GAP 2011. GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany –Elisabeth Goergl had a memorable 24 hours from the opening ceremonies of the 2011 world ski championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen through the women’s super G, which opened racing on Tuesday.

The Ladies Super-G is finished and ended successfully for Austrian Elisabeth Goergl, foto © FIS Alpine Ski-WM 2011

First, she sang the official GAP 2011 song “You’re the Hero (Between Heaven and Hell)” as the grand finale of the opening ceremony on Monday night, then she honed back in on her main talent, charging down the Kandahar slope to win her first world championship gold medal on Tuesday.

Elisabeth Goergl of Austria competes in the Women's Super G during the Alpine FIS Ski World Championships on the Kandahar course on February 8, 2011 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. (February 7, 2011 - Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images Europe)

“I just have a little bit of goose bumps to realize that,” Goergl said about going from her rock star stage debut to winning a gold medal. “Yeah, this course was good for me – hard, icy, technical, I knew I could ski it well. – I just don’t know what to say about any of this. It is just an amazing time for me.”

Elisabeth Goergl of Austria celebrates at the flower ceremony after finishing first while competing in the Women's Super G during the Alpine FIS Ski World Championships on the Kandahar course on February 8, 2011 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. (February 7, 2011 - Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images Europe)

Goergl, racing in her fifth world championships (her only other medal was a bronze in super-combined in 2009 at Val d’Isere), put her forehead on her skis and cried tears of joy.

The emotional wave continued when her own song came onto the loud speakers during the flower ceremony and she broke down again.

“They didn’t play it as loud as I wanted to hear it,” Goergl joked later. “No … it is crazy. It’s a great thing and a great day for me.”

Julia Mancuso, also racing in her fifth world championships, finished a very close second to earn the silver on Tuesday, her best super G finish in three years, although she opened the season with a third place at the World Cup in Lake Louise and had a couple of fourth places last month in Cortina. She finished just 0.05 seconds behind Goergl for the silver, her fourth championship medal.

Julia Mancuso of the USA takes the silver medal during the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships Women's SuperG on February 8, 2011 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. (February 7, 2011 - Photo by Christophe Pallot/Agence Zoom/Getty Images Europe)

“I think this hill is good for me. They put a lot of effort into making the hills perfect and making them a little more challenging when it comes to the championships. That’s in my favor. I like the hard runs,” Mancuso said, adding that she was pleased to be able to build speed after a slow start, gaining speed and momentum the whole way down the course. “Every other race that’s where I’ve been kind of struggling, knowing that I had that in the finish, I felt like I earned the silver instead of losing the gold. Of course, maybe if the finish line was a little further, I could have had those five hundredths.”

Maria Riesch, smiling ear-to-ear while marching through her hometown waving the German flag at opening ceremonies Monday night, was able to take a deep breath of relief Tuesday, when she blazed down the icy Kandahar to earn the bronze medal, 0.21 seconds off the lead pace.

Maria Riesch of Germany takes the bronze medal during the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships Women's SuperG on February 8, 2011 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. (February 7, 2011 - Photo by Alexis Boichard/Agence Zoom/Getty Images Europe)

“It’s a very good start. I’m very happy with that run,” Riesch said. “It takes out a lot of pressure to win a medal in the very first event. It was a tough race and I’m so happy I did a good run and can get a medal tonight.”

With temperatures reaching almost 20 degrees Celsius all week and then falling well below freezing at night, Riesch said she hasn’t often seen her home race hill in such icy, bumpy shape as it is for the championships.

“I’ve seen it like that just for the men’s races – it was really tough, bumpy and icy. For me, that was not a disadvantage. I like these conditions, although it’s not feeling so perfect when you’re skiing down.”

Lindsey Vonn, who won gold in the 2009 world championships but suffered a concussion in a training crash last week, complained about the condition of the course before Tuesday’s race, saying the consistency of the slope was “pond ice” and it was a “safety concern.”

