ALPINE SKI WORLD CUP 1997/98
Are (SWE) Women's 7th Giant Slalom. 28.Jan.1998
Germany's Martina Ertl Shows Olympic Promise in Giant Slalom

Are, Sweden, February 1--Germany's Martina Ertl won her third consecutive giant slalom race this season in a race which took place under floodlight for the first time in the World Cup history.
The 24-year-old Bavarian from Lenggries beat by 86/100 Switzerland's Sonja Nef and by 1.50 second Anna Ottosson from nearby Oestersund.

Spain's Ana Galindo Santolaria, 2nd after the first run, moved back to 4th place after the second leg in front of France's Sophie Lefranc-Duvillard, 3rd last Sunday in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy behind Ertl and Katja Seizinger.
This is Ertl's fourth success this season since she won a Super-G two weeks ago in Austria. It is her eleventh World Cup victory in her career.
Some of the favorites had problems with the slippery course in the first run and skied out. This was the case for Sweden's Pernilla Wiberg, last year's Overall World Cup champion, Norway's Andrine Flemmen and Italy's Deborah Compagnoni who crashed only a few gates after the start.
This incident may cost her a lot at the end of the season since she lost the leadership in the giant slalom World Cup to Ertl who passed her after this seventh giant slalom race in that season. The German leads now with 511points, six more than the triple World Champion who has finished all her giant slaloms for more than a year. She has not skied out since the race in Park City, Utah, held in November 1996.
There is only one more giant slalom race scheduled this winter at the finals in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.
Katja Seizinger also had some problems in the second run in which she crashed while trying to come back among the best after a disappointing first leg. This helped Martina Ertl to come closer to her in the Overall World Cup standings in which Katja is ahead with 1,424 points, 328 more than Ertl and 400 more than Hilde Gerg.
Canada's tiny Edith Rozsa was the best skier from North America in 21st position. It is the first time ever she was able to qualify for a second run in giant slalom. Sarah Schleper from USA also had a great day. Despite her high start number 47, the American was able to score her first World Cup points in that race.
Since she finished 3rd at the World Championships in Morioka, Japan, Martina Ertl is one of the toughest giant slalom specialists on the World Cup tour. 2nd at the Olympics in Lillehammer in 1994 behind Compagnoni, she had her best season in 1996 when she won several races and the final giant slalom World Cup standings. She lost her winning form last season after injuring the same knee twice. She only finished 12th at the World Championships in Sestriere, Italy.

A police officer at the German customs, Ertl proved her ability at the start of the season when she finished 2nd at the first giant slalom in Tignes. Two months later, she was aiming for her first win since 1996 in Val d'Isere but crashed twice in the second run to finish at a distant 20th place.
However, the eleven points she scored that day may be very valuable in two months after the last giant slalom competition of the winter. She can win her second crystal globe in Switzerland as long as she remains ahead of Compagnoni in that final competition.
"It's quite an unexpected situation," she said after the race. "I felt confident before this season but I didn't plan to do so well and win four races within few weeks. Deborah was unlucky today to ski out but this can happen to each of us. It's difficult to be a favorite. I remember how tough it was for me in 1996 at the World Championships in Sierra Nevada after I did so well in the previous events. In the first run I lost over two seconds on the leader."
"I have worked hard to come back at that level and I feel very sure in this moment. In the first run today I was able to give my best from the start on. It was a short one and it was important to be very aggressive from the first to the last gate and not to make mistakes. In the second run I got nervous when I heard that Katja Seizinger didn't finish. I didn't try as hard again. It was the good choice," Ertl said. "It's nice to be the first skier to win a night giant slalom race. I enjoy it a lot because the visibility was excellent--much better than in day time. I remember a race here three years ago: it was flat light and everybody had problems to see the ruts. It was a positive experience."
This is also the opinion of the other top skiers such as Sonja Nef, who achieved her best result in a long time. She was 3rd last winter in a giant slalom race in Cortina d'Ampezzo. The only event she won so far, a slalom in Sestriere, Italy, was also held under floodlight. This second place result means a lot to her after her slow season start. Last Summer and Autumn she mostly trained by herself without the team to regain her own rhythm after injuring herself at the end of the 1996/97 season.
"It's great to conquer this second place thanks to my excellent second run," she　said with a smile. "I have been often criticized by the media for my poor results in past second runs so I wanted to prove today that I'm able to remain cool and aggressive the same. I felt for a while now that I had the potential to catch such a good result but I needed to put everything together to come back at the top. I was confident before this race even after my disappointing result in Cortina d'Ampezzo where I was far behind the best. Now I will work hard to find back all my feeling in slalom. The night races suit me: I may be lucky again on Thursday."
The local crowd who attended the race with the hope to of seeing Sweden's sweetheart Pernilla Wiberg get a top result wasn't too disappointed by the conclusion of the race which saw Anna Ottosson reached her first World Cup podium ever.
The charming skier from Oestersund moved up from 5th to 3rd place thanks to her very aggressive second run.
"I saw the chance and I took it," she said afterwards while the public was singing in her honor. "I'm used to skiing in the night and I know this course very well for having skied on it for a long time. It's fantastic to reach such a result here in front of my friends and my family."
Her teammate Ylva Nowen, also from Oestersund, will also try to achieve such a result. Winner in four consecutive slaloms in December and January, the graceful Nowen came in at a strong 11th place in that giant slalom.

