2012/2013 Winter Sports Thread

[Smallville22]

Cross-Country Skiing World Cup

Kowalczyk wins fourth Tour de Ski title

Justyna Kowalczyk wrapped up her fourth straight Tour de Ski title in Val Di Fiemme, France.
The Polish skier and the Tour de Ski have gone hand in hand in recent years with the 29-year-old having finished top of the pile in the previous three years.
And the 2010 Olympic 30km classical champion looked on course to make it four wins from four as she held a lead of more than two minutes over her nearest challenger Therese Johaug of Norway heading into Sunday’s final event – the 9km free final climb pursuit.
And Kowalczyk did not disappoint, tackling the tough course head on and crossing the finish line in 35:52.5 for the victory.
Johaug put up a good fight but finished second, 27.9 seconds behind, with her Norwegian compatriot Kristin Stoermer Steira finishing third.


Legkov becomes first Russian Tour de Ski winner

Alexander Legkov wrote his name into the history books as he became the first Russian to win the men’s Tour de Ski title.
The 29-year-old had stolen the lead from Petter Northug in the penultimate race just 24 hours earlier, with Swiss skier Dario Cologna also in the mix as he was looking to claim his fourth title in five years.
But it wasn't to be as Legkov upped the pace early on and stormed away to take the victory in 31:03.4 minutes, Cologna having to settle for second almost 20 seconds further back.
And there was more for the Russian team to celebrate as Maxim Vylegzhanin completed the podium as he cross the line third in 31:44.1 minutes.
Northug, who had lead before the last race, just missed out on a podium place as he crossed the line in fourth.
And there was also something to celebrate for Sweden's Marcus Hellner as his time of 29:59.6 minutes was the fastest on the day, earning him the King of the Hill accolade.

 

[Smallville22]

Biathlon World Cup

Malyshko doubles up in Oberhof

It was a weekend to remember in Oberhof for Dmitry Malyshko as the Russian claimed his second World Cup win in 24 hours as he stormed to victory in the men's 12.5km pursuit.
Fresh from winning the 10km sprint Malyshko returned to the German track looking to continue what had already been an impressive trip for Russia, with compatriot Olga Zaitseva having won the women's 10km pursuit earlier on Sunday and the men's team also claiming victory in Friday's relay.
And the 25-year-old did exactly that as he was perfect with the rifle to cross the line in 32:22.9 minutes for his third trip to the top step of the podium in Germany.
There was even more for Russia to cheer as Evgeniy Garanichev crossed in second with one penalty, 42.1 seconds further back, while Ondrej Moravec from the Czech Republin finished third.
Martin Fourcade could only manage 14th in the 12.5km pursuit but the Frenchman is still top of the overall World Cup standings, although his lead has been cut to 46 points as nearest challenger Emil Hegle Svendsen was fourth in Oberhof.
Malyshko's double winning performance has propelled him up the rankings and the Russian is now fourth on 324 points, 40 behind compatriot Evgeny Ustyugov.



Zaitseva continues Russian dominance in Oberhof

Olga Zaitseva ensured the feel-good factor surrounding the Russian biathlon team continued in Oberhof as she recorded her first World Cup win of the season.
The 34-year-old watched on as compatriot Dmitry Malyshko raced to victory 24 hours earlier in the men's sprint.
And Zaitseva repeated the trick in the women's 10km pursuit on Sunday, climbing the top of the podium thanks to a time of 32:01.9 minutes.
Czech skier Veronika Vitkova was 25.9 seconds back in second for her first-ever podium finish, while Ukrainian Valj Semerenko took third.
Tora Berger was uncharacteristically wayward with the rifle as she finished fourth with seven penalties, but she wasn't alone.
German Miriam Gossner raced into an early lead but missed all five of her targets in the first shoot and left herself with too much to come back – eventually finishing tenth.
Despite not being her usual self with the rifle Berger still sits pretty atop the overall World Cup standings on 485 points, 108 ahead of nearest challenger Gossner.


