Jenny continues PGS trend with first-time win while Karl bags 19th victory
Jan 26, 2023·Alpine Snowboard
The first day of two days of competition in Blue Mountain (CAN) on Thursday (26 January) saw the trend continue in the women’s PGS this season with a fourth first-time winner out of a quartet of races with Ladina Jenny (SUI) claiming the spoils ahead of Lucia Dalmasso (ITA). Sabine Schoeffmann (AUT), the parallel slalom winner in Winterberg (GER) in the season-opener in December, beat compatriot Claudia Riegler to claim third.
Benjamin Karl secured a 19th World Cup victory, repeating the win last time the race was held here in the 2019/20 season. This time though, Karl enjoyed the glory alone after he and Italy's Mirko Felicetti previously made history with a first-ever tie for top spot in a parallel World Cup event. Karl was up against Felicetti again but beat him in the first knockout round in another super-close race, by just 0.15s. In the small final Oskar Kwiatkowski (POL) bested a resurgent Lee Sangho (KOR), the top qualifier today and last year's overall globe winner.
Jenny joined Michelle Dekker (NED), the conqueror in Carezza (ITA), Gloria Kotnik (SLO), Cortina’s queen, and Carolin Langenhorst (GER) the best in Scuol (SUI), in becoming a first-time World Cup winner this season. The big final would have seen a debutant top-stepper no matter what as Jenny was up against Dalmasso whose best result prior to this race was fourth in the PGS in Cortina in December.
The pair initially kept pace with each other until Dalmasso fell, leaving Jenny free to cross the finish line unencumbered, screaming with delight. The win moves Jenny up to second in the PGS standings on 216 points with three races to go, behind defending PGS champion Ramona Theresia Hofmeister on 227. The German’s hopes of claiming a fourth consecutive overall title drifted further from her grasp as the 26-year-old was unable to capitalise on her rivals’ early exits.
Julie Zogg (SUI) who surged into the lead in the combined standings after a pair of wins in Bansko (BUL) last weekend was knocked out in the round of 16 by Riegler, in what is admittedly not her strongest event. The 2019 PSL world champion will be looking to eke out a few more points in Friday’s race to keep her in the overall reckoning.
The tour leader in PSL and overall rankings prior to the Bansko weekend, Daniela Ulbing (AUT) – who would have been disappointed to slip down the rankings despite second and fourth places in Bulgaria – was herself knocked out by giant slayer, Riegler, in the quarter finals.
Despite being beaten by Jenny in the round of 16, by a close 0.99s, Langenhorst collected enough points to sit third in the PGS table on 176, dropping just one place, while Poland’s Aleksandra Krol remains fourth, on 167, despite falling to Ulbing in the first knockout round.
“It’s my first win in World Cup and I’m really happy with that,” said Jenny post-race. On being asked about her preparations for tomorrow’s race, the 29-year-old smiled. “Right now, I just feel the emotions and then focus on tomorrow. Hopefully as good as today."
Zogg stays atop the overall standings on 453 with Ulbing just behind on 431. The two are streets ahead of third-placed Hofmeister on 372 but no one will discount the four-time champion just yet with another PGS tomorrow. Jenny is fourth on 360 while Schoeffmann sits fifth on 359.
Standings after 4 of 7 races on the women’s PGS tour
1 Ramona Theresia Hofmeister (GER) 227 points
2 Ladina Jenny (SUI) 216 points
3 Carolin Langenhorst (GER) 176 points
4 Aleksandra Krol (POL) 167 points
Standings after 8 of 13 races on the women's overall tour
1 Julie Zogg (SUI) 453 points
2 Daniela Ulbing (AUT) 431 points
3 Ramona Theresia Hofmeister (GER) 372 points
4 Ladina Jenny (SUI) 360 points
Two of the big names in men’s giant slalom, Stefan Baumeister (GER) and the in-form Maurizio Bormolini (ITA) had both been knocked out in the men’s edition before we even got to the quarter finals. The pair dropped points going out to Kwiatkowski and Radoslav Yankov (BUL), respectively. The Bulgarian was on a high after claiming fourth place at his home race last weekend but went out in the next round to that man Kwiatkowski.
The quarter finals saw an icon showdown between compatriots Andreas Prommegger and Benjamin Karl, but it was Beijing Olympic gold medallist Karl who came out on top. Leading by half-a-second at the halfway, by race end Prommegger was only 0.11s behind but behind he was and his lead at the top of the PGS standings was cut by Kwiatkowski from 66 to 51 with the pair on 285 and 234, respectively. Karl now sits in third on 209.
“It feels great,” said Karl afterwards bfore commenting on the icy slope. “It’s my first podium this year and it’s a victory but it was so rough today, it was really hard conditions. It was one of the hardest runs I’ve ever had I think.
“Last time I had the tie victory with Mirko Felicetti who I kicked out in the eight finals (today), and yeah, it’s two in a row. I love Canada. In 2010 I had my silver medal in the Olympics and since then I always like to be here in Canada.”
The top three remain the same on the combined table where Bormolini still leads the charge, on 392, with Prommegger second (382) and Alexander Payer (AUT), who came seventh today after being knocked out in the quarter finals by Sangho, in third (353). Fabian Obmann (AUT) rises to fourth on 316 with Karl just four points behind on 312.
Standings after 4 of 7 races on the men’s PGS tour
1 Andreas Prommegger (AUT) 285 points
2 Oskar Kwiatkowski (POL) 234 points
3 Benjamin Karl (AUT) 209 points
4 Roland Fischnaller (ITA) 184 points
Standings after 8 of 13 races on the men's overall tour
1 Maurizio Bormolini (ITA) 392 points
2 Andreas Prommegger (AUT) 382 points
3 Alexander Payer (AUT) 353 points
4 Fabian Obmann (AUT) 316 points
A second PGS race takes place on Friday (27 January) in the last World Cup race before the snowboard alpine troop head to the FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships taking place in Bakuriani, Georgia from 19 February to 5 March. The Snowboard Alpine disciplines take place 19 February (PGS), 21 February (PSL), and conclude with mixed parallel slalom on 22 February.
A return to the World Cup tour sees Livigno (ITA) host both disciplines on 11-12 March. Races in Rogla (SLO) on 15 March and Berchtesgaden (GER) on 18-19 March round out the season.
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