Lindsey Vonn of the United States of America competes in the Women's Super G during the Alpine FIS Ski World Championships on the Kandahar course on February 8, 2011 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. (February 7, 2011 - Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images Europe)

After the race, however, she said course conditions had nothing to do with the fact that she simply did not ski like she normally does and ended up seventh – 0.84 seconds off the winning pace.

“The conditions have nothing to do with my skiing today,” said Vonn, who was also tearful – though not joyfully – in the finish area, but still took time to seek out Goergl and her coaches to congratulate them. “With my head, it’s a totally separate issue. Just form the concussion … I’ve never had anything like this before. All I can do is give it some time. Inspection was bad. I just couldn’t concentrate, I couldn’t remember the course … it was awful.”

Lara Gut, who has had a tremendous World Cup season returning from a year off with injury, winning the super G in Zauchensee and taking third in the Cortina SG and the Val d’Isere downhill, was fourth Tuesday, 0.44 seconds off the winning time. Anna Fenninger, who also has had a successful season with two podiums on the World Cup, was fifth, 0.82 seconds back.

“On the top I had the first mistake over the first wave and then I lost much time on the flat sections,” Fenninger said, adding that she was happy with fifth place on a course she said was the most difficult any of the World Cup skiers have ever raced. “It’s the heaviest slope we have … ever. It’s bumpy, it’s icy, it’s the hardest race we have. I have a good form, I’m self- confident. And you have to be self confident on this slope. If you’re not, you have no chance.”

Fresh off of her junior worlds super G victory last week in Crans Montana, 20-year-old Elena Curtoni was sixth Tuesday, 0.83 seconds back. Fabienne Suter ended up ninth, 0.93 seconds back and Daniela Merighetti had her best ever super G race, finishing ninth, 1.09 seconds back.

Anja Paerson, who missed last weekend’s races in Zwiesel in order to prepare for the championships, ended up 10th, 1.17 seconds back.

“Me and the hill were not good friends today,” Paerson said. “I was really just working against it. I was trying to be aggressive, but I was probably aggressive in the wrong way. My skis maybe gripped a little too much in some parts so I had a hard time relaxing.”

Tina Maze, who missed Sunday’s World Cup giant slalom in Zwiesel to nurse a pulled hamstring (muscle) from Friday’s slalom, caught her pole in the start house on Tuesday and ended up 11th, 1.24 seconds out.

“It was just another stupid thing,” she said after the race. “I am really disappointed.”

The iciness of the course was most evident when racers crashed. Olympic super G champion Andrea Fischbacher had a spectacular crash, throwing her skis sideways on one section of the course, running straight into a gate, losing both skis and sliding at high speed on her stomach and back for several vertical meters and slamming through two security fences. She eventually stood up and skied down, evidently with no major injuries.

By Shauna Farnell
FISalpine.com
Tuesday 8 February 2011

Elisabeth Goergl of Austria takes the gold medal during the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships Women's SuperG on February 8, 2011 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. (February 7, 2011 - Photo by Alain Grosclaude/Agence Zoom/Getty Images Europe)

Elisabeth Goergl of Austria takes the gold medal, Julia Mancuso of the USA takes the silver medal, Maria Riesch of Germany takes the bronze medal during the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships Women's SuperG on February 8, 2011 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. (February 7, 2011 - Photo by Alain Grosclaude/Agence Zoom/Getty Images Europe)

First placed Elisabeth Goergl (C) of Austria, second placed Julia Mancuso (L) of the United States of America and third placed Maria Riesch (R) of Germany celebrate at the flower ceremony after competing in the Women's Super G during the Alpine FIS Ski World Championships on the Kandahar course on February 8, 2011 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. (February 7, 2011 - Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images Europe)

Elisabeth Goergl of Austria celebrates with her gold medal after finishing first in the Women's Super G during the Alpine FIS Ski World Championships on the Kandahar course on February 8, 2011 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. (February 7, 2011 - Photo by Pool/Getty Images Europe)

Elisabeth Goergl of Austria celebrates with her gold medal after finishing first in the Women's Super G during the Alpine FIS Ski World Championships on the Kandahar course on February 8, 2011 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. (February 7, 2011 - Photo by Pool/Getty Images Europe)