29/01/2012 Ski Sunday

Hello and welcome to the programme. It feels like half of Austria has

descended on this slalom course for an atmosphere which is unlike any

other race in the world. To be a top-class slalom skier, you need

absolute concentration, total focus, you do not need more than 30,000

screaming of tea and fans right next year. Bedlam, pandemonium,

COMMENTATOR: That was one of the best slalom runs I have ever seen.

Later in the show, Chemmy Alcott meets up with the greatest ever

female skier, arguably the most successful sportswoman in the world,

Lindsey Vonn. You're so feminine, you're gorgeous, but you have the

power. Would you ever want to race against men? I would like to still

live to see the next day. I'm Nock sure, if it was not as icy as they

have it, I would be able to do it. But first up, it is the Schladming

slalom. Slalom skiers do not face the same danger as their downhill

counterparts, but the pressure is immense, Yuko feel the tension, and

this year, more than ever, there is The slalom is no stranger to

controversy and intense rivalry. It has narrow margins of victory, and

a high potential to miss a gate. Passion is always running high. In

1968, at the Grenoble Olympics, Jean-Claude Killy won gold. Karl

Schranz posted a better time, but missed a gate. He claimed a mystery

figure cut across him in the race, and he was reinstated, but

eventually disqualified altogether. NEWSCASTER: Obviously now you can

relax and celebrate. Yes, I can relax and drink champagne!

similar feud is developing this year between two stars, Marcel

Hirscher and Ivica Kostelic. Marcel Hirscher had a blistering start to

the season. But the slalom leader, Kostelic, cried foul, claiming that

Marcel Hirscher straddled a gate. He was disqualified in Kitzbuehel

after doing it again. And here in Schladming, the tension was

palpable as the two warring parties came face-to-face to settle their

differences before the race. For me, it is really pretty tough to say I

do this or not. I am skiing mostly on the turns on the outside ski, so

my inside ski has no pressure, so it is free. You have caused a bit

of a storm, do you think it will make things difficult for you with

the fans tomorrow? I do not know. If this message that we have sent

today does not reach all the spectators, then it might be quite

hot out there. But I think we have sent a strong message, and the fans,

we really want to keep things down a little bit, and I can say that

from my side, from the Croatian side, things have got a little bit

out of hand. You know that the fans can get quite rowdy here. Hopefully

not. When you straddle a gate, you must know when you're doing it.

can only speak for myself, and I always feel it when I do it. We are

all sportsmen, nobody is cheating. Some but not stopping is cheating?

I don't know, I normally stop, but I do not want to say something

about that! OK, nothing like a bit of controversy, we have got Ivica

Kostelic versus Marcel Hirscher. Kostelic has caused a massive storm

by accusing Austria's top slalom skier of being a cheat just a

couple of days before the biggest slalom in Austria. It does not seem

like a very good tactical move. Probably not, particularly because

this crowd has got rowdy in the past. It will be an interesting

night for Ivica Kostelic. Put you on the spot, do you think Hirscher

is cheating? Yes, yes, I do. I think he knows when he straddles. I

think he was chancing his arm and he was skiing on anyway. Who else

is in contention? Well, Mario Matt has come back, he likes this course.

