ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (Feb. 7, 2017) – Laurenne Ross (Bend, OR) led the Americans in the opening event of the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, taking 14th in the super G.

After downhill training was canceled on Monday due to too much snow, Tuesday’s super G track was perfect. Twenty-seven-year-old Nicole Schmidhofer of Austria won the race—her first World Championships medal. Tina Weirather of Lichtenstein was second and Swiss Lara Gut took third in front of the home crowd.

Dressed in a new Spyder speed suit designed to look like superhero Captain Marvel, Ross overskied the course a bit, but plans to let her skis run in the downhill over the weekend. “I’m trusting my skiing and trying to return to my foundational skills and just have fun and enjoy it,” said Ross. “The best way to believe in yourself is remembering how passionate you are about it. I think I could have taken more risks out there—I overthought it a little and overskied it a little. I regret that, but I’m looking forward and staying positive and hoping for better in the downhills.”

Lindsey Vonn waves to the crowd after skiing out of the course. (Getty Images/AFP-Dimitar Dilkoff)

Favorite Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) did not finish the super G, struggling to grip her pole at the beginning of the run before going too straight at a gate and skiing out of the course. “I stayed on my feet, so that’s the most important thing,” laughed Vonn after the race. “I’m definitely disappointed about today—I lost my pole and kind of lost my concentration there for a minute. Then I tried to go too straight to make up for the time I lost and that was a bad tactic—I went too straight over the roll and had no chance to make the gate. It happens!”

Vonn has had issues with her motor functions since breaking her arm in November and shared that she plans to duct tape her hand to her pole in Friday’s combined and Sunday’s downhill. But she doesn’t plan on letting the super G results phase her. “I felt good,” said Vonn. “I felt confident in the start. I wasn’t nervous. I was ready. I attacked. Sometimes it just doesn’t work—that’s ski racing.”

Breezy Johnson skis in her first World Championships. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Alain Grosclaude)

Young Breezy Johnson (Victor, ID) raced in her first World Championships event to take 28th. Jackie Wiles (Aurora, OR) did not finish.

Next, the women prepare for the alpine combined on Friday, while the men race their first World Championships event, a super G, on Wednesday. Both races will be streamed on nbcsports.com/live and broadcast live on NBCSN. NBC Olympic commentator Dan Hicks will anchor the coverage, alongside Bode Miller (Franconia, NH). Former World Cup skier Steve Porino will also be part of the broadcast action, along with reporter Heather Cox.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Laurenne Ross led the Americans in 14th place.
• 27-year-old Nicole Schmidhofer of Austria won the race—her first World Championships medal. Tina Weirather of Lichtenstein was second and Swiss Lara Gut third.
• Lindsey Vonn skied out of the course after going too straight at a gate.
• Breezy Johnson was 28th in her first World Championships race. Jackie Wiles did not finish.
• Next for the women is the alpine combined—one run of downhill and one of slalom—on Friday. The men race super G on Wednesday.

QUOTES

Laurenne Ross
I think I just overthought it a little bit and held back and didn’t ski aggressively enough. But that’s OK! My skiing was good; it just wasn’t quite as aggressive as I wanted it to be. It’s a pretty flat hill and this course specifically was fairly turny for how flat it is. And there’s a lot of terrain and you can’t really see the next gate—maybe like a quarter of the time when you’re on the hill. You really have to trust your inspection and you really have to know where you’re going. You have to make speed everywhere you can because there aren’t very many steep pitches to gain speed back on. I’m looking forward to (downhill).

I’m trusting my skiing and trying to return to my foundational skills and just have fun and enjoy it. The best way to believe in yourself is remembering how passionate you are about it. I think I could have taken more risks out there—I overthought it a little and overskied it a little. I regret that, but I’m looking forward and staying positive and hoping for better in the downhills.

Lindsey Vonn
I stayed on my feet, so that’s the most important thing. I’m definitely disappointed about today—I lost my pole and kind of lost my concentration there for a minute. Then I tried to go too straight to make up for the time I lost and that was a bad tactic—I went too straight over the roll and had no chance to make the gate. It happens! I think going forward, in the races at least, I’m going to duct tape my hand to my pole. I can’t afford to lose it again.

I try not to let (my hand) affect me, but it definitely is difficult sometimes. When I try to do my hair or do simple things or I have a large water glass, I can’t get my hand around it. There are simple things I struggle with. In general, it’s fine. It’s something I have to deal with and I just hope it gets better. I don’t want to be like this forever.

I felt good. I felt confident in the start. I wasn’t nervous. I was ready. I attacked. Sometimes it just doesn’t work—that’s ski racing. I can’t let it get me down and I have to keep focusing on tomorrow and try to build my confidence and try to get the timing for the downhill right and I think I’ll be in good shape for Sunday.

Super G, I’ve had a struggle with it since coming back from injury. I knew I had to risk a lot to even get on the podium. Today just wasn’t my day and I’ll have more chances.

Breezy Johnson
They improved the hill tremendously. I’ve never seen improvement like that overnight—usually it takes quite a bit of time to get a hill ready. I think it was really awesome how hard they worked and how great it is out there. I’m really excited for downhill now with this awesome surface. I was a little nervous yesterday, so it was good that they didn’t run it so that we didn’t ruin the hill and they could really get time to make it this nice.

I’ve run down (the St. Moritz track) once and raced down it once. I know the snow, I know the hill and I’m really excited to charge for the downhill.

I didn’t really think about (the race) as the World Championships until people starting talking to me about it. I’m really excited to move forward and have all of the things I learned today for the downhill. I really like it—l like the terrain and the pitch. It suits me really well. The snow is awesome and I’m excited to ski on it. Every time I ski race, I just try to do as well as I can—just try to ski well and charge hard. That’s been working so far and I just want to do that as much as I can for the downhill.