Crazy Graf points rifle at own face

Biathlete Florian Graf risked his life and shocked onlookers when he pointed a loaded rifle at his face while competing in the World Cup in his native Germany.
The 24-year-old was competing in a biathlon sprint race - which combines cross-country skiing with shooting at targets - at Oberhof when his rifle sight became blocked by snow.
As horrified spectators and TV viewers watched on, Graf turned the rifle around and aimed it at his mouth while he tried to blow away the obstruction.
Biathletes' weapons are loaded with live ammunition and can be triggered by as little as half a kilogramme of pressure.
Graf was disqualified from the race, and British Eurosport expert Mike Dixon said the sport's governing body, the IBU, could hand him a lengthy ban.
Dixon, who represented Great Britain in biathlon and cross-country skiing at six Winter Olympic Games from 1984 to 2002, explained just how dangerous Graf's actions were.
"The bullet's exit speed is 500 miles per hour, it's deadly, and you absolutely do not want to be looking down the sharp end of that barrel," he said.
"If you have snow on your sights you have to keep the rifle pointing down the range and then blow down the sight from the safe side - don't ever turn the rifle towards your head.
"And even the arc that crosses through the crowd - you never, ever point the rifle towards the spectators."
The 10km sprint race was won by Russia's Dmitry Malyshko.

 

[Smallville22]

Luge World Cup

Moller kickstarts campaign with Konigssee victory

Olympic silver medallist David Moller's World Cup campaign finally burst into life as he claimed his first victory of the luge season in Konigssee, Germany.
After finishing second and third in the opening two World Cup events German Moeller had failed to reach the podium in the subsequent two events.
But the 30-year-old changed all that in style on home ice as he recorded a total time of 1:39.526 minutes for the win.
Russian Albert Demchenko was second, 0.064 seconds behind Moeller, while Italian Dominik Fischnaller was third, pushing Felix Loch into fourth – the first time this season the German has failed to finish on a World Cup podium.
Despite his worst result of the season Loch holds on to his overall World Cup lead as he sits pretty on 415 points, with compatriot Andi Langenhan second on 350 after finishing sixth in Konigssee.
Moller is now third overall after his maiden victory of the season, one point ahead of Demchenko.
There was more to cheer for the home fans in Konigssee as Germany's Johannes Ludwig set a new start record of 3.259 seconds, but he could only finish ninth.

 

[Smallville22]

Ski Jumping World Cup

Schlierenzauer defends Four Hills title

Gregor Schlierenzauer became only the seventh man to successfully defend the Four Hills title as the Austrian leapt to victory in front of a raucous Bischofshofen crowd.
The Austrian ski jumper was the man to beat heading into the competition having claimed the title last season, but no one had held on to the silverware since Janne Ahonen did so in 2006.
But all that changed as Schlierenzauer scored 272.7 points for the win, ending the competition on 1100.2 points.
This was Austria's 14th Four Hills victory and their fifth straight, with Schlierenzauer never finishing any lower than second across the four jumps.
Anders Jacobsen finished the Four Hills second and compatriot Tom Hilde was third, the first time in more than 30 years that two Norwegians were seen on the podium.
There was more to cheer about for Schlierenzauer as the 22-year-old extended his World Cup lead as he sits top on 808 points, German Severin Freund his nearest challenger in second on 556.


Sagen wins in Schonach

Norwegian Anette Sagen claimed her first World Cup win of the season as she narrowly pipped Daniela Iraschko to top spot in Schonach-Schonwald.
Heading to Germany Sagen was able to boast two third-place finishes, but with these coming in the opening two rounds of the campaign she was looking to bounce back in style after failing to reach the podium in the subsequent three events.
And the 27-year-old did so in style as she racked up 224.9 points to take the win, just 0.6 ahead of second place Iraschko from Austria.
The victory propels Sagen to joint fourth in the overall standings, level on 321 points with American Sarah Hendrickson.
Japan's Sarah Takanashi holds on to the overall lead despite finishing fourth in Germany, but the gap to second-place Iraschko is now 100 points, with France’s Coline Mattel in third overall after claiming the final podium spot.

