:01:04. > :01:08.Hello and welcome to the programme. It feels like half of Austria has
:01:08. > :01:13.descended on this slalom course for an atmosphere which is unlike any
:01:13. > :01:21.other race in the world. To be a top-class slalom skier, you need
:01:21. > :01:28.absolute concentration, total focus, you do not need more than 30,000
:01:28. > :01:38.screaming of tea and fans right next year. Bedlam, pandemonium,
:01:38. > :01:47.
:01:47. > :01:50.COMMENTATOR: That was one of the best slalom runs I have ever seen.
:01:50. > :01:59.Later in the show, Chemmy Alcott meets up with the greatest ever
:01:59. > :02:04.female skier, arguably the most successful sportswoman in the world,
:02:04. > :02:11.Lindsey Vonn. You're so feminine, you're gorgeous, but you have the
:02:11. > :02:17.power. Would you ever want to race against men? I would like to still
:02:17. > :02:24.live to see the next day. I'm Nock sure, if it was not as icy as they
:02:24. > :02:29.have it, I would be able to do it. But first up, it is the Schladming
:02:29. > :02:34.slalom. Slalom skiers do not face the same danger as their downhill
:02:34. > :02:44.counterparts, but the pressure is immense, Yuko feel the tension, and
:02:44. > :02:47.
:02:47. > :02:54.this year, more than ever, there is The slalom is no stranger to
:02:54. > :03:01.controversy and intense rivalry. It has narrow margins of victory, and
:03:01. > :03:11.a high potential to miss a gate. Passion is always running high. In
:03:11. > :03:15.
:03:15. > :03:21.1968, at the Grenoble Olympics, Jean-Claude Killy won gold. Karl
:03:21. > :03:25.Schranz posted a better time, but missed a gate. He claimed a mystery
:03:25. > :03:35.figure cut across him in the race, and he was reinstated, but
:03:35. > :03:37.
:03:37. > :03:43.eventually disqualified altogether. NEWSCASTER: Obviously now you can
:03:43. > :03:53.relax and celebrate. Yes, I can relax and drink champagne!
:03:53. > :03:56.similar feud is developing this year between two stars, Marcel
:03:56. > :04:06.Hirscher and Ivica Kostelic. Marcel Hirscher had a blistering start to
:04:06. > :04:09.
:04:09. > :04:17.the season. But the slalom leader, Kostelic, cried foul, claiming that
:04:17. > :04:22.Marcel Hirscher straddled a gate. He was disqualified in Kitzbuehel
:04:22. > :04:26.after doing it again. And here in Schladming, the tension was
:04:26. > :04:32.palpable as the two warring parties came face-to-face to settle their
:04:32. > :04:42.differences before the race. For me, it is really pretty tough to say I
:04:42. > :04:42.
:04:42. > :04:52.do this or not. I am skiing mostly on the turns on the outside ski, so
:04:52. > :04:53.
:04:53. > :04:56.my inside ski has no pressure, so it is free. You have caused a bit
:04:56. > :05:02.of a storm, do you think it will make things difficult for you with
:05:03. > :05:10.the fans tomorrow? I do not know. If this message that we have sent
:05:10. > :05:20.today does not reach all the spectators, then it might be quite
:05:20. > :05:24.hot out there. But I think we have sent a strong message, and the fans,
:05:24. > :05:28.we really want to keep things down a little bit, and I can say that
:05:28. > :05:34.from my side, from the Croatian side, things have got a little bit
:05:34. > :05:40.out of hand. You know that the fans can get quite rowdy here. Hopefully
:05:40. > :05:48.not. When you straddle a gate, you must know when you're doing it.
:05:48. > :05:53.can only speak for myself, and I always feel it when I do it. We are
:05:53. > :05:58.all sportsmen, nobody is cheating. Some but not stopping is cheating?
:05:58. > :06:08.I don't know, I normally stop, but I do not want to say something
:06:08. > :06:09.
:06:09. > :06:13.about that! OK, nothing like a bit of controversy, we have got Ivica
:06:13. > :06:17.Kostelic versus Marcel Hirscher. Kostelic has caused a massive storm
:06:17. > :06:21.by accusing Austria's top slalom skier of being a cheat just a
:06:21. > :06:26.couple of days before the biggest slalom in Austria. It does not seem
:06:26. > :06:31.like a very good tactical move. Probably not, particularly because
:06:31. > :06:36.this crowd has got rowdy in the past. It will be an interesting
:06:36. > :06:43.night for Ivica Kostelic. Put you on the spot, do you think Hirscher
:06:43. > :06:50.is cheating? Yes, yes, I do. I think he knows when he straddles. I
:06:50. > :06:57.think he was chancing his arm and he was skiing on anyway. Who else
:06:57. > :07:01.is in contention? Well, Mario Matt has come back, he likes this course.