BROADCAST + LIVE STREAMING (times EST)

Wednesday, Feb. 8
5:55 a.m. – men’s super G – NBCSN – LIVE
10:30 a.m. – men’s super G (encore) – NBCSN

Friday, Feb. 10
4:00 a.m. – women’s alpine combined, downhill run – nbcsports.com/live – LIVE STREAM
6:30 a.m. – women’s alpine combined – NBCSN – LIVE

Saturday, Feb. 11
6:00 a.m. – men’s downhill – nbcsports.com/live – LIVE STREAM
2:30 p.m. – men’s downhill – NBC

Sunday, Feb. 12
6:00 a.m. – women’s downhill – nbcsports.com/live – LIVE STREAM
12:30 p.m. – women’s downhill – NBC

Monday, Feb. 13 
4:00 a.m. – men’s alpine combined, downhill run – nbcsports.com/live – LIVE STREAM
6:30 a.m. – men’s alpine combined – NBCSN – LIVE 
11:00 a.m. – men’s alpine combined (encore) – NBCSN

Tuesday, Feb. 14
6:00 a.m. – team event – NBCSN – LIVE
11:00 a.m. – team event (encore) – NBCSN

Thursday, Feb. 16 
3:45 a.m. – women’s giant slalom, run 1 – nbcsports.com/live – LIVE STREAM
7:00 a.m. – women’s giant slalom, run 2 – NBCSN – LIVE
10:30 a.m. – women’s giant slalom, run 2 (encore) – NBCSN

Friday, Feb. 17
1:00 a.m. – women’s giant slalom, run 2 (encore) – NBCSN
3:45 a.m. – men’s giant slalom, run 1 – nbcsports.com/live – LIVE STREAM
7:00 a.m. – men’s giant slalom, run 2 – NBCSN – LIVE
10:30 a.m. – men’s giant slalom, run 2 (encore) – NBCSN

Saturday, Feb. 18
3:45 a.m. – women’s slalom, run 1 – nbcsports.com/live – LIVE STREAM
7:00 a.m. – women’s slalom, run 2 – nbcsports.com/live – LIVE STREAM
1:00 p.m. – women’s slalom, run 2 – NBC

Sunday, Feb. 19 
3:45 a.m. – men’s slalom, run 1 – nbcsports.com/live – LIVE STREAM
7:00 a.m. – men’s slalom, run 2 – NBCSN – LIVE

RESULTS
Women’s super G

ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (Feb. 6, 2017) – The 2017 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in St. Moritz begins on Tuesday and every event will be streamed live for American fans on NBCsports.com and the NBC Sports app. Plus, NBCSN is presenting over 12 hours of live coverage throughout the week, while NBC will air weekend coverage.

The extensive coverage across NBC Sports Group is the result of a partnership between the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and NBC. The USSA acquired the domestic broadcast rights to ensure development of the strongest possible live streaming and broadcast exposure for alpine ski racing across America, akin to what it did with the Vail/Beaver Creek World Championships two years ago.

The program lineup will feature live streaming of all events with commentary on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. There will also be live or same day broadcast coverage of all events on a mix of NBCSN and NBC.

NBC Olympic commentator Dan Hicks will anchor the coverage from St. Moritz. Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) will not race at the World Champs, but will commentate alongside Hicks. Former World Cup skier Steve Porino will also be part of the broadcast action, along with reporter Heather Cox.

Coverage began on Tuesday with the women’s super G airing live on NBCSN at 5:55 a.m. ET. NBC coverage starts Saturday, Feb. 11 at 2:30 p.m. ET with the men’s downhill.

The unique partnership came about in 2013 when the USSA made the unprecedented step to acquire the USA domestic rights to the World Championships in alpine and nordic for 2015 and 2017 events.

“Our acquisition of rights has allowed us to create a much bigger broadcast and digital platform for our sport together with NBC Sports Group,” said USSA Chief Marketing Officer Michael Jaquet. “It’s a huge step forward for our sport to be broadcast live across America.”

The USSA and NBC will have a similar partnership for the 2017 Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland, which begin later this month.

BROADCAST + LIVE STREAMING (times EST)

Tuesday, Feb. 7
5:55 a.m. – women’s super G – NBCSN - LIVE

Wednesday, Feb. 8
5:55 a.m. – men’s super G – NBCSN – LIVE
10:30 a.m. – men’s super G (encore) – NBCSN

Friday, Feb. 10
4:00 a.m. – women’s alpine combined, downhill run – nbcsports.com/live – LIVE STREAM
6:30 a.m. – women’s alpine combined – NBCSN – LIVE

Saturday, Feb. 11
6:00 a.m. – men’s downhill – nbcsports.com/live – LIVE STREAM
2:30 p.m. – men’s downhill – NBC

Sunday, Feb. 12
6:00 a.m. – women’s downhill – nbcsports.com/live – LIVE STREAM
12:30 p.m. – women’s downhill – NBC

Monday, Feb. 13 
4:00 a.m. – men’s alpine combined, downhill run – nbcsports.com/live – LIVE STREAM
6:30 a.m. – men’s alpine combined – NBCSN – LIVE 
11:00 a.m. – men’s alpine combined (encore) – NBCSN

Tuesday, Feb. 14
6:00 a.m. – team event – NBCSN – LIVE
11:00 a.m. – team event (encore) – NBCSN

Thursday, Feb. 16
3:45 a.m. – women’s giant slalom, run 1 – nbcsports.com/live – LIVE STREAM
7:00 a.m. – women’s giant slalom, run 2 – NBCSN – LIVE
10:30 a.m. – women’s giant slalom, run 2 (encore) – NBCSN