 

[Smallville22]

Luge World Cup

Germany wins team relay ahead of Canada and Austria

Fourth race and fourth victory: World Champion and defending titleholder Germany has also won the fourth round in the Viessmann Team Relay World Cup presented by HÖRMANN. Coach Norbert Loch's racers represented by Natalie Geisenberger, David Möller and Tobias Wendl/Tobias Arlt were the fastest team on the Königssee artificial track.
Second place went to Canada in the persons of Alex Gough, Sam Edney and Tristan Walker/Justin Snith. The Austrian team of Nina Reithmayer, Daniel Pfister and Peter Penz/George Fischler came third.
Germany continues to head the overall rankings with 400 points after four of the six events. Italy is now second with 265 points and Russia third with 241 points.

 

[Smallville22]

Freestyle Skiing Aerials World Cup

Mengtao wins season opener

Xu Mengtao got the defence of her freestyle skiing aerials World Cup title off to the perfect start after comfortably winning the opening event of the season on home soil in Changchun.
The 22-year-old claimed five victories last year, including four in a row, on the way to the aerials crown and picked up her first with ease after dominating in China.
She produced the best score of every round in Changchun before saving her best until last to record 109.06 in the second final to beat Olympic champion Lydia Lassila of Australia by more than ten points.
The battle for second was far tighter with Xu’s Chinese teammate Li Nina being awarded a score just 0.36 points shy of Lassila while Kong Fanyu was fourth with 89.14
Xu now leads the overall aerials World Cup standings ahead of round two Canada next weekend while Jia Zongyang tops the men’s after taking a far tighter victory on home soil.
The 21-year-old was inconsistent in Changchun ranking second after qualifying and then fourth after the first final however his second final score of 128.51 was just enough to give him the win.
Chinese teammate Qi Guangpu, leading after qualifying, was the only one able to challenge Jia and he nearly beat him but fell short after being awarded a score of 128.05.
Defending aerials World Cup champion Olivier Rochon, who beat Jia to the title last year, was way off in third with 84.75 while another Chinese skier Liu Zhongqing was fourth with 75.56.

 

[Smallville22]

Cars: Sainz declared stage two winner after review

Carlos Sainz returned to the lead of the Dakar Rally after being retrospectively declared the winner of Sunday's second stage.
X-raid Mini's Stephane Peterhansel had been credited with the fastest time on the stage initially, while Sainz - the leader after the first day - had lost over 20 minutes and fallen to 11th overall.
Following an overnight investigation by rally organisers, the 21m26s lost by Sainz as he searched for a waypoint, has now been given back to the Red Bull Buggy driver.
The Spaniard's problem was caused by the satellites used by the rally organisers, rather than his own in-car GPS unit.
"It was really strange out on the stage because of the problems we had with navigation," said the two-time World Rally champion.
"There was a waypoint on the stage that we passed three or four times before it would let us continue on the stage.
"We were going up and down and round and round because we knew we were in the right place.
"Eventually we decided to leave because we just couldn't find this waypoint. This was a risky move because if you do not pass all the waypoints on the stage it can cost you a time penalty.
"Then after we travelled 3km away we got the waypoint confirmation. The whole thing was very strange."

Revised positions after stage two:

Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap

1. Carlos Sainz Red Bull Buggy 2h55m15s

2. Stephane Peterhansel X-raid Mini + 5m05s

3. Giniel de Villiers Imperial Toyota + 7m43s

4. Ronan Chabot SMG Buggy + 8m51s

5. Orlando Terranova X-raid BMW + 11m31s

6. Leonid Novitskiy X-raid Mini + 14m38s

7. Lucio Alvarez Overdrive Toyota + 17m32s

8. Krzysztof Holowczyc X-raid Mini + 19m05s

9. Carlos Sousa Great Wall + 20m53s

10. Bernard Errandonea SMG Buggy + 22m20s

Leading stage two times:

1. Carlos Sainz Red Bull Buggy 2h32m15s

2. Stephane Peterhansel X-raid Mini + 3m32s

3. Giniel de Villiers Imperial Toyota + 5m58s

4. Ronan Chabot SMG Buggy + 8m15s

5. Orlando Terranova X-raid BMW + 8m49s

6. Leonid Novitskiy X-raid Mini + 12m56s

7. Nasser Al-Attiyah Red Bull Buggy + 15m00s

8. Lucio Alvarez Overdrive Toyota + 17m08s

9. Krzysztof Holowczyc X-raid Mini + 17m23s

10. Carlos Sousa Great Wall + 17m56s

 