:07:01. > :07:06.We have also got the Italian Cristian Deville, who has just got
:07:06. > :07:11.a victory on the World Cup circuit. There's a few skiers who could do
:07:11. > :07:15.it. The problem is that it is so warm here, the second run could be
:07:15. > :07:19.crucial. They have got to build up an advantage on the first run,
:07:19. > :07:22.because on the second run, they go virtually last, the piste will be
:07:23. > :07:27.breaking up, and it will be very hard for them to hold on to their
:07:27. > :07:33.advantage. It could go anyway. there any advantage in tactically
:07:33. > :07:37.slowing down on the first run, so that you go a bit sooner or on the
:07:37. > :07:41.second? No, you have got to just go for it. If you have got a high
:07:42. > :07:49.ranking, you have got to go higher on the first run, and get a big
:07:49. > :07:54.lead. As Graham has just said, it is contested over two runs. It is
:07:54. > :08:00.critical to get a good first run down. Trying to make his forced
:08:00. > :08:04.heard his our commentator Matt Chilton. So, the biggest night of
:08:04. > :08:07.the year for Austrian sport, everybody wants to join in the fun
:08:07. > :08:10.at the Schladming Night Slalom, at the Schladming Night Slalom,
:08:11. > :08:15.more than 40,000 have crammed in here to watch the action. First to
:08:15. > :08:21.go, in the first leg, a man who has been making headlines for all the
:08:21. > :08:26.wrong reasons this week, Marcel Hirscher. But the loyal Austrian
:08:26. > :08:33.supporters are willing to forgive and forget and gloss over what's
:08:33. > :08:38.happened in the last few days, and they will be saving their vitriol,
:08:38. > :08:46.I suspect, for the man who has been his main accuser, Ivica Kostelic,
:08:46. > :08:55.who will go later. Letting his skis to the talking in the first run
:08:55. > :09:01.here, nothing wrong with this from Marcel Hirscher. He has got a clean
:09:01. > :09:09.track and he's making the most of it. Hirscher has attacked from top
:09:09. > :09:13.to bottom, and set a really good pace. Great run from Marcel
:09:13. > :09:17.Hirscher, a big advantage having a clear course. He did look a little
:09:17. > :09:21.nervous over the first few gates, but then when he got on to the
:09:21. > :09:26.steep section, he loves that section, with his feet so close
:09:26. > :09:33.together, he's able to take the straightest line down the hill. It
:09:33. > :09:37.is risky but this time I did not see any struggles. The nearly man
:09:37. > :09:42.of slalom skiing, Andre Myhrer. He has been second several times, he
:09:42. > :09:45.got bronze in the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He only has two World
:09:45. > :09:52.Cup victories to his name, but he has been on the podium a further
:09:52. > :10:00.eight times. Andre Myhrer, the best of the current crop of Swedish
:10:00. > :10:08.slalom skiers. Tall, rangy, very athletic, deceptively quick. He
:10:08. > :10:13.likes it here in Schladming, he has done OK here in the past. How does
:10:13. > :10:19.he compare with Hirscher's Split? He's one hundredth of a second
:10:19. > :10:27.faster on the top part of the course. Now, he's on this really
:10:27. > :10:36.steep section. Going left and right across the hill, according to the
:10:36. > :10:39.pattern of gates that has been set. He's behind now. A less direct
:10:39. > :10:45.route than Hirscher around the gates at the bottom of the course.
:10:45. > :10:55.It is not bad for Andre Myhrer, but I don't think he will deny Marcel
:10:55. > :10:56.
:10:56. > :11:01.Hirscher the lead here. No, he's second. Next up, the Austrian Mario
:11:01. > :11:05.Matt, who has had a glittering slalom Korea, with two World
:11:05. > :11:09.Championships to his name. He's becoming overshadowed by his
:11:09. > :11:13.compatriot Marcel Hirscher, so he will be desperate for a big win
:11:13. > :11:21.tonight. The noise that meets Mario Matt is astonishing. Can he hold
:11:21. > :11:27.his nerve? A little stumble there. A bit of freestyle for a moment
:11:27. > :11:36.there from Mario Matt. He has twice triumphed in the Schladming Night
:11:36. > :11:40.Slalom, as recently as 2008. 12 hundredths of a second faster than
:11:40. > :11:50.fellow Austrian Marcel Hirscher. Now he comes on to the steep
:11:50. > :11:50.