We have also got the Italian Cristian Deville, who has just got

a victory on the World Cup circuit. There's a few skiers who could do

it. The problem is that it is so warm here, the second run could be

crucial. They have got to build up an advantage on the first run,

because on the second run, they go virtually last, the piste will be

breaking up, and it will be very hard for them to hold on to their

advantage. It could go anyway. there any advantage in tactically

slowing down on the first run, so that you go a bit sooner or on the

second? No, you have got to just go for it. If you have got a high

ranking, you have got to go higher on the first run, and get a big

lead. As Graham has just said, it is contested over two runs. It is

critical to get a good first run down. Trying to make his forced

heard his our commentator Matt Chilton. So, the biggest night of

the year for Austrian sport, everybody wants to join in the fun

at the Schladming Night Slalom, at the Schladming Night Slalom,

more than 40,000 have crammed in here to watch the action. First to

go, in the first leg, a man who has been making headlines for all the

wrong reasons this week, Marcel Hirscher. But the loyal Austrian

supporters are willing to forgive and forget and gloss over what's

happened in the last few days, and they will be saving their vitriol,

I suspect, for the man who has been his main accuser, Ivica Kostelic,

who will go later. Letting his skis to the talking in the first run

here, nothing wrong with this from Marcel Hirscher. He has got a clean

track and he's making the most of it. Hirscher has attacked from top

to bottom, and set a really good pace. Great run from Marcel

Hirscher, a big advantage having a clear course. He did look a little

nervous over the first few gates, but then when he got on to the

steep section, he loves that section, with his feet so close

together, he's able to take the straightest line down the hill. It

is risky but this time I did not see any struggles. The nearly man

of slalom skiing, Andre Myhrer. He has been second several times, he

got bronze in the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He only has two World

Cup victories to his name, but he has been on the podium a further

eight times. Andre Myhrer, the best of the current crop of Swedish

slalom skiers. Tall, rangy, very athletic, deceptively quick. He

likes it here in Schladming, he has done OK here in the past. How does

he compare with Hirscher's Split? He's one hundredth of a second

faster on the top part of the course. Now, he's on this really

steep section. Going left and right across the hill, according to the

pattern of gates that has been set. He's behind now. A less direct

route than Hirscher around the gates at the bottom of the course.

It is not bad for Andre Myhrer, but I don't think he will deny Marcel

Hirscher the lead here. No, he's second. Next up, the Austrian Mario

Matt, who has had a glittering slalom Korea, with two World

Championships to his name. He's becoming overshadowed by his

compatriot Marcel Hirscher, so he will be desperate for a big win

tonight. The noise that meets Mario Matt is astonishing. Can he hold

his nerve? A little stumble there. A bit of freestyle for a moment

there from Mario Matt. He has twice triumphed in the Schladming Night

Slalom, as recently as 2008. 12 hundredths of a second faster than

fellow Austrian Marcel Hirscher. Now he comes on to the steep

section, gets left behind by his skis. He is behind. Upper-body

crouched over, gets such a low position. Familiar style from Mario

Matt. He will finish, but how close can he get to Hirscher? Not bad,

second, three quarters of the second off the pace. Well, when

Mario Matt first burst onto the scene, his technique was absolutely

brand new, it was modern. He has had to develop it over the years,

to reduce the width between his skis, keep his skis closer together,

but he still drops his backside a little bit too low, bending the

knee is a little bit too much. There was one slight mistake where

he got his knees bent too much, and his skis just skidded out, which is

why he lost the time. Amidst the controversy, it is easy to forget

that Cristian Deville actually won last week in Kitzbuehel. He has

been quietly cementing his slalom reputation with several victories,

taking him to second in the standings. This is Cristian Deville,

who has had a breakthrough season. No better than fourth coming into

this season, but now, he's the second best slalom skier on the

World Cup tour. A magnificent performance on Sunday, to give him

the win in front of a huge crowd in Kitzbuehel, similar to the crowd

he's racing in front of tonight. Two hundredths of a second behind

at the first intermediate. Now, halfway, how's he doing? He's six

hundredths faster, great top section! Can he keep it going? No,

he has struggled, and he goes out of the competition. Well, the

winner from Kitzbuehel is out. He made a mistake right after the

intermediate. He then made a second mistake lower down, similar to the

first, and could not control it. There was no getting away with that

story as injuries have kept him well off the pace.

The Frenchman winner here 12 months ago. He also won the World

Championship title in Garmisch last February, the biggest result of his

career so far. A slow start to the season. We know he likes this

course - the Planai piste. It favours his style. That is a good

top. A tenth of a second off the pace. Hirscher's time 30.28 at the

next split. Now Grange is struggling. He has had to put the

brakes on and perform a couple of emergency manoeuvres to get out of

trouble. Ideally, he will be aiming for a top five finish to give

himself a chance to move up in the second run. I think he will

probably be happy to finish at all. At the moment, he is fourth. Not

bad. Ivica Kostelic in the start.