[Smallville22]

Cars: Sainz declared stage two winner after review

Carlos Sainz returned to the lead of the Dakar Rally after being retrospectively declared the winner of Sunday's second stage.
X-raid Mini's Stephane Peterhansel had been credited with the fastest time on the stage initially, while Sainz - the leader after the first day - had lost over 20 minutes and fallen to 11th overall.
Following an overnight investigation by rally organisers, the 21m26s lost by Sainz as he searched for a waypoint, has now been given back to the Red Bull Buggy driver.
The Spaniard's problem was caused by the satellites used by the rally organisers, rather than his own in-car GPS unit.
"It was really strange out on the stage because of the problems we had with navigation," said the two-time World Rally champion.
"There was a waypoint on the stage that we passed three or four times before it would let us continue on the stage.
"We were going up and down and round and round because we knew we were in the right place.
"Eventually we decided to leave because we just couldn't find this waypoint. This was a risky move because if you do not pass all the waypoints on the stage it can cost you a time penalty.
"Then after we travelled 3km away we got the waypoint confirmation. The whole thing was very strange."

Revised positions after stage two:

Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap

1. Carlos Sainz Red Bull Buggy 2h55m15s

2. Stephane Peterhansel X-raid Mini + 5m05s

3. Giniel de Villiers Imperial Toyota + 7m43s

4. Ronan Chabot SMG Buggy + 8m51s

5. Orlando Terranova X-raid BMW + 11m31s

6. Leonid Novitskiy X-raid Mini + 14m38s

7. Lucio Alvarez Overdrive Toyota + 17m32s

8. Krzysztof Holowczyc X-raid Mini + 19m05s

9. Carlos Sousa Great Wall + 20m53s

10. Bernard Errandonea SMG Buggy + 22m20s

Leading stage two times:

1. Carlos Sainz Red Bull Buggy 2h32m15s

2. Stephane Peterhansel X-raid Mini + 3m32s

3. Giniel de Villiers Imperial Toyota + 5m58s

4. Ronan Chabot SMG Buggy + 8m15s

5. Orlando Terranova X-raid BMW + 8m49s

6. Leonid Novitskiy X-raid Mini + 12m56s

7. Nasser Al-Attiyah Red Bull Buggy + 15m00s

8. Lucio Alvarez Overdrive Toyota + 17m08s

9. Krzysztof Holowczyc X-raid Mini + 17m23s

10. Carlos Sousa Great Wall + 17m56s

I just make another error posting this information here.
However I would love to see a competition similar to Dakar but in the winter in Siberia :elaugh: layfire:

 

[Smallville22]

Cross-Country Skiing - Vigen Hattestad returns for Norway

Fit-again Ola Vigen Hattestad will return to cross-country action for Norway in the sprint races at the World Cups in Liberec this weekend.
The two-times Olympian has missed much of the season to date with a virus.
"My body is beginning to respond to training and I feel energetic," he told TV2. "It has been hard for a long time. In recent weeks it's been better and I've trained pretty well."
Vigen Hattestad knows the Czech venue well - he was crowned world champion in both the individual and team sprints there in 2009.


Vonn set to return in Austria

Lindsey Vonn is set to return to World Cup action at St Anton am Arlberg this weekend.
The American has not raced since taking a break from skiing in December following a stomach illness that left her physically drained and some poor performances.
Her batteries now recharged, Vonn returned to training in Europe last week and is now ready to take part in the downhill and super-G at the Austrian event.
“It feels great to be back and I can’t wait to start racing again,” she said.
Vonn won the two opening downhills of the season at Lake Louise and tops the standings in that discipline.
She also leads the super-G rankings heading to St Anton am Arlberg, which will host a World Cup event for the first time since December 2007, when Vonn swept up on route to the first overall World Cup and downhill titles of her career.