:11:50. > :11:57.section, gets left behind by his skis. He is behind. Upper-body
:11:57. > :12:02.crouched over, gets such a low position. Familiar style from Mario
:12:03. > :12:08.Matt. He will finish, but how close can he get to Hirscher? Not bad,
:12:08. > :12:12.second, three quarters of the second off the pace. Well, when
:12:12. > :12:17.Mario Matt first burst onto the scene, his technique was absolutely
:12:17. > :12:24.brand new, it was modern. He has had to develop it over the years,
:12:24. > :12:28.to reduce the width between his skis, keep his skis closer together,
:12:28. > :12:31.but he still drops his backside a little bit too low, bending the
:12:31. > :12:35.knee is a little bit too much. There was one slight mistake where
:12:36. > :12:41.he got his knees bent too much, and his skis just skidded out, which is
:12:41. > :12:47.why he lost the time. Amidst the controversy, it is easy to forget
:12:47. > :12:51.that Cristian Deville actually won last week in Kitzbuehel. He has
:12:51. > :12:59.been quietly cementing his slalom reputation with several victories,
:12:59. > :13:03.taking him to second in the standings. This is Cristian Deville,
:13:03. > :13:08.who has had a breakthrough season. No better than fourth coming into
:13:08. > :13:14.this season, but now, he's the second best slalom skier on the
:13:14. > :13:18.World Cup tour. A magnificent performance on Sunday, to give him
:13:18. > :13:23.the win in front of a huge crowd in Kitzbuehel, similar to the crowd
:13:23. > :13:29.he's racing in front of tonight. Two hundredths of a second behind
:13:29. > :13:35.at the first intermediate. Now, halfway, how's he doing? He's six
:13:35. > :13:43.hundredths faster, great top section! Can he keep it going? No,
:13:43. > :13:47.he has struggled, and he goes out of the competition. Well, the
:13:47. > :13:53.winner from Kitzbuehel is out. He made a mistake right after the
:13:53. > :13:58.intermediate. He then made a second mistake lower down, similar to the
:13:59. > :14:08.first, and could not control it. There was no getting away with that
:14:09. > :14:23.
:14:23. > :14:27.story as injuries have kept him well off the pace.
:14:28. > :14:32.The Frenchman winner here 12 months ago. He also won the World
:14:32. > :14:41.Championship title in Garmisch last February, the biggest result of his
:14:41. > :14:45.career so far. A slow start to the season. We know he likes this
:14:45. > :14:55.course - the Planai piste. It favours his style. That is a good
:14:55. > :15:00.top. A tenth of a second off the pace. Hirscher's time 30.28 at the
:15:00. > :15:04.next split. Now Grange is struggling. He has had to put the
:15:04. > :15:09.brakes on and perform a couple of emergency manoeuvres to get out of
:15:09. > :15:13.trouble. Ideally, he will be aiming for a top five finish to give
:15:13. > :15:18.himself a chance to move up in the second run. I think he will
:15:18. > :15:28.probably be happy to finish at all. At the moment, he is fourth. Not
:15:28. > :15:29.
:15:29. > :15:34.bad. Ivica Kostelic in the start.
:15:34. > :15:39.There's a silence for the Croatian. Everybody is aware of the words
:15:39. > :15:44.that he's used in the last week or so. One line in particular when he
:15:44. > :15:50.said, "It's only one race, but the shame lasts forever!" That was
:15:51. > :16:00.directed at Marcel Hirscher. That's upset the Austrians. It's all gone
:16:00. > :16:05.very quiet in Schladming. You can hear the boos for Ivica Kostelic -
:16:05. > :16:11.he can't of course. All he is concentrating on is making these
:16:11. > :16:21.turns count. 0.67 behind Hirscher. They would love to see him crash
:16:21. > :16:21.
:16:21. > :16:31.out, I think. He's going to finish. Solid, efficient and Kostelic is in
:16:31. > :16:31.
:16:31. > :16:35.fourth. 1.18 seconds down. I don't think I have heard anyone
:16:35. > :16:40.so loudly booed when he went out of the start gate and there was a
:16:40. > :16:50.massive cheer when he was out at the intermediate time. Not a great
:16:50. > :16:52.
:16:52. > :16:57.day out for Ivica. Fritz Dopfer of Germany. A decent
:16:57. > :17:07.season so far for Dopfer. Another one who has had a breakthrough
:17:07. > :17:09.
:17:09. > :17:16.season. His best result was a third. Felix Neureuther is the better-
:17:16. > :17:23.known of the German skiers. The snow thickens in Schladming and the
:17:23. > :17:28.German trails Hirscher by 9/100ths of a second at intermediate one.
