World Ski Championships—Women's Super G: Fenninger's Recent Progress Pays off

Almost a year on from winning the discipline's gold in Sochi, Anna Fenninger won the super-G to take the first gold medal of the 2015 Alpine World Ski Championships. As noted on the International Ski Federation's (FIS) website, the Austrian's feat made her the first woman to do so back-to-back after becoming an Olympic champion.

Windy conditions high up the Beaver Creek course meant the race was shortened with subsequent interruptions causing problems throughout. The first 10 down the hill suffered more than those who immediately followed, resulting in a comparatively smoother time of things for most of the favourites.

The winner's story

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Fenninger's super-G success will be a timely tonic for a season lighter in victories than the reigning World Cup giant slalom and overall title holder might have hoped. After splitting first place in the 2014-15 opening GS in Solden with Mikaela Shiffrin, the 25-year-old took time settling into a groove in the new campaign.

Two podium places over Christmas (including in the Val d'Isere super-G) ended Fenninger's slump before 2015 kicked into gear mid-January with three consecutive second-place finishes (two in super-G, one in downhill). Baring a resemblance to the gathering momentum which also preceded her strong Winter Olympics in Russia, she turned her encouraging form into a season-best performance on Tuesday.

Fenninger stayed on the right side of the splits throughout her run, finishing with a time of 1:10.29, 0.03 seconds ahead of Tina Maze. Only the Slovenian looked as (relatively) comfortable as Fenninger had, but the latter skier's advantage on the third time check suggested she had done enough.

So it proved, and after a moment's wait having crossed the line, an ecstatic Fenninger dropped to the snow in disbelief as she realised the reward for her effort.

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"I only watched about the fist 10 racers," Fenninger said post-race, via the FIS official website. "I didn’t know what Lindsey [Vonn] or Tina or any of the others had done, I just focused on me and what I had to do and it worked."

Her World Championships are already a success, but she will undoubtedly be keen for more.

Silver and bronze

Maze has enjoyed a good relationship with the Worlds, winning six medals (four silver and two gold) since 2009. She added a seventh with another silver on Tuesday, the latest impressive result in a busy season for the 31-year-old.

The versatile Maze has a 184-point advantage over Fenninger in her hunt for a second overall World Cup title. While likely disappointed to not secure a first win since mid-December to augment that major target, the patriotic Slovenian has represented her country well in Colorado.

Not that it should or will concern her, but Maze did not endear herself to the American crowds by passing home-favourite Lindsey Vonn into temporary first place. The US star—fresh from breaking the record for most World Cup wins last month—was the 18th down the Raptor course and was among the latter 10 to catch the worst of the wind.

Vonn turned the red lights into green over the final 20 seconds to go ahead of previous leader Cornelia Huetter (Austria) with a time of 1:10.44. The initial speed lost proved costly as regards to gold, though she was pleased with her bronze medal, a far nicer souvenir than the season-ending injuries she suffered in the same event two years ago.

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"I'm hopeful that for Friday, it's supposed to be good weather," Vonn told The Denver Post's John Meyer, reflecting on her wind-affected start. "I just want a fair race and another chance to get on the podium."

Host nation performances

Vonn was joined in the top-10 by the former super-G World Championships bronze and silver medalist Julia Mancuso. The other home-nation skiers competing, Stacey Cook and Laurenne Ross, finished 13th and 15th, respectively.

Most disappointed

Although proficient in the downhill and GS too, super-G has been Lara Gut's most productive discipline in her young career. The World Cup title holder still has a chance of repeating there, but will have to wait another two years to repeat or improve on her World Championships silver from Schladming in 2013. A winner in the downhill as recently as a fortnight ago (in St. Moritz), expect to see Gut highly motivated on Friday.

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The Swiss' seventh will be preferable to the did not finishes suffered by Austrian hopefuls Nicole Hosp and Elisabeth Goergl (and five of the other competitors). The latter was in contention to go ahead of Maze before she missed a gate at almost the same point as her compatriot.

Underdog tales

No. 29 to head down the mountain, Germany's Veronique Hronek finished an impressive 11th to record her best result of the season. Eighteen-year-old Valerie Grenier's 19th from her starting spot of 26 meant she was the best of the Canadian team.

Next up...

Weather permitting, the men race their super-G on Wednesday. The women take on the downhill this Friday.

World Championships results and leaderboard information confirmed via the FIS. Follow @Tom__C