 

[Smallville22]

Ski Jumping World Cup

Bardal back to winning ways in Wisla

Norway's Anders Bardal scored his first World Cup win of the season with victory in the men's large hill jump in Wisla, Poland.
Last year's overall World Cup champion bettered Richard Freitag of Germany and another Norwegian Rune Velta in front of a crowd of around 10,000.
Bardal stated his intent from the off, jumping 130m to take the lead in the first round before claiming victory with an effort of 128m in the final.
"The wind conditions were difficult today, but I tried to concentrate on making two good jumps and now I'm happy with the result", said Bardal.
But it was Freitag who registered the biggest jump of the day - 131.5m in the first round - before having to settle for second place.
"It was a bid windy today and I had some luck. but I'm also happy with my jumps," the 22-year-old German said.
For third-placed Velta, silver medallist at the last Ski Flying World Championships, it was a first career visit to a World Cup podium.
"I'm very happy about my jumps and also that my shape seems to be stable now," said Velta.
The World Cup moves to Zakopane at the weekend for both team and individual jumps.

 

[Smallville22]

Biathlon World Cup

Berger helps Norway win Ruhpolding relay
Tora Berger produced a sensational final leg to take Norway to victory in the women's biathlon 4x6km relay World Cup event in Ruhpolding ahead of Russia and the Czech Republic.

 

[Smallville22]

Alpine Skiing - Vonn feeling strong after St. Anton training

Lindsey Vonn said she feels "happy and strong" after a downhill training run in St. Anton, Austria as she prepares to return to World Cup action this weekend.
American Vonn rested for three weeks, missing six races, because of an intestinal illness. She began training again a week ago.
She looked quick but slowed down the bottom section of the bumpy course to finish 24th, with Lara Gut leading the run.
"I'm really excited to be back, feeling good, feeling happy and strong," said Vonn.
"It's important for me because after being sick my legs just weren't strong anymore. At some point, you have to listen to your body."
Vonn was hospitalised for two days in November before winning three speed races at Lake Louise and the Super-G at St. Moritz.
She then crashed in the Val d'Isere downhill and failed to finish the opening run of the Courchevel giant slalom.
"Hopefully, we'll get a training tomorrow and I get comfortable on this course," Vonn said. "I think everybody feels tired at the end of this course, but I feel strong again and everything is good."
There will be a downhill and a Super-G this weekend.
Maria Hoefl-Riesch, who pipped Vonn for the overall title in 2011, said the course is a difficult one for her.
"This is not an easy race for Lindsey getting back to the World Cup," the German, who placed fifth in the training run, said. "It's bumpy from top to bottom.
"There is no section where you can really charge. This is a difficult course, even for Lindsey."
Swiss Gut led the field by more than a second, setting a time of a minute 8.31 seconds.
Second was Anna Fenninger of Austria with Italian Daniela Merighetti and Austria's Andrea Fischbacher just 0.01s further back sharing third.
However Gut was one of several skiers to miss a gate.

Top 10

1 GUT Lara SUI 1:38.31

2 FENNINGER Anna AUT 1:39.33

3 MERIGHETTI Daniela ITA 1:39.34

3 FISCHBACHER Andrea AUT 1:39.34

5 HOEFL-RIESCH Maria GER 1:39.43

6 SCHMIDHOFER Nicole AUT 1:39.58

6 GISIN Dominique SUI 1:39.58

8 MARCHAND-ARVIER Marie FRA 1:39.59

9 FANCHINI Nadia ITA 1:39.65

10 ROLLAND Marion FRA 1:39.66

 

[Smallville22]

Biathlon World Cup

Fourcade imperious as France claim relay win

World Cup leader Martin Fourcade was once more untouchable as he led France to men’s biathlon relay glory in Ruhpolding with a sensational final leg.
The 2010 Vancouver silver medallist was outstanding in his shooting and took his team home in 1:13.11.2 ahead of World Cup leaders Norway and Austria.
That win was enough to push them up to third in the overall World Cup standings, behind the Norwegians who lead the way with 168 points, 20 clear of Russia, and six further clear of the French.
France were helped by some accurate shooting, with Fourcade, and his brother Simon, both going clear, and only three missed targets in total from the team which also featured Alexis Boeuf and Jean Guillaume Beatrix.
Despite those efforts, France were only fourth going into the final leg, but Fourcade saw off the challenge of Norwegian Emil Hegle Svendsen who missed four targets to fade back into second.
Svendsen did however manage to overhaul Austria’s Christoph Sumann who had gone into the final leg in the lead.

