MADONNA DI CAMPIGLIO, Italy, 17 December 2003 — Sweden’s overall World Cup leader Anja Paerson stayed queen of the slalom slopes yesterday with another impressive win in Madonna.
The victory maintained her 100 percent record from two slaloms this season following her success at Park City, Utah, last month.
Paerson beat France’s Laure Pequegnot, the Olympic silver medalist who led after the first leg, by 0.81 seconds with a total time of one minute 40.68. Austrian Nicole Hosp was third in the first women’s World Cup race at the Italian resort since 1984. In the continued absence of triple Olympic champion Janica Kostelic, Paerson has emerged as the favorite for the championship with a win and second place in giant slalom this season complimenting her domination in slalom.
After handing the advantage to Pequegnot in the first-leg, the Swede provided a demonstration of her power and technique with an impressively aggressive second run.
“I was very disappointed with my first run and I knew I had to give my all in the second race,” said a beaming Paerson.
“I had to take risks but it is a tremendous course here, just how I like it and this was a great win,” she added. Paerson’s only finish outside of the podium in her two specialist events this season came at Alta Badia on Saturday where she finished fourth in the giant and the Swede said she had put that disappointment firmly behind her.
“I felt in my element here. I felt much stronger and more confident than in Alta Badia and I really enjoyed it,” she said.
Madonna has special memories for Swedish skiers as the slalom great Ingemar Stenmark, who won a record 86 World Cup races in the 1970s and 1980s, won five slalom and three giant titles at the Dolomite resort.
Paerson, like Stenmark, hails from the town of Tarnaby and said it gave her particular pleasure to win at Madonna.
“I was thinking about Stenmark, that he won his first race here and had such great results here over the years,” she said.
“It is a legendary race for us Swedes and I wanted it so much. I really had to push and give everything that I have to do it,” said Paerson.
Pequegnot said she was satisfied with her display but believed she had more to offer.
“I’ve no regrets, I fought hard and was pleased by the way I skied,” she said. “Every year there is someone at the top — if it is not Kostelic, it is Anja. But I wouldn’t say she is unbeatable. I’ll keep doing my best and I haven’t reached my peak yet”.
