ALPINE:

Gagnon 7th, Mielzynski 13th in Zwiesel World Cup slalom

Feb. 4, 2011

ZWIESEL, Germany ― Marlies Schild of Austria won a World Cup slalom on Friday for her fifth victory of the season, while Lindsey Vonn missed the race because of a concussion.

Canada's Marie-Michele Gagnon was terrific, finishing seventh, while Erin Mielzynski turned in a stellar 13th-place effort, a career best.

Schild moved from third to first with a fast second run for a combined time of 1 minute, 55.19 seconds in foggy conditions and strong wind at the top of the Arber course.

Veronika Zuzulova of Slovakia was second in 1:55.87 for her best career finish. Tanja Poutiainen of Finland was third. Overall leader Maria Riesch of Germany fell in the first heat.

Vonn decided to skip the race although she was cleared by doctors on Friday.

She told The Associated Press on the eve of the race she suffered a concussion in a crash Wednesday while practicing a giant slalom in Austria.

Vonn will not lose any ground on rival and friend Riesch. The German, who leads Vonn by 145 points, crashed in the first heat on the foggy course.

"It's always upsetting to fall," Riesch said. "I didn't get into a good rhythm at the top. But I am not going to let myself be bothered by this small setback. I know I will be back stronger."

Vonn's withdrawal means the American has failed to complete the last five slalom races. She fell in the first heat in each of the previous four.

Schild has won five of seven slaloms this season and has 28 World Cup wins in her career.

"It was very difficult. The visibility was bad and the wind was strong at the top," Schild said.

Maria Pietilae-Holmner of Sweden led after the first heat but nearly skied off the course in the second run and dropped to eighth.

A giant slalom is slated for Saturday on the Arber course.

It was the final race before the World Championships next week in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Gagnon's result was a career-best in a World Cup slalom event.

Gagnon, of Lac-Etchemin, Que., crossed the finish line with a two-run combined time of 1:58.05.

"Both courses were pretty difficult and irregular, which left a lot of space for those who attacked it," said Gagnon, who started with bib No. 31. "I was really happy to qualify for the second run, because when your start bib is outside of the top 30, you know the course will be in bad shape and that there will be a lot of ruts.

"Qualifying for the second run was exactly what I wanted," added Gagnon, who clocked the third-fastest time of the second run. "For the second run, I just gave it my best. There was a lot of fog, but that doesn't really matter in slalom because you basically just need to see the next gate in front of you. There was wind as well, but not enough to disturb the race."

Guelph, Ont.,-based Erin Mielzynski also had a career-best result with a 13th-place finish. She crossed the line with a combined time of 1:59.76.

Mielzynski, who was the first out of the gate in the second run, clocked the fifth-fastest time. That was despite the fact that Mielzynski injured herself during her first run.

"Erin took a gate in the face and cut her chin," said technical head coach Jim Pollock. "We all thought she would ski out but she really fought for it and managed to qualify for the second run. The doctor wanted to bring her to the hospital immediately after the first run, but she really wanted to do the second run."

The 20-year-old was not able to inspect the second run before her race, which is a crucial part of ski racing.

"She couldn't do the second run inspection because she was getting her chin taped and looked at by the doctor," added Pollock. "The only thing she had before starting the second run was a detailed course report from the coaches."

Mielzynski kept her calm and fought all the way from top to bottom to record her best slalom finish.

"She was in the lead for about eight racers, but left right after that to go to the hospital," said Pollock. "I was really impressed with Erin today. It was a really gutsy move and she dealt with adversity and the injury admirably."

Anna Goodman of Mont-Tremblant, Que., also qualified for the second run but didn't make it to the bottom of the course.

"I think she was a little bit too aggressive for the tight course that was set today, but had she finished we would have had three girls in the top 15," said Pollock.

Eve Routhier of Sherbrook, Que., was 0.28 seconds shy of qualifying for the second run. Marie-Pierre Préfontaine from Saint-Sauveur, Que., and Mont-Tremblant, Que., who finished fifth in Thursday's FIS World Championships in Crans Montana, Switzerland, was not able to finish the first run.

The women will take part in their final race prior to the start of the FIS World Championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, with Saturday's giant slalom event. S-Magazine

— The Canadian Press and Alpine Canada contributed to this report

Zwiesel women's World Cup slalom results