 

[Smallville22]

Pickering begins road to Sochi in Koenigssee

Craig Pickering insists the road to the Sochi 2014 Olympics begins now as he prepares to make his bobsleigh World Cup debut in Koenigssee but expectations of immediate success are being played down.
The 26-year-old, who reached the quarter-finals of the 100m at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics, announced late last year that he would be making the switch from sprinting to being a bobsleigh brakeman.
And after less than two months training full-time with the British squad, limited time on the push-start track in Bath and just two days of practice on ice in Koenigssee, Pickering will make his World Cup bow.
Pickering will act as brakeman for Britain's leading pilot John Jackson in the two-man bobsleigh event in Germany, which begins on Saturday, replacing David Coleman who pushed last time out in Altenberg.
On that occasion Jackson finished 11th while the round before that in La Plagne he claimed eighth with Bruce Tasker and during the first four rounds with Bruce Tasker he was a best of ninth in Park City.
Pickering was given the nod after impressing coaches during two days of practice in Koenigssee on Monday and Tuesday and admits the race to Sochi 2014 is now on.
"I'm excited to be taking part in my first competition," said Pickering. "I have been working hard all week with the coaching team on the technical aspects of the push.
"This is very much a long-term process, with the end goal being to put the team in the mix for a medal in Sochi.
"I think the quickest time a GB crew has posted is 4.98 seconds for the start, so if we can get into that territory it will be really promising."
Meanwhile British bobsleigh performance director Gary Anderson admits he has realistic expectations for Pickering in Koenigssee and they don't involve the podium.
"We wouldn't throw Craig into a World Cup race if he wasn't capable, but equally you're not going to see the best of him this weekend because it's his first time," said Anderson.
"But he's earned his place on merit and the plan is to immerse him in the sport from this early stage so that he's ready come the Olympic qualification next year."
Meanwhile Winter Youth Olympic silver medallist and Junior World Championship bronze medallist Mica McNeill will also make her World Cup debut in Koenigssee.
She will be pushed by Sarah Adams, not Nikki McSweeney who she won junior world bronze with, while Gillian Cooke won't act as British number one pilot Paula Walker's brakewoman.
Cooke suffered a back injury after her and Walker flipped on their final run last time out in Altenberg having sat third after run one with Kelly Denyer acting as her replacement.

 

[Smallville22]

Bobsleigh World Cup

Humphries back to winning ways in Koenigssee

Kaillie Humphries returned to winning ways on the bobsleigh World Cup circuit in emphatic style in Koenigssee taking her sixth victory from seventh by almost half a second.
The 27-year-old, who won Olympic gold on home ice at Vancouver 2010, suffered a rare defeat last time out in Altenberg knocked down into third as Cathleen Martini ended victorious.
However the Canadian ensured that was just a rare blip as she beat Martini into second and Sandra Kiriasis into third on home ice in Germany in the first event of the Triple Trophy.
Humphries led Switzerland's Caroline Spahni by 0.26seconds after posting 51.40 on her first run with Martini just 0.02 further adrift in third while Fabienne Meyer was fourth another 0.07 behind.
And, while positions two to six changed during the second run, Humphries extended her lead to 0.42 overall after clocking 51.67 for a time of 1:43.07mintues overall.
Martini jumped up to second on 1:43.49 overall after a run of 51.81 second time out while Kiriasis moved from joint-sixth with Briton Paula Walker to third 0.54 behind Humphries.
Esme Kamphuis went from fifth to fourth with Meyer fifth, Spahni sixth and Walker, alongside Kelly Denyer rather than Gillian Cooke who is injured, seventh.
Humphries' win is also the first of the Triple Trophy, which incorporates the World Cup rounds in Koenigssee, Igls and the test event in Sochi, and she couldn't find fault with her performance.
"I was really happy with our runs and our starts as well," said Humphries, who once again performed alongside brakewoman Chelsea Valois. "They were the most consistent and best starts we have had.
"It was great to come back after not winning last time out. We learnt a lot and bust out a win so we are both happy."
Meanwhile Mica McNeill, making her World Cup debut in Koenigssee, couldn't do enough to reach the top 20 that progressed from the first run to the second, missing out by 0.18.
However McNeill and brakewoman Sarah Adams did still jump up a place from 21st to 20th after Russian No.3 pilot Ekaterina Kostromina failed to finish after a crash on her second run.

