. world ski news : Four FIS World Cup tours to conclude this week - 20 March 2009 - 12:14
Four FIS World Cup series will come to an end this week: the Viessmann FIS Cross-Country World Cup is in Sweden for the four-part mini-Tour series, the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup will conclude its season traditionally in Planica (SLO), the Freestyle FIS World Cup sees its season finals in La Plagne whilst the LG Snowboard FIS World Cup returns to Valmalenco (ITA) for second finals in a row.
In Cross-Country, both overall titles are still up for grabs since a maximum of 400 points can be won at the finals. In the ladies' ranking, Petra Majdic (SLO) currently leads by 91 points ahead of Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland and Aino-Kaisa Saarinen of Finland, who is 202 points behind. Thanks to finishing 2nd behind Majdic in the 30km race in Trondheim (NOR) on Saturday, Kowalczyk also confirmed victory in the distance World Cup. Majdic secured her second sprint globe already in mid-February and with her win in Trondheim on Thursday, has so far collected seven sprint and total of eight victories this season.
In the men's overall rankings, the 2009 Tour de Ski winner Dario Cologna (SUI) on Saturday had to surrender his yellow leader's bib to Norwegian Petter Northug, who won 45 World Cup points at the intermediate sprint points and finished fifth in the 50km mass start after taking 2nd in Thursday's sprint. Northug now leads Cologna by 20 points. The distance World Cup is also still undecided, with Pietro Piller Cottrer (ITA) currently leading over Cologna by 67 points. Ola Vigen Hattestad (NOR) has already confirmed his second consecutive sprint title.
At the world's largest Ski Flying hill in Planica (SLO) only the small crystal globe in Ski Flying remains to be decided. By recording his 12th season win - a record he currently shares with Janne Ahonen (FIN) - in Vikersund (NOR) on Sunday, Gregor Schlierenzauer has confirmed his overall World Cup victory, and that with a new point record since he already has 1938 points before the last two events. Simon Ammann (SUI) is 262 points behind in 2nd place. Schlierenzauer, who also won the Nordic Tournament 0.6 points ahead of Finn Harri Olli, currently leads the Ski Flying rankings.
La Plagne (FRA) can look forward to decisions in two men's events - ski cross and half-pipe - and two ladies' events - moguls and half-pipe. Canadian Alexandre Bilodeau has already secured both the men's overall and mogul titles before the final dual mogul competition. Czech Tomas Kraus and Canadian Christopher Delbosco will compete for the title of ski cross champion in the final event of the season, while Frenchmen Xavier Bertoni and Kevin Rolland will fight out the half-pipe title on home snow.
Hannah Kearney (USA) and Jennifer Heil (CAN) both have a shot at the ladies' mogul title while several athletes could still win the ladies' half-pipe, though Swiss world champion Virginie Faivre has the best odds. Thanks to a win and 2nd place finish on the Swiss ski cross tour, Ophelie David (FRA) has secured already her 6th World Cup title back-to-back and should also collect the ladies' overall globe. The aerial titles for Steve Omischl (CAN) and Lydia Lassila (AUS) were already decided before the Worlds at Inawashiro 2009.
In Snowboard, both parallel and overall titles are still to be decided. German Amelie Kober goes into the season final with a hat-trick of wins and the possibility of catching Austrian Doris Günther's 238-point-lead. In the overall World Cup rankings, Günther leads 320 points over the 2009 SBX World Cup champion Lindsay Jacobellis (USA). The Austrian has an advantage however as she will start in both SBX and PGS while Jacobellis only will enter the SBX.
On the men's side, the overall title is an Austrian affair. Markus Schairer, the 2009 SBX champion and current leader in the overall standings, had surgery last weekend and will not start in Valmalenco. This gives challenger Siegfried Grabner a chance at both the overall and parallel titles. In parallel, Grabner leads over teammate Benjamin Karl who still has at least a theoretical chance of winning the title.
Both half-pipe titles will go to Asia. Half-pipe World Cup winner Ryoh Aono (JPN) has already clinched his second title while the runner up in the ladies' rankings, Shiho Nakashima (JPN), appears not to be competing in Valmalenco which secures the title for Jiayu Liu (CHN), the first Snowboard World Cup title for a Chinese rider.
FIS news
20/03/2009