Skiers to watch in the night slalom are Germany's Hilde Gerg, winner in Bormio,　America's Kristina Koznick, very motivated after a nice break at home and Slovenia's Spela Pretnar, twice 3rd in Bormio. The skier from Bled was 7th in the giant slalom after clocking the third best time in the second run. She looks ready for her first win in a slalom here or later on in Japan.
Women's 7th Giant Slalom, 28.01.1998
Rank Name Nat. Total
 1 ERTL Martina  GER   2:06.00
 2 NEF Sonja  SUI   2:06.86
 3 OTTOSSON Anna  SWE   2:07.50
 4 GALINDO SANTOLARIA Ana  SPA   2:07.61
 5 LEFRANC-DUVILLARD Sophie  FRA   2:07.72
 6 MEISSNITZER Alexandra  AUT   2:07.77
 7 PRETNAR Spela  SLO   2:08.36
 8 PICCARD Leila  FRA   2:08.55
 9 HEEB Birgit  LIE   2:08.61
 10 ROTEN MEIER Karin  SUI   2:08.78
 11 NOWEN Ylva  SWE   2:09.14
 12 DOVZAN Alenka  SLO   2:09.23
 13 PUTZER Karen  ITA   2:09.48
 14 KOSTNER Isolde  ITA   2:09.51
 15 ZURBRIGGEN Heidi  SUI   2:09.62
 16 GERG Hilde  GER   2:09.68
 17 PANZANINI Sabina  ITA   2:09.76
 18 BERTHOD Sylviane  SUI   2:10.82
 19 DUVILLARD Kristina  FRA   2:10.98
 20 KOELLERER Karin  AUT   2:11.10
 21 ROZSA Edith  CAN   2:11.52
 22 MITTERWALLNER Christiane  AUT   2:11.54
 23 IKEDA Kazuko  JPN   2:12.34
 24 SCHLEPER Sarah  USA   2:13.48

Did not start 1st run:
EGGER Sabine (AUT)

Did not finish 1st run:
KAEYHKOE Pia (FIN), SEKINO Fujiko (FRA), COMPAGNONI Deborah (ITA), FLEMMEN Andrine (NOR), IBARRA ASTELARRA Ainhoa (SPA), WIBERG Pernilla (SWE), HANSSON Erika (SWE), YDESKOG Linda (SWE), FORTKORD Martina (SWE), HAELLDAHL Sandra (SWE), NEUENSCHWANDER Katrin (SUI), BORGHI Catherine (SUI), HROVAT Urska (SLO), BRACUN Spela (SLO)

Did not finish 2nd run:
SCHUSTER Stefanie (AUT), POUTIAINEN Tanja (FIN), GERG Annemarie (GER), SEIZINGER Katja (GER), KUMMER Lilian (SUI), REY BELLET Corinne (SUI)

Did not qualify 2nd run:
GOETSCHL Renate (AUT), OBERMOSER Brigitte (AUT), CAVAGNOUD Regine (FRA), JACQUEMOD Ingrid (FRA), HAEUSL Regina (GER), DE MARTIN TROPANIN Tiziana (ITA), KASHIWAGI Kumiko (JPN), HIROI Noriyo (JPN), KVINLOG Gro (NOR), NILSEN Stina Hofgard (NOR), SHAFFER Alexandra (USA), CLARK Kirsten L (USA), BOKAL Natasa (SLO), SUHADOLC Mojca (SLO)