Friday, Feb. 17
1:00 a.m. – women’s giant slalom, run 2 (encore) – NBCSN
3:45 a.m. – men’s giant slalom, run 1 – nbcsports.com/live – LIVE STREAM
7:00 a.m. – men’s giant slalom, run 2 – NBCSN – LIVE
10:30 a.m. – men’s giant slalom, run 2 (encore) – NBCSN

Saturday, Feb. 18
3:45 a.m. – women’s slalom, run 1 – nbcsports.com/live – LIVE STREAM
7:00 a.m. – women’s slalom, run 2 – nbcsports.com/live – LIVE STREAM
1:00 p.m. – women’s slalom, run 2 – NBC

Sunday, Feb. 19
3:45 a.m. – men’s slalom, run 1 – nbcsports.com/live – LIVE STREAM
7:00 a.m. – men’s slalom, run 2 – NBCSN – LIVE
 

PARK CITY, UT (Jan. 31, 2017) – 2015 World Championship medalists Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO), Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO) and Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, CA) will headline a group of 23 athletes—14 men and 9 women—to compete at the 2017 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland from February 6-19.

With the recent return of Vonn to competition, Shiffrin’s lead for the overall crystal globe and Ganong’s victory in the Garmisch downhill, plus rising stars like Lindsey Vonn Foundation ambassador Jackie Wiles’ consistently strong skiing, the future is bright for this World Championships team. Five-time medalist Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley, CA), who has been making a strong and steady comeback, has also been named.

Notably missing from competition will be Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) and Steven Nyman (Sundance, UT), who each met World Championship team criteria, but are both sidelined with injuries.

“We’re looking forward to going to World Championships in St. Moritz,” said Alpine Director Patrick Riml. “Lindsey, Mikaela and Travis will lead a strong team with depth and promise. We’re confident in this team and we’re looking forward to a strong performance. Ted and Steven are not able to participate, and their leadership and presence will be missed.”

Fans will be able to follow all the action in St. Moritz via NBC and NBCSN with live streaming on nbcsports.com/live. Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) will not be competing, but will be announcing for NBC from St. Moritz.

The World Championships were last in St. Moritz in 2003, with the U.S. Ski Team collecting five medals from Kirsten Clark, Jonna Mendes, Erik Schlopy and Miller, who won two including giant slalom gold.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association named 23 athletes to compete in the 2017 Audi FIS Ski World Championships, February 6-19 in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
• The top two athletes by selection criteria in each event will get a start, as will the defending World Champion. Coaches will determine the remaining two spots the day prior to each competition.
• Five U.S. Ski Team athletes have been on the podium, including three who have grabbed the top step on the podium this season: Mikaela Shiffrin (eight first places – two giant slalom, six slalom), Lindsey Vonn (one first place – downhill), Travis Ganong (one first place – downhill), Steven Nyman (one third place – downhill) and Jackie Wiles (one third place – downhill).
• Shiffrin currently leads the World Cup standings in a heated battle with Switzerland’s Lara Gut. She also leads the slalom standings and is second in the giant slalom standings.
• Shiffrin successfully defended her slalom title in 2015 at World Championships, under pressure on home soil at Vail/Beaver Creek. Travis Ganong is currently sixth in the downhill standings.
• Lindsey Vonn Foundation ambassador Jackie Wiles recently grabbed her career-first podium in the downhill at Altenmarkt-Zauchensee.
• Five-time World Championships medalist Julia Mancuso, who has been sidelined with a nagging hip injury and has been making a steady comeback, has been named to the team for the eighth time. This will also be Resi Stiegler’s eighth World Championships team. 
• Notably missing from competition will be Ted Ligety and Steven Nyman, who each met World Championship team criteria, but are sidelined with injuries.
• Race starters will not be finalized until the evening prior to each event.
• Bode Miller will not be competing, but will be announcing for NBC from St. Moritz.
• All of the World Championships action will be broadcast on NBC and NBCSN with live streaming on nbcsports.com/live.

2017 AUDI FIS SKI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM
Name, hometown, birthdate, USSA club, past World Champs

Men
Michael Ankeny, Deephaven, MN, 1/17/91, Buck Hill Ski Team*
Bryce Bennett, Squaw Valley, CA, 7/14/92, Squaw Valley Ski Team*
Tommy Biesemeyer, Keene, NY, 1/30/89, New York Ski Education Foundation (2013)
David Chodounksy, Crested Butte, CO, 6/25/84, Crested Butte Ski Team (2011, 2013, 2015)
Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Starksboro, VT, 3/27/92, Cochran’s Ski Club/Mt. Mansfield Ski Club (2013)
Mark Engel, Truckee, CA, 10/1/91, Sugar Bowl Academy*
Tommy Ford, Bend, OR, 3/20/89, Mt. Bachelor Ski Education Foundation (2011, 2015)
Travis Ganong, Squaw Valley, CA, 7/14/88, Squaw Valley Ski Team (2011, 2013, 2015)
AJ Ginnis, Vouliagmeni, Greece, 1/17/94, Green Mountain Valley School*
Jared Goldberg, Holladay, UT, 6/15/91, Snowbird Sports Education Foundation (2015)
Tim Jitloff, Reno, NV, 1/11/85, Park City Ski Team (2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015)
Robby Kelley, Starksboro, VT, 5/26/90, Cochran’s Ski Club/Mt. Mansfield Ski Club (2013)
Brennan Rubie, Salt Lake City, UT, 4/8/91, Snowbird Sports Education Foundation (2015)
Andrew Weibrecht, Lake Placid, NY, 2/10/86, New York Ski Education Foundation (2009, 2013, 2015)

Women
Stacey Cook, Mammoth Mountain, CA, 7/3/84, Mammoth Mountain Ski Team (2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015)
Breezy Johnson, Victor, ID, 1/19/96, Rowmark Ski Academy*
Julia Mancuso, Squaw Valley, CA, 3/9/84, Squaw Valley Ski Team (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015)
Megan McJames, Park City, UT, 9/24/87, Park City Ski Team (2009, 2011, 2015)
Laurenne Ross, Bend, OR, 8/17/88, Mt. Bachelor Ski Education Foundation (2009, 2011, 2013, 2015)
Mikaela Shiffrin, Eagle-Vail, CO, 3/13/95, Burke Mountain Academy/Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (2013, 2015)
Resi Stiegler, Jackson Hole, WY, 11/14/85, Jackson Hole Ski Club (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015)
Lindsey Vonn, Vail, CO, 10/18/84, Buck Hill/Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015)
Jackie Wiles, Aurora, OR, 7/13/92, Pacific Northwest Ski Association/White Pass Ski Club (2015)

*Denotes first time on a World Championships team.