:17:28. > :17:34.Still in the hunt here. A nice technique from Fritz Dopfer,
:17:34. > :17:40.dropping his hand down on to the snow. Good angles, good
:17:40. > :17:46.acceleration. He's home and dry. He's third. Good stuff from the
:17:46. > :17:51.German! APPLAUSE Stefano Gross in the start for
:17:51. > :18:01.Italy, wearing 13 here tonight. Hugely talented. He has had some
:18:01. > :18:04.
:18:04. > :18:12.good results this season. The great Alberto Tomba inspired this younger
:18:12. > :18:22.generation of slalom skiers and Gross is one of those. Tomba was
:18:22. > :18:33.
:18:33. > :18:36.the last Italian to win here. Gross is OK here. 0.25 off the pace. A
:18:36. > :18:41.few Italians watching on in Schladming and they will be
:18:41. > :18:49.delighted with what they have seen from Stefano Gross. Into seventh
:18:49. > :18:54.position. It gives himself a chance in the second run.
:18:54. > :19:01.In the start, 17, Ted Ligety, the American, who has been the best
:19:01. > :19:07.giant slalom skier of the season so far. Working all the time on his
:19:07. > :19:17.slalom form. It hasn't been anywhere near as good as GS so far
:19:17. > :19:24.
:19:24. > :19:31.for the Americans. 4/100ths up. A great start for Ted Ligety.
:19:31. > :19:35.0.25 behind now for Ligety. Marcel Hirscher still leads the way in the
:19:35. > :19:41.night race in Schladming. Ted Ligety hoping to give himself an
:19:41. > :19:47.opportunity to move up in the second run. The American has skied
:19:47. > :19:51.cleanly and skis into eighth spot. Not bad at all. This is his weaker
:19:51. > :19:56.discipline. Marcel Hirscher leads the way after
:19:56. > :20:02.the first run in Schladming, ahead of Mario Matt. Ivica Kostelic
:20:02. > :20:06.poised to strike in the second run in sixth. After all the chat, it
:20:07. > :20:10.was Round One to Marcel Hirscher? Yes, he did have a clean track, he
:20:10. > :20:15.started one. It will be different when he starts 30 on the second run.
:20:15. > :20:18.Is it going to be difficult to adjust to that rutted track? It is
:20:18. > :20:22.more the pressure of being left standing at the start gate and
:20:22. > :20:27.having to defend your lead. I think Kostelic is perfectly placed to
:20:27. > :20:33.heap the pressure on Hirscher? is. There's other Austrians in this
:20:33. > :20:38.race as well. There's Reinfried Herbst, Mario Matt. These guys want
:20:38. > :20:44.to see Kostelic beaten. There may have been a calming of the waters
:20:44. > :20:47.with some handshakes, but there is still bad blood running. With the
:20:47. > :20:52.second run commentary, it is Matt Chilton.
:20:52. > :21:01.The atmosphere is reaching fever pitch now. Reinfried Herbst is on
:21:01. > :21:06.the course for Austria. His lead over the current leader is 1.1.
:21:06. > :21:14.Herbst has won here before. He has been out of sorts for the last year
:21:14. > :21:20.or so. He has won the Schladming night race on two occasions. It is
:21:20. > :21:24.a scruffy-looking start, but he has good speed. Missillier has led for
:21:24. > :21:31.a while. Herbst has a huge amount of support. Late on that turn. Had
:21:31. > :21:40.to adjust. His lead has been whittled down to 0.25 and he is
:21:40. > :21:45.looking a little tired. Reinfried Herbst hoping to regain some of the
:21:45. > :21:52.form that bought him the double victory here in Schladming - he
:21:52. > :21:57.leads the way! He hung on. Reinfried Herbst making the most of
:21:57. > :22:00.his early start number. He started to get out of control, made a few
:22:01. > :22:07.mistakes lower down, but just enough to take the lead. This
:22:07. > :22:16.course is breaking up so everyone who skis now will have a more
:22:16. > :22:22.rutted track. Naoki Yuasa from Japan. An exciting
:22:22. > :22:26.skier to watch. It is all attack from Naoki Yuasa. He is throwing
:22:26. > :22:33.everything into this second run. The snow has eased off a little bit.
:22:33. > :22:42.Look at his advantage! He's flown through the first few turns. No
:22:42. > :22:46.Japanese racer has ever won a World Cup competition in any discipline.