There's a silence for the Croatian. Everybody is aware of the words

that he's used in the last week or so. One line in particular when he

said, "It's only one race, but the shame lasts forever!" That was

directed at Marcel Hirscher. That's upset the Austrians. It's all gone

very quiet in Schladming. You can hear the boos for Ivica Kostelic -

he can't of course. All he is concentrating on is making these

turns count. 0.67 behind Hirscher. They would love to see him crash

out, I think. He's going to finish. Solid, efficient and Kostelic is in

fourth. 1.18 seconds down. I don't think I have heard anyone

so loudly booed when he went out of the start gate and there was a

massive cheer when he was out at the intermediate time. Not a great

day out for Ivica. Fritz Dopfer of Germany. A decent

season so far for Dopfer. Another one who has had a breakthrough

season. His best result was a third. Felix Neureuther is the better-

known of the German skiers. The snow thickens in Schladming and the

German trails Hirscher by 9/100ths of a second at intermediate one.

Still in the hunt here. A nice technique from Fritz Dopfer,

dropping his hand down on to the snow. Good angles, good

acceleration. He's home and dry. He's third. Good stuff from the

German! APPLAUSE Stefano Gross in the start for

Italy, wearing 13 here tonight. Hugely talented. He has had some

good results this season. The great Alberto Tomba inspired this younger

generation of slalom skiers and Gross is one of those. Tomba was

the last Italian to win here. Gross is OK here. 0.25 off the pace. A

few Italians watching on in Schladming and they will be

delighted with what they have seen from Stefano Gross. Into seventh

position. It gives himself a chance in the second run.

In the start, 17, Ted Ligety, the American, who has been the best

giant slalom skier of the season so far. Working all the time on his

slalom form. It hasn't been anywhere near as good as GS so far

for the Americans. 4/100ths up. A great start for Ted Ligety.

0.25 behind now for Ligety. Marcel Hirscher still leads the way in the

night race in Schladming. Ted Ligety hoping to give himself an

opportunity to move up in the second run. The American has skied

cleanly and skis into eighth spot. Not bad at all. This is his weaker

discipline. Marcel Hirscher leads the way after

the first run in Schladming, ahead of Mario Matt. Ivica Kostelic

poised to strike in the second run in sixth. After all the chat, it

was Round One to Marcel Hirscher? Yes, he did have a clean track, he

started one. It will be different when he starts 30 on the second run.

Is it going to be difficult to adjust to that rutted track? It is

more the pressure of being left standing at the start gate and

having to defend your lead. I think Kostelic is perfectly placed to

heap the pressure on Hirscher? is. There's other Austrians in this

race as well. There's Reinfried Herbst, Mario Matt. These guys want

to see Kostelic beaten. There may have been a calming of the waters

with some handshakes, but there is still bad blood running. With the

second run commentary, it is Matt Chilton.

The atmosphere is reaching fever pitch now. Reinfried Herbst is on

the course for Austria. His lead over the current leader is 1.1.

Herbst has won here before. He has been out of sorts for the last year

or so. He has won the Schladming night race on two occasions. It is

a scruffy-looking start, but he has good speed. Missillier has led for

a while. Herbst has a huge amount of support. Late on that turn. Had

to adjust. His lead has been whittled down to 0.25 and he is

looking a little tired. Reinfried Herbst hoping to regain some of the

form that bought him the double victory here in Schladming - he

leads the way! He hung on. Reinfried Herbst making the most of

his early start number. He started to get out of control, made a few

mistakes lower down, but just enough to take the lead. This

course is breaking up so everyone who skis now will have a more

rutted track. Naoki Yuasa from Japan. An exciting

skier to watch. It is all attack from Naoki Yuasa. He is throwing

everything into this second run. The snow has eased off a little bit.

Look at his advantage! He's flown through the first few turns. No

Japanese racer has ever won a World Cup competition in any discipline.

But Yuasa has the technique and the ability and he's got the resources

behind him. All the Japanese World Cup Alpine skiers are superstars

back home where skiing is big business with more than 700

different ski areas dotted across the various Japanese islands. Yuasa

has skied brilliantly and leads the way in Schladming! What a run from

him. Yuasa getting a good reception.

They do like his skiing style. He is so on the edge, just arms and

legs going everywhere and able to carry good speed on that last

section. Superb skiing from the Japanese racer.

Jean-Baptiste Grange. His lead is very slight over Yuasa. A scruffy-

looking start from the man who won here 12 months ago. Ultimately,

disappointing. He is out. Too much speed at the top. Couldn't control

that right-footed turn. Out of the race.