COMPETITION AND BROADCAST SCHEDULE (times EST)
Audi FIS Ski World Championships
St. Moritz, Switzerland

Tues. Feb 7
6:00 a.m. – Women’s super G, NBCSN – LIVE

Wed. Feb 8
6:00 a.m. – Men’s super G, NBCSN – LIVE

Fri. Feb 10
7:00 a.m. – Women’s alpine combined, NBCSN – LIVE

Sat. Feb 11
6:00 a.m. – Men’s downhill, nbcsports.com – LIVE
2:30 p.m. – Men’s downhill, NBC

Sun. Feb 12
6:00 a.m. – Women’s downhill, nbcsports.com – LIVE
12:30 p.m. – Women’s downhill, NBC

Mon. Feb 13
7:00 a.m. – Men’s alpine combined, NBCSN – LIVE

Tues. Feb 14
6:00 a.m. – Nations team event, NBCSN – LIVE

Thurs. Feb 16
3:45 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, first run, nbcsports.com – LIVE
7:00 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, NBCSN – LIVE

Fri. Feb 17
3:45 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, first run, nbcsports.com – LIVE
7:00 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, NBCSN

Sat. Feb 18
3:45 a.m. – Women’s slalom, first run, nbcsports.com – LIVE
7:00 a.m. – Women’s slalom, second run, nbcsports.com – LIVE
12:30 p.m. – Women’s slalom, NBC

Sunday, Feb. 19
3:45 a.m. – Men’s slalom, first run, nbcsports.com – LIVE
7:00 a.m. – Men’s slalom, NBCSN
 

QUOTES

Patrick Riml, Alpine Director
We’re looking forward to going to World Championships in St. Moritz. Lindsey, Mikaela and Travis will lead a strong team with depth and promise. We’re confident in this team and we’re looking forward to a strong performance. Ted and Steven are not able to participate, and their leadership and presence will be missed.

Mikaela Shiffrin
St. Moritz is an amazing venue, and they generally do a really good job preparing the slope, and it’s sunny and heading towards spring, so it’s a really nice place to be racing. It’s going to feel a bit like racing World Championships in Vail/Beaver Creek, because it’s a similar elevation and same kind of snow. I’m really excited about that.

[On her training plan leading up to St. Moritz]
We have some time to train before then, and I’ve gotten a little bit more training than I’ve gone into this season with…I didn’t expect how busy the beginning of the season was going to be, but pretty much up until Flachau I realized that I hadn’t had more than three days of slalom training. It was pretty much racing slalom or giant slalom, or trying to do super G and downhill. So, I’m very, very excited to just get some time on my skis training before St. Moritz. The plan right now is just to ski the giant slalom and slalom at St. Moritz.

Lindsey Vonn
Every year is different—every year you have different obstacles to overcome. This year, with little training, it’s been tough to come in and really attack. I’m in one piece, which is positive for me. It’s not often that I go into World Champs in one piece, so that’s good. I’ll do downhill, super G and alpine combined at World Champs. I haven’t skied slalom yet, so I really don’t know how that’s going to go. Hopefully my arm will be fine with it, but the plan is to try. When the World Championships come, it’s all or nothing, so hopefully I can get on the podium there. I’m looking forward to it.

[On her training plan leading up to St. Moritz]
I’m going to take a couple of days off. My body is pretty sore from hitting the nets two too many times, then I’ll train a couple of days super G—hopefully build my confidence back up—and then go straight into the World Champs. We’ll have a bunch of downhill training runs, which will be nice. The super G will be right away, so hopefully with my training I’ll get my confidence back.

[On the depth of the women’s speed team]
We have a strong team right now. Everyone’s trying to fight for their spot on the World Championships team, which is always interesting and good. It creates a lot of rivalry, and it’s good to keep pushing each other, so I think we’re in a pretty good spot as a team. 

World Championships Information
St. Moritz World Championships website

STOCKHOLM (Jan. 31, 2017) – There are times when a slight mistake pays dividends in ski racing. And for Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO), her first run mistake was the key to victory in Tuesday night’s Audi FIS Ski World Cup city event.

In the first race of the evening, in front of thousands of energized Swedish fans, Shiffrin and Adeline Baud Mugnier of France were locked in a tight battle until Shiffrin went wide with seven gates to go. However, Baud Mugnier, sensing an upset over the No. 1 seed, pushed too hard and fell into Shiffrin’s lane.

“Starting first, I had really no idea how the course was going to run, and I just tried to go for it,” said Shiffrin. “There was a bit of bumpiness at the bottom of the course, and I just didn’t stand on my outside ski, but Adeline kind of hit the bumps and shot into my course. Actually it was quite lucky for me that I made that mistake and slowed down, because if I hadn’t she might have hit me.”

Veronika Velez Zuzulova of Slovakia and Mikaela Shiffrin battle head-to-head in the finals during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup city event in Stockholm. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Alexis Boichard)

From then on, it was Shiffrin who was doing the hitting, knocking out the next two competitors she faced – Canada’s Marie-Michele Gagnon and home-crowd favorite Frida Hansdotter, to set up the match of the evening that all the fans waited to see – No. 1 seeded Shiffrin against No. 2 seeded Veronika Velez Zuzulova of Slovakia.