:22:46. > :22:49.But Yuasa has the technique and the ability and he's got the resources
:22:49. > :22:53.behind him. All the Japanese World Cup Alpine skiers are superstars
:22:53. > :22:59.back home where skiing is big business with more than 700
:22:59. > :23:03.different ski areas dotted across the various Japanese islands. Yuasa
:23:03. > :23:10.has skied brilliantly and leads the way in Schladming! What a run from
:23:10. > :23:15.him. Yuasa getting a good reception.
:23:15. > :23:20.They do like his skiing style. He is so on the edge, just arms and
:23:20. > :23:30.legs going everywhere and able to carry good speed on that last
:23:30. > :23:31.
:23:31. > :23:38.section. Superb skiing from the Japanese racer.
:23:38. > :23:45.Jean-Baptiste Grange. His lead is very slight over Yuasa. A scruffy-
:23:46. > :23:53.looking start from the man who won here 12 months ago. Ultimately,
:23:53. > :23:57.disappointing. He is out. Too much speed at the top. Couldn't control
:23:58. > :24:02.that right-footed turn. Out of the race.
:24:02. > :24:10.Ted Ligety on his way for the second time. Eighth after the first
:24:11. > :24:16.run, 0.5 quicker than Yuasa. He is taking a risk or two at the top.
:24:16. > :24:24.Cutting some tight turns here, Ted Ligety. He comes from Park City in
:24:24. > :24:29.Utah. Ligety is still ahead, but only just. 13/100ths in reserve now.
:24:29. > :24:35.On to the steep, things get a little tougher. The course is
:24:35. > :24:43.cutting up now. Ligety gets caught in the backseat, his lead is
:24:43. > :24:48.reduced to 9/100ths of a second. Yuasa can barely watch. Ligety
:24:48. > :24:55.skiing for the lead in Schladming. He would love to win here tonight.
:24:55. > :24:59.The Americans have had a cracking season. Ligety is second. Half a
:25:00. > :25:03.second behind Yuasa. Happy to have finished in one piece.
:25:03. > :25:07.Ligety more famous as a giant slalom skier. He will be happy with
:25:07. > :25:11.that because this course is starting to rut up particularly on
:25:11. > :25:17.that top section, just before the first intermediate time. You can
:25:17. > :25:20.see how the skiers are bouncing in, it means you have to ski a wider
:25:20. > :25:26.line because you cannot cut off the ruts, you have to put your ski and
:25:26. > :25:34.ski the line that is already there. Stefano Gross is next to race, he
:25:34. > :25:40.is seventh after the first run. His advantage over Yuasa is decent,
:25:40. > :25:47.six-tenths of a second. He has it all going on here. What a start
:25:48. > :25:53.from Stefano Gross. Gross will be quicker. Three tenths faster. He is
:25:53. > :26:02.a bit behind his skis in the backseat. Now, he's found his ideal
:26:02. > :26:06.position. He is right on top of them again. 1:24.42 for Yuasa.
:26:06. > :26:16.Gross moves away from him again. The green light shows an advantage
:26:16. > :26:16.
:26:16. > :26:23.of almost half a second for Stefano Gross from Italy. Nearly home. Can
:26:23. > :26:28.he take the lead? Yes he can! A quarter of a second. Stefano Gross
:26:28. > :26:32.in top spot in Schladming. He can't believe it.
:26:32. > :26:36.A good run from Stefano Gross, really making the most of the ruts.
:26:36. > :26:40.Skis with the skis quite close together which allows him to get
:26:40. > :26:46.both feet into that rut. Very, very good on the lower section of the
:26:46. > :26:51.course, a great run! Will there be silence again for
:26:51. > :26:59.Ivica Kostelic this time? I can't hear much noise apart from boos and
:26:59. > :27:06.whistles and jeers. 3/100ths of a second is his advantage over
:27:06. > :27:11.Stefano Gross. Kostelic is behind now by 0.35. He's never won the
:27:11. > :27:19.night race in Schladming. He's won plenty of World Cups along the way,
:27:19. > :27:22.but this one has always escaped him. As the time flashes up, showing a
:27:22. > :27:29.deficit of half a second, that brings a few cheers from the
:27:29. > :27:36.Austrian crowd after what's gone on, the war of words between Ivica and
:27:36. > :27:42.Marcel Hirscher over the last few days. Kostelic finishes second. A
:27:42. > :27:46.good, fast finish. He let them run and just missed the lead by
:27:46. > :27:51.8/100ths of a second. Kostelic made up a lot on the final
:27:51. > :27:55.section, but it was boos all the way down and when he was behind at
:27:55. > :28:01.the intermediate times, there were cheers. I don't think I have ever
:28:01. > :28:06.seen Kostelic ski so conservatively on a second run.