 

[Smallville22]

Skeleton World Cup

Pikus-Pace wins in Koenigssee

Noelle Pikus-Pace stepped out of the shadow of American team-mate and world skeleton champion Katie Uhlaender in Koenigssee as she took her first World Cup win of the season.
Pikus-Pace bettered Uhlaender on her first two World Cup appearances of the season, finishing sixth to her seventh in Whistler and then third to her 21st in Winterberg.
She then missed the fifth round of the season in La Plagne, which Uhlaender won, while the world title holder was second to Pikus-Pace's third last time out in Altenberg.
However it was Pikus-Pace celebrating victory this time in Koenigssee as she overcame Canadian Sarah Reid with her second run to become the fifth different winner on the circuit this season.
Pikus-Pace also takes the advantage in the Triple Trophy, which incorporates results in Koenigssee, Igls and Sochi, with Marion Thees taking second ahead of Anja Huber in third.
Reid led 2005 World Cup champion Pikus-Pace by just 0.03seconds following the first run after posting 54.14 however a storming second outing from the American saw her win by 0.41.
Pikus-Pace posted 53.34, comfortably bettering her first effort of 54.17, for an overall winning time of 1:47.51minutes as Thees went from fourth to second after also going quicker.
She went 53.63, having gone 54.29 first time out, for second while Huber went from fifth to third as Reid fell away going from first to fifth after a below final run of 54.27.
Canadian Mellisa Hollingsworth jumped from sixth to fourth ahead of Reid while Sophia Griebel, the best German after run one in third, had to make do with sixth.
Britain's Shelley Rudman was then joint-seventh with Michelle Steele of Australia to maintain her position after run one and better teammate Lizzy Yarnold for the first time in three rounds.
Yarnold struggled during the first run and was 16th but improved on her second run to place 11th while world champion Uhlaender was two places ahead in ninth.

 

[Smallville22]

Ski Jumping World Cup

Slovenia win team event in Zakopane

Slovenia made the most of Polish ski jumper Krzysztof Mietus's poor second leap to silence a partisan home crowd in Zakopane and take the second ski jumping World Cup team event of the season.
The Polish quartet of Piotr Zyla, Maciej Kot, Mietus and Kamil Stoch led at the halfway stage on their own hill and were seemingly on their way to victory with two jumps remaining.
However a poor second effort from Mietus followed by solid leaps from Jaka Hvala and Peter Prevc gave Slovenia, who also had Jurij Tepes and Robert Kranjec in their team, the win.
Slovenia had to make do with third behind Germany and Austria in the first of six team events on the World Cup circuit this season but beat Poland by almost ten points in Zakopane.
Zyla, Kot, Mietus and Stoch combined to give Poland a score of 505.4 after the first round of jumping, well ahead of the Slovenian quartet who produced 479.7.
Solid efforts from Zyla and Kot kept Poland in front halfway through the second round however a below-par jump from Mietus allowed Slovenia to seize control.
Mietus jumped 108m for a total of 82.8 points with Hvala putting Slovenia into the lead ahead of the final eight jumps with a cushion of just shy of 18 points after jumping 126m for 124.6.
And, despite a fine effort from Stoch last time out, he jumped 130m for 129.5 points, Prevc's effort of 123.5m and 120.9 was enough for Slovenia to remain in first place for the win.
Austria, without newly crowned Four Hills champion Gregor Schlierenzauer, took third with 931.1 points in total well ahead of the German quartet in fourth with 908.4.