In the finals, Shiffrin won the first run by a slim 0.10. In the second run, Shiffrin took a half-gate lead midway down to the course. But Zuzulova hit the gas and closed the gap over the jump. However, she carried too much speed into the final gates and blew out of the course, allowing Shiffrin to cruise to her first career city event victory and 100 World Cup points.

Shiffrin skis over the jump in Tuesday's city event. (Getty Images/AFP-Jonathan Nackstrand)

In the men’s race, Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde upset No. 1 seed Marcel Hirscher of Austria in the first round, taking the first run by 0.02 and second by 0.03. However, Kilde was ousted in the next round by Alexis Pinturault of France, who advanced to the finals to face off against No. 15 seeded Linus Strasser of Germany.

Strasser eliminated No. 2 seeded Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway in the opening round, then defeated Italy’s Stafeno Gross and Swedish favorite Mattias Hargin to face Pinturault in the finals. Strasser took the first run over Pinturault by 0.13, and then held on for a 0.04 victory in the second run of the finals to win his first career World Cup event.

Up next, the 2017 FIS World Ski Championships kick off in St. Moritz, Switzerland next week with women’s super G on Tuesday, Feb. 7 and men’s super G on Wednesday, Feb. 8. Watch Tuesday's broadcast of the city event to be the first to hear which Americans will be named to the World Champs team.

Shiffrin celebrates after winning. (Getty Images/AFP-Jonathan Nackstrand)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Mikaela Shiffrin won her first career city event Tuesday night in Stockholm.
• Germany’s Linus Strasser won his first career World Cup victory. His previous best World Cup result was fifth in slalom in Schladming, Austria in 2015.
• Resi Stiegler (Jackson, WY) finished ninth after losing her first round matchup against Veronika Velez Zuzulova.
• Road to Aspen: Shiffrin added another 100 points to her overall World Cup lead over Swiss Lara Gut. Shiffrin leads Gut by 180 points in the chase for the overall title. Shiffrin also holds the overall World Cup slalom lead with 66 points over Velez Zuzulova with 515 points with two slalom events remaining this season. Marcel Hirscher leads the men’s overall World Cup Standings with 1,275 points. Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen and Alexis Pinturault of France are tied for second with 843 points. Hirscher also leads the overall World Cup slalom standings with 635 points.

QUOTES
Mikaela Shiffrin
It is a great event. The crowd is awesome. It was fun; it was really fun. I think it’s really good for the sport (for the fans) to be able to see that live head-to-head action, the battles, and I’m happy to come away with the win.

Starting first, I had really no idea how the course was going to run, and I just tried to go for it. There was a bit of bumpiness at the bottom of the course, I actually just didn’t stand on my outside ski, but Adeline kind of hit the bumps and shot into my course. Actually it was quite lucky for me that I made that mistake and slowed down, because if I hadn’t she might have hit me.

BROADCAST AND LIVE STREAMING (times EST)
Tuesday, Jan. 31
7:00 p.m. – City Event, Stockholm – Universal HD

RESULTS
Men’s city event
Women’s city event
 

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (Jan. 30, 2017) – Spirits are high and the athletes are feeling the energy of a special place called Hammarbybacken, home to this year’s only City Event on the Audi FIS Ski World Cup schedule.

It’s not often athletes escape to the city life for an event like this, and Stockholm seems the perfect home for it. Tickets are sold out and the crowd will be rowdy Tuesday night for the event, in which Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO) is a clear favorite. Shiffrin has never won a City Event, but did podium with a third-place finish in Moscow in 2013. Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, WY) will also compete in Tuesday’s event. No American men qualified for the event.

Skiers will battle head-to-head in the Stockholm City Event Tuesday night. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Alexis Boichard)

Coming into Stockholm with the lead in the overall ahead of Swiss Lara Gut, Shiffrin will seek to snag some valuable World Cup points that will count both towards the slalom title and the overall title. Currently Shiffrin leads the slalom standings by 125 points over Slovenia’s Veronika Velez-Zuzulova.

It’ll be a race to the finish – quite literally – at Hammarbybacken, as Zuzulova will be tough to beat, and last year’s victor Swiss Wendy Holdener and hometown gal Frida Hansdotter will be gunning too.

Tune into Universal HD at 7:00 p.m. EST Tuesday to catch all of the action, and to find out who will be named to the 2017 St. Moritz Audi FIS Ski World Championships team.

CONFIRMED STARTERS
Mikaela Shiffrin
Resi Stiegler

DON’T MISS OUT – WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT
Tune into Universal HD at 7 p.m. EST Tuesday night (tomorrow) to catch all of the action, and to find out who will be named to the 2017 St. Moritz Audi FIS Ski World Championships team.

BROADCAST AND LIVE STREAMING (times EST)
All events streaming at www.nbcsports.com/live

Tuesday, Jan. 31
11:00 a.m. – City Event, Stockholm – nbcsports.com – LIVE
7:00 p.m. – City Event, Stockholm – Universal HD

Live streaming available on NBCsports.com/live and the NBC Sports app, which is available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire.

START LIST
Men
Women

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany (Jan. 29, 2017) - Tommy Ford (Bend, OR) picked up his third Audi FIS Ski World Cup top-15 giant slalom result of the season, finishing 14th on Sunday.

Austria’s Marcel Hirscher skied to his 20^th career World Cup giant slalom victory by a massive 1.50 seconds ahead of Matts Olsson of Sweden in second and 1.95 seconds in front of Stefan Luitz of Germany in third. With his victory, Hirscher pulled further ahead of Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen, who finished seventh Sunday, in the overall World Cup standings.