Ted Ligety on his way for the second time. Eighth after the first

run, 0.5 quicker than Yuasa. He is taking a risk or two at the top.

Cutting some tight turns here, Ted Ligety. He comes from Park City in

Utah. Ligety is still ahead, but only just. 13/100ths in reserve now.

On to the steep, things get a little tougher. The course is

cutting up now. Ligety gets caught in the backseat, his lead is

reduced to 9/100ths of a second. Yuasa can barely watch. Ligety

skiing for the lead in Schladming. He would love to win here tonight.

The Americans have had a cracking season. Ligety is second. Half a

second behind Yuasa. Happy to have finished in one piece.

Ligety more famous as a giant slalom skier. He will be happy with

that because this course is starting to rut up particularly on

that top section, just before the first intermediate time. You can

see how the skiers are bouncing in, it means you have to ski a wider

line because you cannot cut off the ruts, you have to put your ski and

ski the line that is already there. Stefano Gross is next to race, he

is seventh after the first run. His advantage over Yuasa is decent,

six-tenths of a second. He has it all going on here. What a start

from Stefano Gross. Gross will be quicker. Three tenths faster. He is

a bit behind his skis in the backseat. Now, he's found his ideal

position. He is right on top of them again. 1:24.42 for Yuasa.

Gross moves away from him again. The green light shows an advantage

of almost half a second for Stefano Gross from Italy. Nearly home. Can

he take the lead? Yes he can! A quarter of a second. Stefano Gross

in top spot in Schladming. He can't believe it.

A good run from Stefano Gross, really making the most of the ruts.

Skis with the skis quite close together which allows him to get

both feet into that rut. Very, very good on the lower section of the

course, a great run! Will there be silence again for

Ivica Kostelic this time? I can't hear much noise apart from boos and

whistles and jeers. 3/100ths of a second is his advantage over

Stefano Gross. Kostelic is behind now by 0.35. He's never won the

night race in Schladming. He's won plenty of World Cups along the way,

but this one has always escaped him. As the time flashes up, showing a

deficit of half a second, that brings a few cheers from the

Austrian crowd after what's gone on, the war of words between Ivica and

Marcel Hirscher over the last few days. Kostelic finishes second. A

good, fast finish. He let them run and just missed the lead by

8/100ths of a second. Kostelic made up a lot on the final

section, but it was boos all the way down and when he was behind at

the intermediate times, there were cheers. I don't think I have ever

seen Kostelic ski so conservatively on a second run.

Andre Myhrer for Sweden. He is fourth after the first run.

That was not a great start. He skied a really rounded line, took a

detour around one of the early gates. Let's see how much time it's

cost him. Started with an advantage of 0.35, he's kept the five, the

three has gone. Still green but only just for Andre Myhrer. Gross,

Kostelic, Yuasa is the one, two, three. Andre Myhrer, the runner-up

here 12 months ago, hoping to go one better in 2012. It is not

happening for him. 0.81 down. Hasn't found the ability to relax

and attack the course. Gross will remain in top spot. Andre Myhrer is

down in seventh. Andre Myhrer, good on the top of

the course. You can see those massive ruts have developed. He had

a heavy exit, hard on the edges, and look Stefano Gross's time is

looking very good. We had a surprise Italian winner in

Kitzbuhel last weekend. Could it be we have another Italian win here in

Schladming? Fritz Dopfer is third after the first run with a lead of

0.36 over Stefano Gross of Italy. A nice, steady, relaxed start from

Fritz Dopfer. Nothing wrong with this. Calm upper body, hardly any

movement from his head and shoulders. He maintains just about

his advantage over the Italian. Now he comes on to the steep. A couple

of ruts to avoid. Watch out for left-hander, Fritz Dopfer's outside

ski just slips away from him, he cannot get his inside ski inside

the gate, so he's out, and he stops. Now, Mario Matt, second after the

first run. Two Austrians left to race. Whatever happens now, the

current leader, my Weir, is guaranteed a place on the podium.

