Hoelzl takes Aspen GS for 1st World Cup victory

ASPEN, Colorado (AP)—Kathrin Hoelzl earned her first World Cup victory with two strong charges down an icy, bumpy giant slalom course she found to her liking on Saturday.

Hoelzl turned in the fastest first run by nearly a half-second and used that advantage to beat runner-up Kathrin Zettel of Austria.

“Today, it was pretty icy—I think too icy for many of the girls,” Hoelzl said. “But my (equipment) is perfect on ice.”

Federica Brignone of Italy was third, the first podium finish for the 19-year-old daughter of Maria Rosa Quario, who won four World Cup slaloms from 1979-83.

“She gives me advice about life,” Brignone said, “not about skiing.”

Hoelzl finished with a total time of 2 minutes, 9.63 seconds in the first North American stop on the circuit. Zettel was 0.24 back, the only competitor within a second of the winner.

Reigning Olympic giant slalom champion Julia Mancuso of the United States was 13th in 2:12.79.

Hoelzl’s 2008 world championship in the giant slalom was seen as something of a fluke, in part because she’d never won a World Cup race. Now the German has taken care of that gap on her resume.

Her previous best World Cup finishes both came in giant slaloms: a second place in March 2007, and a third in January 2009.

Among the top racers who faltered was two-time overall champion Lindsey Vonn of the United States, who failed to qualify for the second run.

Maria Riesch of Germany finished 14th, and Tanja Poutiainen of Finland wound up 26th of the 27 women who completed the second run.

Poutiainen won the season’s first World Cup giant slalom—edging second-place Zettel at Soelden, Austria, last month—but had complained of a bad back heading into Aspen.