Tim Jitloff (Reno, NV), who is returning to form following a back injury last month, posted his first top 20 of the season, finishing 20^th on the demanding and dark Kandahar course.

“Considering I couldn’t walk two weeks ago, I’m pretty damn happy about today,” Jitloff said. “It was a solid effort, and the skiing was not bad at all – the second run I just had an unlucky mistake there that cost me probably a top 15.”

Tim Jitloff was 20^th at the Audi FIS Ski World Cup giant slalom in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Alain Grosclaude)

Ford started 26^th and finished 10^th in the first run. In the second run, he made a slight mistake, but kept charging to the finish.

“I made a mistake up higher and I felt like I had to kind of push it,” Ford said. “I was right on the edge, and there is a little shelf in there that was hard to see, but I was still going, skiing well.

“Today was really good. I skied really well and had a good time doing it. I made some improvements; I’m ready for the next one,” he added.

Sunday’s race was the final World Cup giant slalom before next month’s FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Up next, the men compete in a City Event in Stockholm, Sweden, Tuesday.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Tommy Ford was 14th in Sunday’s Audi FIS Ski World Cup giant slalom.
• Tim Jitloff finished 20th, for his first top 20-result of the season.
• David Chodounsky (Crested Butte, CO), Brennan Rubie (Salt Lake City, UT) and Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, VT) did not qualify for the second run.
• Austria’s Marcel Hirscher won his 20th World Cup giant slalom race by a massive 1.50 seconds.
• Road to Aspen: Hirscher (1,260 points) pulled further ahead of Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen (828), who finished seventh Sunday, in the overall World Cup standings. Hirscher also extended his World Cup giant slalom overall lead (533) over Alexis Pinturault (439), who finished fourth Sunday.

QUOTES
Tommy Ford
Today was really good. I skied really well and had a good time doing it. I made some improvements; I’m ready for the next one.

I made a mistake up higher and I felt like I had to kind of push it. I was right on the edge, and there is a little shelf in there that was hard to see, but I was still going, skiing well.

Tim Jitloff
Considering I couldn’t walk two weeks ago, I’m pretty damn happy about today. It was a solid effort, and the skiing was not bad at all – the second run I just had an unlucky mistake there that cost me probably a top 15.

It’s been a very injury-filled season, and for me just to be on the start today and in one piece, that’s enough for me for today.

BROADCAST AND LIVE STREAMING (times EST)
All events streaming at www.nbcsports.com/live

Tuesday, Jan. 31
11:00 a.m. – City Event, Stockholm - nbcsports.com - LIVE STREAMING
7:00 p.m. – City Event, Stockholm – Universal HD

RESULTS
Men’s giant slalom

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (Jan. 29, 2017) – Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO) showed off her speed skills, coming from bib 31 to steal fourth place in the Audi FIS Ski World Cup super G in Cortina—her best ever finish in a speed event.

It was a bright and sunny day in Cortina with 60 women racing the super G course set by U.S. Ski Team coach Chris Knight. Lara Gut of Switzerland came into the race heavily favored, trying to take the overall lead from Shiffrin, but a crash at a tough blind gate caused her to DNF. The race was assumed over after the first 30, but Shiffrin, running 31st, put down a crazy fast run, even leading a few of the splits, to finish just off the podium in fourth. Staring at the board after skiing through the lights, she let out a yell, surprising even herself by the fast result.

Laurenne Ross takes 10th place. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Christophe Pallot)

“I felt like I was charging and super smooth,” said Shiffrin, who was just .03 seconds off of the podium. “I really wanted the speed to come to me, instead of backing away from it. That was really fun—it’s a good feeling.”

Ilka Stuhec of Slovenia ran bullet and never gave up first place, taking her first super G win of the year. Sofia Goggia of Italy was second in front of her home crowd, while Anna Veith of Austria returned to the super G podium for the first time in two years in third.

Laurenne Ross (Bend, OR) also skied into the top 10, taking 10th overall—her best finish of the season. She saw the race as a turning point. “It’s definitely a step in the right direction for me,” said Ross. “I’ve had a bit of a tough season so far, but I’m skiing well and I’m going to start trusting myself. It wasn’t perfect—I didn’t have full trust—but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.”

Dusting off her crashes in Friday's downhill training run and Saturday’s downhill, Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) skied a solid run to finish 12th overall. "In downhill, especially, I’m skiing well," relayed Vonn. "Because of the training runs, I have more time to get adjusted to the speed. In super G, I wasn’t very confident today after two crashes and not having as much training. It’s difficult to be confident and really pushing 100 percent. I’m happy I got in the finish today—that gave me some confidence.

Lindsey Vonn skis to a 12-place finish. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Christophe Pallot)

Also present at the race was Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley, CA), who was forerunning the super G. She is still working on coming back to the World Cup after missing the last two seasons due to injury, but she plans on racing at the Olympic test event in Jeongseon after World Championships. “I’ll definitely go to the test event in Korea,” said Mancuso. “This is really only my fifth day—I have less than a handful of days on snow—for speed. I want to be competitive. I don’t just want to start trying to get the points again because I know I’m good enough to win when I’m 100 percent healthy.”

Jackie Wiles (Aurora, OR) skied into the points from bib 40 to take 21st. Breezy Johnson (Victor, ID) continues to pull in good results, taking 24th. Outside of the points, Stacey Cook (Mammoth Lakes, CA) was 34th, Leanne Smith (North Conway, NH) 45th and Anna Marno (Centennial, WY) 50th. Alice Merryweather (Hingham, MA) and Alice McKennis (New Castle, CO) did not finish.