:28:06. > :28:12.Andre Myhrer for Sweden. He is fourth after the first run.
:28:12. > :28:16.That was not a great start. He skied a really rounded line, took a
:28:16. > :28:21.detour around one of the early gates. Let's see how much time it's
:28:21. > :28:27.cost him. Started with an advantage of 0.35, he's kept the five, the
:28:27. > :28:33.three has gone. Still green but only just for Andre Myhrer. Gross,
:28:33. > :28:37.Kostelic, Yuasa is the one, two, three. Andre Myhrer, the runner-up
:28:37. > :28:44.here 12 months ago, hoping to go one better in 2012. It is not
:28:45. > :28:54.happening for him. 0.81 down. Hasn't found the ability to relax
:28:55. > :28:56.
:28:56. > :29:00.and attack the course. Gross will remain in top spot. Andre Myhrer is
:29:00. > :29:06.down in seventh. Andre Myhrer, good on the top of
:29:06. > :29:11.the course. You can see those massive ruts have developed. He had
:29:11. > :29:15.a heavy exit, hard on the edges, and look Stefano Gross's time is
:29:15. > :29:24.looking very good. We had a surprise Italian winner in
:29:24. > :29:30.Kitzbuhel last weekend. Could it be we have another Italian win here in
:29:30. > :29:34.Schladming? Fritz Dopfer is third after the first run with a lead of
:29:34. > :29:41.0.36 over Stefano Gross of Italy. A nice, steady, relaxed start from
:29:41. > :29:46.Fritz Dopfer. Nothing wrong with this. Calm upper body, hardly any
:29:46. > :29:51.movement from his head and shoulders. He maintains just about
:29:51. > :30:01.his advantage over the Italian. Now he comes on to the steep. A couple
:30:01. > :30:14.
:30:14. > :30:19.of ruts to avoid. Watch out for left-hander, Fritz Dopfer's outside
:30:19. > :30:29.ski just slips away from him, he cannot get his inside ski inside
:30:29. > :30:29.
:30:29. > :30:35.the gate, so he's out, and he stops. Now, Mario Matt, second after the
:30:35. > :30:43.first run. Two Austrians left to race. Whatever happens now, the
:30:43. > :30:48.current leader, my Weir, is guaranteed a place on the podium.
:30:48. > :30:56.Smooth, incredibly relaxed, considering the pressure situation
:30:56. > :31:02.Mario Matt is in, but he has been here before. Look at the scenes
:31:02. > :31:10.below, incredible! The he comes on to the Steep, carving beautifully,
:31:10. > :31:19.nothing wrong with this. His advantage has been cut away to just
:31:19. > :31:24.two tenths of a second. They're hoping and praying. Will he get the
:31:24. > :31:31.lead over Stefano growers? Nearly home! Which way will it go? He's
:31:31. > :31:39.second. Oh, that's tight. Seven hundredths down. Gross holds on to
:31:39. > :31:43.the lead. 7 hundredths of a second squeezes Kostelic down into third,
:31:43. > :31:47.so there's some consolation, but a massive sigh of disappointment. He
:31:47. > :31:52.was doing so well right up until those last few gates before the
:31:52. > :31:56.finish, where he just did not take enough risks, just got a little bit
:31:56. > :32:06.too tense. It is very hard to stay relaxed when all these people want
:32:06. > :32:07.
:32:07. > :32:10.you to win. Up next, last to go, Marcel Hirscher. Hirscher has a
:32:10. > :32:14.lead of well over a second over Stefano Gross. He can afford a
:32:15. > :32:24.couple of mistakes and still win here tonight. On the cusp of taking
:32:24. > :32:28.his fourth slalom World Cup win of the season. He has lost about half
:32:28. > :32:35.of his advantage already. If the same happens again on the lower
:32:35. > :32:44.part of the course, he will not win! A couple of scrambled turns,
:32:44. > :32:48.he's using all the power from his upper body, as smoke from the
:32:48. > :32:54.fireworks drifts across the Planai course. He has done a scruffy
:32:54. > :33:00.second run, but he's still in the hunt for his second night win in
:33:00. > :33:08.Schladming to silence the critics. And Hirscher takes it, by 22
:33:08. > :33:12.hundredths of a second! He has done it! He had over a second, but he
:33:12. > :33:20.needed all of that advantage, and look what it means to the Austrian
:33:20. > :33:25.crowd. Marcel Hirscher has taken the win here. They're going to
:33:25. > :33:31.party well into the night. unforgettable evening for Marcel
:33:31. > :33:36.Hirscher, who wins the Schladming Night Slalom ahead of Stefano Gross,
:33:37. > :33:41.with Mario Matt in third. This is what the sport is all about, not
:33:41. > :33:49.the argument that you had with Kostelic, that's all history.
