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Overall Alpine globes for Riesch and Kostelic

The Croat Ivica Kostelic was the big star of the men's 2010/2011 Audi FIS Ski World Cup season after dominating the season, especially during the month of January. Some fresh faces also marked this season creating exciting races and unexpected results. The 31-year-old Kostelic stole the show from the "big" skiing nations Austria and Switzerland as he followed in his sister's footsteps as the World Cup overall champion.

On the ladies' side, the duel between best friends and rivals Maria Riesch (GER) and Lindsey Vonn (USA) was as close and nerve-racking as never before. In the end, 26-year-old German finished the American's three-year winning streak by only three points.

With Riesch and Kostelic claiming the large crystal globes, the World Cup races of the 2010/11 season were filled with exciting fights and dramatic suspense until the very end. Six of the twelve globes were still outstanding before the 2010/11 Alpine FIS World Cup ski season concluded the Finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, last Sunday.

While Vonn missed her fourth consecutive overall crown, she still clinched three trophies this season (downhill, super-G and super combined) and now possesses twelve globes (3 overall, 4 downhill, 3 super-G and 2 super combined). With 41 career wins, Vonn further solidified her place as America's most successful ski racer of all time.
Riesch led the overall standing for most of the season and arrived at Lenzerheide with a 23-point advantage that disappeared during the week after she placed behind Vonn in the downhill, before clawing her way ahead of her in the slalom. The final points tally was 1,728-1,725 in Riesch's favor. It was the German's first overall title after she had claimed four small globes in previous seasons (slalom in 2009 and 2010, super-G and super-combined in 2008). Riesch finished her season with two world championship bronze medals, 16 podiums and six victories in four disciplines.

World champion in slalom Marlies Schild (AUT) won every single race that she finished prior to the Finals capturing her third career slalom globe. The almost 30-year-old "queen of slalom" stormed to slalom gold six out of nine times this season and finished second at the Finals. As weather conditions also forced the cancelation of the final giant slalom, the 2011 title went to Germany's Viktoria Rebensburg ahead of France's Tessa Worley who had led the standings for much of the season.
On the men's side, Kostelic collected 1356 points in total putting him clearly in the lead of the overall standings, 400 points ahead of Switzerland's Didier Cuche (956). Kostelic added three crystal globes (overall, slalom and super combined) to the family collection and became the most successful male athlete of the 2010/11 season. His sister Janica, who retired in 2007, has earned three overall titles in her illustrious career.

The competition in the men's slalom was fierce again this World Cup season with seven different winners in the ten races. Only the overall World Cup champion Kostelic, world champion Jean-Baptiste Grange (FRA) and Mario Matt (AUT) won twice - and always in consecutive slaloms. Kostelic won the slalom title despite finishing a disappointing 18th and out of the points in the final slalom in Lenzerheide, but he retained his lead of 36 points in the standings after France's Jean-Baptiste Grange straddled a gate in the first run.

Swiss veteran Didier Cuche won the downhill globe with a 12 point-advantage over Austrian Michael Walchhofer, capturing the small crystal globe for the fourth consecutive time in his career after 2008, 2009 and 2010. With four globes, the Swiss is now the second-best downhiller of all times behind Franz Klammer, who heads the leader board with five victories. 36-year-old Cuche, who will continue his career for another season, can still tie this record.

With the final super-G race canceled, the leader Didier Cuche collected the trophy with 291 points ahead of Austrian Georg Streitberger, who took second despite being sidelined with a broken leg after a crash in late January.

The giant slalom title went to world champion Ted Ligety (383) with a 77 point-advantage over Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal (306). It was the American's second consecutive giant slalom globe and third in total.

Michael Walchhofer, Austria's best skier of recent years, bid farewell to the White Circus with a strong season. The racer from Salzburg celebrated four victories in his last year and was in the race to capture the crystal globe in downhill until the very last race when he narrowly missed out. The 35-year-old also finished the season as the best Austrian in the overall standings in fifth place to bow out right at the top.

Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup 2010/2011 champions

Overall ladies: Maria Riesch (GER)
Overall men: Ivica Kostelic (CRO)
Slalom ladies: Marlies Schild (AUT)
Slalom men: Ivica Kostelic (CRO)
Giant slalom ladies: Viktoria Rebensburg (GER)
Giant slalom men: Ted Ligety (USA)
Super-G ladies: Lindsey Vonn (USA)
Super-G men: Didier Cuche (SUI)
Downhill ladies: Lindsey Vonn (USA)
Downhill men: Didier Cuche (SUI)
Super combined ladies: Lindsey Vonn (USA)
Super combined men: Ivica Kostelic (CRO)
Nations' Cup: Austria (ladies: AUT/men: AUT)

Contributed by Sandra Kühni

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