Julia Mancuso foreruns the Cortina super G. (Getty Images-Pacific Press)

Shiffrin’s result and Gut’s crash meant that Shiffrin added to her overall World Cup lead. She came in with just a 30-point margin over Gut, but put on another 50 points with her fourth-place finish, bringing her total score to 1103 points to Gut’s 1023. The women head to Stockholm, Sweden for a city event before the FIS World Championships kicks off in St. Moritz.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Mikaela Shiffrin surprised the fans and herself by skiing from bib 31 to fourth place.
• Laurenne Ross had her best finish of the season in 10th.
• Lindsey Vonn skied into 12th place. She has won 11 races in Cortina d’Ampezzo in all disciplines in her career.
• Ilka Stuhec of Slovenia won the race. Lara Gut fell and did not finish. Prior to today, Gut was undefeated in super G—winning the last three super G races in a row.
• Olympic gold medalist Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley, CA) foreran the super G.
• Road to Aspen: Shiffrin has had the overall World Cup lead since November. She currently leads by 80 points over Lara Gut. Gut continues to lead the super G standings.

QUOTES

Mikaela Shiffrin
I let the skis run and I could really feel it every turn. I felt like I was charging and super smooth. The surface was amazing. You could feel it when you were clean and feel it when you were dirty. Every turn I felt wasn’t totally clean, I was like, ‘no you have to make up time on this next turn.’ I really wanted the speed to come to me, instead of backing away from it. That was really fun—it’s a good feeling.

[On Lara Gut’s DNF]
I watched her run and she was smoking, up until she went out. The mistake she made—her hand was just a little bit inside. That can happen a lot of times when you’re attacking. She was in the lead. I went in today really planning to charge. My main goal was to try and see how comfortable I could let myself really go direct and take the speed and not be afraid of it and stand on my outside ski. I felt like I did that that run. My plan didn’t change because Lara went out, but I did feel like a lot of girls were giving [the course] too much respect. I didn’t know if I would be the one to change that, but it felt like a pretty aggressive run.

[On what’s next]
I’m planning on going to Crans-Montana—there’s a super G and two combined there. Then, probably South Korea, but I don’t think I’m going to race there. I’m still trying to make sure I have my slalom and GS dialed in for World Champs and then the rest of the season. There’s a lot of things to juggle still.

Laurenne Ross
It’s definitely a step in the right direction for me. I’ve had a bit of a tough season so far, but I’m skiing well and I’m going to start trusting myself. It wasn’t perfect—I didn’t have full trust—but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

Every day has been tough to get up from not doing well and keep believing in myself. It’s always a difficult task, but I’m trying to stay calm, trying stay grounded and take every day as it comes and hopefully bring momentum into World Champs.

I know that I can ski better. I know that I can arc more and trust myself more. This will definitely give me a little bit of confidence and enable me to bring that trust into the next races.

Lindsey Vonn
I‘m happy with my skiing. In downhill, especially, I’m skiing well. Because of the training runs, I have more time to get adjusted to the speed. In super G, I wasn’t very confident today after two crashes and not having as much training. It’s difficult to be confident and really pushing 100 percent. I’m happy I got in the finish today—that gave me some confidence. I’m just going to take some days off—my body is definitely tired from crashing so many times. So I just need a break and then I’ll be ready.

Every year is different. Every year you have different obstacles to overcome. This year, it’s been tough with no training to come in and really attack. It’s easier in downhill because you have the downhill training runs, but in super G it’s a bit more difficult. I do my best every day and I think I just need a little bit more training. Every year is different. This year is much different. I’ve never missed a few races in the season and then started. When the World Championships come, it’s all or nothing. Hopefully I can get on the podium there. 

Julia Mancuso
I’ll definitely go to the test event in Korea. I just want to be in a competitive part. This is really only my fifth day—I have less than a handful of days on snow—for speed. I want to be competitive. I don’t just want to start trying to get the points again because I know I’m good enough to win when I’m 100 percent healthy.

I’m really glad to be back. I love going fast. I’m happy to be here. It’s so good to see our downhill team doing really well. Breezy and Jackie are definitely the rookies and they’re coming on strong. I love in America that we always have a strong downhill team. I’m rooting for the rest of the events, but I see a lot of potential and it’s great to be here as the next generation comes up.

BROADCAST & LIVE STREAMING (times EST)
Sunday, Jan. 29
5:30 p.m. – Women’s super G, Cortina d’Ampezzo – NBCSN

RESULTS
Women's super G

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany (Jan. 28, 2017) – Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, CA) was again the top American down the dark Kandahar downhill, this time finishing 12th.

Saturday’s race was the official Audi FIS Ski World Cup downhill day in Garmisch, as Friday’s race was a makeup race from Wengen. While Ganong won in yesterday’s attempt, he skied the rough and bumpy course to finish just outside of the top 10 in 12th Saturday.

Hannes Reichelt of Austria was untouchable in the final downhill before the World Championships in St. Moritz kicks off in February, taking the win. Peter Fill of Italy was second and Beat Feuz of Switzerland third.

The rest of the American Downhillers finished in the points, with Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, CA) 22nd, Jared Goldberg (Holladay, UT) 26th, Tommy Biesemeyer (Keene, NY) 27th and Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, NY) 28th.

To finish the weekend, the men race giant slalom on Sunday in Garmisch. NBCSN will air the second run live at 7 a.m. EST.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Travis Ganong was 12th in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen downhill.
• It was the final downhill before the World Championships in St. Moritz.
• All of the Americans finished in the points.
• Hannes Reichelt of Austria won the race - his 12th career win.
• ROAD TO ASPEN: With his second place finish, Peter Fill of Italy moves into first in the downhill standings over yesterday’s second place finisher Kjetil Jansrud. Though he didn’t race, Marcel Hirscher maintains a huge lead in the overall World Cup standings.
• Catch tomorrow’s giant slalom from Garmisch LIVE on NBCSN at 7:00 a.m. ET.

BROADCAST & LIVE STREAMING (times EST)
All events streaming live on nbcsports.com/live.

