race, celebrates on the podium with second placed Austria's Kathrin Zettel, left, and third placed Italy's Denise Karbon, in Soelden, Austria on October 24. (AP Photo) SOELDEN, October 24 (AP): Tanja Poutiainen of Finland won the opening race of the ski season by the smallest of margins Saturday, edging Kathrin Zettel of Austria by just one one-hundreth of a second in the giant slalom on the Rettenbach glacier.  Poutiainen was trailing Zettel at the final checkpoint but used her experience to make up time on the flatter ... Read Full Story

OFTERSCHWANG, Germany, March 6 (Reuters) - Austria's Kathrin Zettel took a huge step towards her first giant slalom World Cup title when she took her fourth victory of the season in the discipline on Friday. The Austrian super-combined world champion clocked a combined time of two minutes and 36.48 seconds on the German piste and now leads her closest rival for the crystal globe, Tanja Poutiainen, by 41 points. The Finn was third, 0.52 seconds adrift, Elisabeth Goergl completing an Austrian double in second place, just 0.12 behind her compatriot. "It was important to show I had not lost my touch after two weeks ... Read Full Story

Kathrin Hoelzl surprised the field to win the women's giant slalom at the World Ski Championships here Thursday and hand Germany its first medal of the two-week competition. The 24-year-old German, who was in fourth position after the first run, recorded the sixth-fastest second run to clock a combined 2min 03.49sec on the Bellevarde piste which proved treacherous as the piste began to break up. "It's incredible, I can't believe it," said Hoelzl. "When I saw Tina Maze's run, I said to myself that it would be hard to beat but that I'd have to do it like her, to attack all the time. ... Read Full Story

Kathrin Hoelzl surprised the field to win the women's giant slalom at the World Ski Championships here Thursday and hand Germany its first medal of the two-week competition. The 24-year-old German, who was in fourth position after the first run, recorded the sixth-fastest second run to clock a combined 2min 03.49sec on the Bellevarde piste which proved treacherous as the piste began to break up. In the absence of American Lindsey Vonn - out with a cut thumb, Hoelzl finished 0.09sec ahead of Slovenia's Tina Maze. Tanja Poutiainen of Finland, reigning Olympic silver medallist in the discipline and also a double silver medallist in ... Read Full Story

Kathrin Zettel took advantage of an early start and led the opening run of the women's giant slalom at the world championships on Thursday. The Austrian is seeking her second gold medal after winning the super-combi last week. The first skier out of the gate, Zettel timed 59.53 seconds down the steep Bellevarde course, which was used for men's speed races. Tanja Poutiainen of Finland placed second, 0.40 seconds behind, and Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany was third, 0.57 back. Results were not yet official because some lower-ranked skiers had yet to race. The Bellevarde is the steepest course the women have raced on all ... Read Full Story