:33:49. > :33:52.it is. The best answer we can both give, because he is in fourth
:33:52. > :33:59.position, I think, so a very good result for him, and my victory,
:33:59. > :34:03.very good, and I think both of us are pretty happy with the result
:34:03. > :34:11.today. The most important thing is only about the sport brings people
:34:11. > :34:16.together. Undoubtedly, the result that the locals wanted. Yes, but it
:34:16. > :34:20.was no sure fire thing. He had 1.21 seconds over Gross, but he made
:34:20. > :34:26.some big mistakes on the top part of the course. But when he got onto
:34:26. > :34:31.the Steep he was absolutely fine. He's one of the best slalom skiers
:34:31. > :34:35.in the world. We can't do this without discussing Kostelic - do
:34:35. > :34:39.you think he had psyched himself out before the start? It was not
:34:39. > :34:43.the smartest thing to have said, that's for sure, because all the
:34:43. > :34:49.Austrian fans were blowing him all the way down. It was to we will
:34:49. > :34:54.Kostelic, not 100%, but just very, very consistent. Next week it is
:34:54. > :34:59.the turn of the speed merchants again, as we head to Chamonix for
:34:59. > :35:04.the men's downhill. And you can see that race next Sunday on 5:15pm on
:35:04. > :35:08.BBC Two. You can press the red button earlier in the day for live
:35:08. > :35:13.coverage of the Chamonix slalom. Meanwhile, the women have been
:35:13. > :35:16.gearing up for the biggest race of their season, the downhill at St
:35:16. > :35:22.Moritz. As has been the case for the last couple of seasons, one
:35:22. > :35:29.woman has dominated the circuit, and this year, her lead in both the
:35:29. > :35:32.downhill and overall looked unassailable. The success of
:35:32. > :35:36.Lindsey Vonn is even more remarkable because she is going
:35:36. > :35:43.through a very public divorce with the man who is also her manager and
:35:43. > :35:53.coach. Chemmy Alcott went to see how Lindsey Vonn has managed to
:35:53. > :36:03.
:36:03. > :36:07.This is a sensational start to the season... Thank you so much for
:36:07. > :36:11.speaking to us, I know that there are so many demands on your time.
:36:11. > :36:17.You're so feminine, you're gorgeous, but don't take this the wrong way,
:36:17. > :36:23.you ski like a man, you have the power and the aggression. And you
:36:23. > :36:32.ski on men's skis, right? Yes, it just makes me feel more stable, and
:36:32. > :36:38.that is definitely my goal, to be able to ski like the man. They have
:36:38. > :36:41.more power, more aggression. It gives you more gripping every turn.
:36:41. > :36:47.Would you like to race against them? I would like to live to see
:36:47. > :36:51.the next day! If it was not as icy as they have it, I would do it.
:36:51. > :36:56.end of last season was really tough, because you were skiing fantastic,
:36:56. > :37:02.but then it was taken out of your hands, is that what has set you on
:37:02. > :37:07.fire this season? Yes, it was definitely tough last year, to lose
:37:07. > :37:12.the last two races because of bad weather, and have it come down to
:37:12. > :37:15.just three points. It was a tough win in the end, so this year, my
:37:15. > :37:25.goal is to come out strong and maintain the momentum throughout
:37:25. > :37:38.
:37:38. > :37:41.COMMENTATOR: Lindsey Vonn wins! Can anyone stop her? I can see the
:37:41. > :37:46.level but you have got to be at these days, and it scares me.
:37:46. > :37:50.People have been injured before and come back, but you have to be
:37:50. > :37:59.prepared to push things to the limit now. Yes, especially downhill
:37:59. > :38:02.and super-G, it has definitely gone to another level. I feel like the
:38:02. > :38:08.last three years have got quite a bit more competitive, and it is
:38:08. > :38:12.really great to see. It is kind of like the Williams sisters, they
:38:12. > :38:15.pushed tennis to a new level. And there's quite a few girls in the
:38:15. > :38:25.world right now who are skiing really well, and pushing the rest
:38:25. > :38:28.
:38:28. > :38:31.of the field in that direction. It You have been through hell recently,
:38:31. > :38:35.but you cannot tell by looking at you, however, your journey is
:38:35. > :38:38.something no-one would want to go through, let alone an athlete.