Sunday, Jan. 29
4:15 a.m. – Men's giant slalom, run 1, Garmisch-Partenkirchen – nbcsports.com – LIVE STREAMING
7:00 a.m. – Men's giant slalom, run 2, Garmisch-Partenkirchen – NBCSN
7:15 a.m. – Men's giant slalom, run 2, Garmisch-Partenkirchen – nbcsports.com – LIVE STREAMING

RESULTS
Men’s downhill

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (Jan. 28 2017) – Breezy Johnson (Victor, ID) posted a career-best Audi FIS Ski World Cup result, finishing 10^th to lead five Americans into the top 30 in downhill Saturday.

Switzerland’s Lara Gut won her seventh World Cup downhill race Saturday. Italy’s Sofia Goggia was second, followed by World Cup downhill leader Ilka Stuhec of Slovenia in third. Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO), shooting for her 78^th World Cup victory, was leading at the first interval until she crashed into the nets - the same section she crashed in Friday’s training run.

Lindsey Vonn skis down the mountain after crashing out of Saturday’s downhill. (Getty Images/AFP-Tiziana Fabi)

“I thought I was skiing well,” Vonn said. “I thought I had a good plan going into today. They shaved down that bump a little bit, but I still managed to catch some air. I felt like I was going pretty fast … so I slowed myself down. When I landed, there was a little bit of a bump and my outside ski caught. I did the splits and went straight into the fence.”

Johnson, starting 26^th, put down an aggressive run to continue her strong skiing this season, which has now included four top 15 World Cup downhill results.

“I’m really excited with how things have been going,” Johnson said. “I couldn’t have expected this much this often, but I’ve just been trying to follow my plan and execute it everywhere I go.”

Stacey Cook (Mammoth Lakes, CA) was hot on Johnson’s heels, finishing 11^th for her best result since her sixth-place finish earlier this season at Lake Louise, Canada.

“I’ve had a series of pretty bad results,” Cook said. “A lot of hard hills for me, so I wasn’t expecting to win, but just trying to everyday throw down a race and come down to the finish. I was owning last place for a couple series there … so today I was just staying focused and trying to find some speed, speed, speed wherever I could. Just sending it.”

Other American finishers included Jackie Wiles (Aurora, OR) in 17^th; Alice McKennis (New Castle, CO) 18^th; Laurenne Ross (Bend, OR) 22^nd; and Leanne Smith (North Conway, NH) in 32^nd.

With her victory, Gut pulled to within 30 points of Mikaela Shiffrin’s (Eagle-Vail, CO) overall World Cup Lead. Shiffrin, Gut and Vonn are all expected to race in Sunday’s super G. Watch it live on NBCSports.com at 5:30 a.m. EST.

“I’m just to look forward to tomorrow,” Vonn said of Sunday’s super G. “Try to regroup, try to loosen myself up - I’m getting a little sore. I’m too old to be hitting the fence that hard.”

HIGHLIGHTS

• Breezy Johnson posted a career-best 10^th place finish in Saturday’s Audi FIS Ski World Cup downhill.
• Lindsey Vonn crashed in Saturday’s race at the same section she crashed in Friday’s training run. Vonn is expected to race in Sunday’s super G.
• Lara Gut won her 23^rd career World Cup race, her seventh career downhill win, on Saturday.
• Overall World Cup leader Mikaela Shiffrin is expected to race in Sunday’s super G
• Road to Aspen: With Saturday’s downhill victory, Gut is only 30 points behind Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO) in the overall World Cup standings. Heading into Sunday’s super G at Cortina, Gut has 1,023 World Cup points and can overtake Shiffrin’s 1,053-point lead with a top eight finish. In the World Cup downhill standings, Slovenia’s Ilka Stuhec leads with 437 points. Gut is second with 360.

QUOTES
Breezy Johnson
I’m really excited with how things have been going. I couldn’t have expected this much this often, but I’ve just been trying to follow my plan and execute it everywhere I go.

[On her teammates]
They all have so many different skills they bring to the table. Laurenne is a great technical skier. Stacey is an awesome glider. Lindsey has it all. Julia is great when the big events matter, and Jackie just goes for it. So it’s good to be able to take pieces from all of them, and learn from all of them … and bring that to your own skiing.

Lindsey Vonn
I thought I was skiing well. I thought I had a good plan going into today. They shaved down that bump a little bit, but I still managed to catch some air. I felt like I was going pretty fast … so I slowed myself down. When I landed, there was a little bit of a bump and my outside ski caught. I did the splits and went straight into the fence.

It just wasn’t my day today, or yesterday for that matter, but that’s ski racing! I tried my best and I’m happy with my effort. I’m just to look forward to tomorrow. Try to regroup, try to loosen myself up - I’m getting a little sore. I’m too old to be hitting the fence that hard.

Stacey Cook
I’ve had a series of pretty bad results. A lot of hard hills for me, so I wasn’t expecting to win, but just trying to throw down a race and come down to the finish. I was owning last place for a couple series there … so today I was just staying focused and trying to find some speed, speed, speed wherever I could. Just sending it.

BROADCAST AND LIVE STREAMING (times EST)
All events streaming at www.nbcsports.com/live

Sunday, Jan. 29
5:30 a.m. – Women’s super G, Cortina d’Ampezzo – nbcsports.com – LIVE
5:30 p.m. – Women’s super G, Cortina d’Ampezzo – NBCSN

RESULTS:
Women’s downhill

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany (Jan. 27, 2017) – Steven Nyman (Sundance, UT) suffered a left knee injury during the downhill at Garmisch today is flying back to the states for further evaluation. 

Nyman, who has 11 Audi FIS Ski World Cup career podiums, including three victories, will remain focused on the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang. With a third place under his belt at last season’s Olympic test event at Jeongseon, Nyman is expected to be a contender in the downhill.