 

[Smallville22]

Freestyle Skiing Halfpipe World Cup

Riddle takes first win in five years

Canadian freestyle skier Mike Riddle claimed his first halfpipe World Cup win in almost five years as the long-awaited second round of the season took place on Copper Mountain in Colorado.
Riddle, the 2011 world champion, last picked up a World Cup win in March 2008 but was victorious on his first start of this season almost five months after the opening round in New Zealand.
The 26-year-old was absent as the freestyle ski halfpipe World Cup kicked off in Cardrona in August but got the better of American duo Aaron Blunck and David Wise on their own snow.
Riddle's second run score of 91.2 gave him the victory with Blunck placing second with 87 while teammate Wise was third with 83.6, both landing better scores second time out.
Thomas Krief, who was second in Cardrona, was fifth this time to take the lead in the halfpipe World Cup standings with 125 points while Riddle goes straight in at joint-second.
He is level with another American Torin Yater-Wallace, absent from Copper Mountain, on 100 points with three more rounds of the season left in Park City, Sochi and Sierra Nevada.

Meanwhile in the women's halfpipe event American Maddie Bowman gave the home crowd something to cheer as she took the first World Cup victory of her career on only her third ever start.
Bowman made her debut on Copper Mountain in December 2011 finishing fourth before a second appearance on the circuit in Mammoth in March 2012 saw her finish third.
And Bowman, who turned 19 on Thursday, continued her improvement on the World Cup circuit as she returned to Colorado and posted a score of 84.6 to win the second round of the season.
Canada's Rosalind Groenewoud placed second with 79.2 while Bowman's American teammate Brita Sigourney completed the top three just 0.6 ahead of Virginie Faivre with 79.
Neither of the top three competed at round one in Cardrona with Manami Mitsuboshi, who was second in New Zealand, moving to the top of the standings after finishing 11th.
She holds a slender lead of four points ahead of winner in Cardrona Devin Logan and Bowman who both have 100 as does Ayana Onozuka who was sixth to add to her third in New Zealand.

 

[Smallville22]

Snowboard World Cup

Prommegger delights fans in parallel slalom

Austrian snowboarder Andreas Prommegger beat off Roland Fischnaller to take his second World Cup win of the season on home snow in Bad Gastein, this time in the parallel slalom.
The 32-year-old opened his World Cup season with victory in the parallel giant slalom in Carezza last month and took his second win in a row as the circuit moved to Austria.
Prommegger, who won the parallel slalom World Cup title last season, reached the big final with relative ease before seeing off the charge of Italian Fischnaller by 0.11seconds.
Meanwhile Zan Kosir, who lost to Prommegger by 0.61 in the semi-final, comfortably beat American Justin Reiter by 2.43 in the small final to take third position in Bad Gastein.

Meanwhile in the women's parallel slalom event, last year's World Cup runner-cup Amelie Kober won the second successive race she has started on the circuit.
Kober, victorious in the parallel giant slalom at World Cup finale last season, was just too good for home hope Marion Kreiner in the big final as she won by 0.33.
And, while Kreiner couldn't beat Kober, her Austrian teammate Claudia Riegler was awarded victory against Natalia Soboleva in the small final for third after the Russian was disqualified.

 

[Smallville22]

Biathlon World Cup

Gossner wins Ruhpolding sprint

Germany's Miriam Gossner closed the gap on biathlon World Cup leader Tora Berger by winning the individual sprint event in Ruhpolding.
After an impressive display in Wednesday's relay it was clear that Gossner was in good form on home soil and she backed it up with a victory of time of 20:57.2 for her third World Cup success of the season.
The 22-year-old was a class apart, finishing 7.1 seconds clear of Belarus' Darya Domracheva in second and Finland's Kaisa Makarainen in third.
Berger, meanwhile, who had helped Norway to relay success earlier in the week, looked distinctly off the pace as she eventually came home way back in 12th place.
Two missed targets cost the Norwegian dearly on a course where the general standard of shooting was very high.
Despite a disappointing result, Berger remains well clear at the top of the World Cup standings with 514 points, 77 ahead of Gossner, with Andrea Henkel, who finished fourth, completing the podium.