:38:38. > :38:42.Coming back and having four victories back to back, and the one
:38:42. > :38:48.I found most special was when you came to the finish at Beaver Creek,
:38:48. > :38:52.it was not joy or Ecstasy on your face, it was pure relief. Yes, it
:38:52. > :38:56.has been extremely difficult. Beaver Creek was probably the most
:38:56. > :39:01.nervous I have ever been. Even more than the Olympics, because at least
:39:01. > :39:06.in the Olympics, you have five races. Beaver Creek, it was just
:39:06. > :39:13.one race, one Super-G, and I may not be able to race on that hill
:39:13. > :39:15.again until the World Championships in 2015. I have been a part of the
:39:15. > :39:20.community since I was 11 years old, and everyone has been so supportive
:39:20. > :39:26.of me, so I really wanted to win for them. I knew the expectation
:39:26. > :39:31.that was on me, I had just come off three wins, so anything other than
:39:31. > :39:40.a win would have been a disappointment. It was definitely a
:39:40. > :39:44.relief when I got to the finish. It was a big win for me in my career.
:39:44. > :39:49.Right now, when I am skiing, it is my happy place. It is like therapy
:39:49. > :39:53.for me, I go out and I can just relax and be at peace, and
:39:53. > :39:59.everything else that's going on in my personal life goes away. It is
:39:59. > :40:04.just quiet and I can be myself and enjoy what will have to do. It is
:40:04. > :40:09.tough, it is not just the fact that it is a personal problem, personal
:40:09. > :40:14.issues, it is the fact that it is in the public eye. If your husband
:40:14. > :40:20.comes anywhere near you, we will protect you. I'm not sure you can
:40:20. > :40:28.use that, but I just had to say it! My teammates and I have got a lot
:40:28. > :40:31.closer. Everybody else on the tour has been extremely supportive. It
:40:31. > :40:37.has really been great, and I really appreciate everything that people
:40:37. > :40:43.have done for me. You have achieved so much in sport, and you have been
:40:43. > :40:47.on TV. Yes, I was supposed to be giving away secret information to
:40:47. > :40:52.the police, I was supposed to be serious, and there was like... I
:40:52. > :40:59.was just super excited, and the producer was like, OK, you need to
:40:59. > :41:03.chill out. Didn't you pitch a baseball this year? Yes, I did a
:41:03. > :41:07.couple of first pitches. I did OK in a couple of them, but one of
:41:07. > :41:11.them I did not quite make it to the plate. Just going to movie
:41:11. > :41:15.premieres and awards and stuff, it has been fun. I love getting
:41:15. > :41:21.dressed up and putting on high heels. It is a nice change from
:41:21. > :41:28.skiing. What is the story with this 15-year-old who asked you to dance?
:41:28. > :41:34.What happened was, I'm on the board for the Ski academy in fail, so I
:41:34. > :41:38.went there for a meeting, and we met the kids in the cafeteria, and
:41:38. > :41:45.nobody warned me that the homecoming dance was the next day.
:41:45. > :41:51.And so of course, Parker, my date, asked me in front of the whole
:41:51. > :41:55.school if I would go with him to the homecoming. I never went to
:41:55. > :42:00.homecoming or any dances in school because I was always skiing, and so
:42:00. > :42:05.I was like, sure. I bet not in his wildest dreams did he imagine you
:42:05. > :42:10.would say yes. I don't think he did, either, but it was pretty funny. I
:42:10. > :42:15.met his parents, and they were like, thank you so much for saying yes,
:42:15. > :42:22.but you have created a monster. Because now, he is pretty popular.
:42:22. > :42:28.It was pretty funny. Was the slow dance pretty awkward? All the
:42:28. > :42:32.dances were slightly awkward. I'm in a school with 15-year-olds and
:42:32. > :42:39.16-year-old Skomer and I'm 27. The kids were great but...
:42:39. > :42:49.something you will never repeat. that was a one time thing. You have
:42:49. > :42:50.
:42:50. > :42:56.had a rough road, but what is next? For me right now, I'm just trying
:42:56. > :43:02.to take it one day at a time, try to win the next race, and once I
:43:02. > :43:05.finished that, move on to the next race. I cannot look too far into
:43:06. > :43:13.the future. There is not a lot of certainty right now in my life, it
:43:13. > :43:17.is just one hour, one day, one breath at a time. What's left to
:43:17. > :43:20.say about this incredible woman? She has got it all, really. She has
:43:20. > :43:25.got the physical strength, the technical ability, and above all,
:43:25. > :43:31.she has got that mental drive to win, just a complete package.
:43:31. > :43:35.week, we will be mixing some extreme downhill action in Chamonix,
:43:35. > :43:39.with periods of peace and contemplation, going up to the