Smooth, incredibly relaxed, considering the pressure situation

Mario Matt is in, but he has been here before. Look at the scenes

below, incredible! The he comes on to the Steep, carving beautifully,

nothing wrong with this. His advantage has been cut away to just

two tenths of a second. They're hoping and praying. Will he get the

lead over Stefano growers? Nearly home! Which way will it go? He's

second. Oh, that's tight. Seven hundredths down. Gross holds on to

the lead. 7 hundredths of a second squeezes Kostelic down into third,

so there's some consolation, but a massive sigh of disappointment. He

was doing so well right up until those last few gates before the

finish, where he just did not take enough risks, just got a little bit

too tense. It is very hard to stay relaxed when all these people want

you to win. Up next, last to go, Marcel Hirscher. Hirscher has a

lead of well over a second over Stefano Gross. He can afford a

couple of mistakes and still win here tonight. On the cusp of taking

his fourth slalom World Cup win of the season. He has lost about half

of his advantage already. If the same happens again on the lower

part of the course, he will not win! A couple of scrambled turns,

he's using all the power from his upper body, as smoke from the

fireworks drifts across the Planai course. He has done a scruffy

second run, but he's still in the hunt for his second night win in

Schladming to silence the critics. And Hirscher takes it, by 22

hundredths of a second! He has done it! He had over a second, but he

needed all of that advantage, and look what it means to the Austrian

crowd. Marcel Hirscher has taken the win here. They're going to

party well into the night. unforgettable evening for Marcel

Hirscher, who wins the Schladming Night Slalom ahead of Stefano Gross,

with Mario Matt in third. This is what the sport is all about, not

the argument that you had with Kostelic, that's all history.

it is. The best answer we can both give, because he is in fourth

position, I think, so a very good result for him, and my victory,

very good, and I think both of us are pretty happy with the result

today. The most important thing is only about the sport brings people

together. Undoubtedly, the result that the locals wanted. Yes, but it

was no sure fire thing. He had 1.21 seconds over Gross, but he made

some big mistakes on the top part of the course. But when he got onto

the Steep he was absolutely fine. He's one of the best slalom skiers

in the world. We can't do this without discussing Kostelic - do

you think he had psyched himself out before the start? It was not

the smartest thing to have said, that's for sure, because all the

Austrian fans were blowing him all the way down. It was to we will

Kostelic, not 100%, but just very, very consistent. Next week it is

the turn of the speed merchants again, as we head to Chamonix for

the men's downhill. And you can see that race next Sunday on 5:15pm on

BBC Two. You can press the red button earlier in the day for live

coverage of the Chamonix slalom. Meanwhile, the women have been

gearing up for the biggest race of their season, the downhill at St

Moritz. As has been the case for the last couple of seasons, one

woman has dominated the circuit, and this year, her lead in both the

downhill and overall looked unassailable. The success of

Lindsey Vonn is even more remarkable because she is going

through a very public divorce with the man who is also her manager and

coach. Chemmy Alcott went to see how Lindsey Vonn has managed to

This is a sensational start to the season... Thank you so much for

speaking to us, I know that there are so many demands on your time.

You're so feminine, you're gorgeous, but don't take this the wrong way,

you ski like a man, you have the power and the aggression. And you

ski on men's skis, right? Yes, it just makes me feel more stable, and

that is definitely my goal, to be able to ski like the man. They have

more power, more aggression. It gives you more gripping every turn.

Would you like to race against them? I would like to live to see

the next day! If it was not as icy as they have it, I would do it.

end of last season was really tough, because you were skiing fantastic,

but then it was taken out of your hands, is that what has set you on

fire this season? Yes, it was definitely tough last year, to lose

the last two races because of bad weather, and have it come down to

just three points. It was a tough win in the end, so this year, my

goal is to come out strong and maintain the momentum throughout

COMMENTATOR: Lindsey Vonn wins! Can anyone stop her? I can see the

level but you have got to be at these days, and it scares me.

People have been injured before and come back, but you have to be

prepared to push things to the limit now. Yes, especially downhill

and super-G, it has definitely gone to another level. I feel like the

last three years have got quite a bit more competitive, and it is

really great to see. It is kind of like the Williams sisters, they

pushed tennis to a new level. And there's quite a few girls in the

world right now who are skiing really well, and pushing the rest

of the field in that direction. It You have been through hell recently,

but you cannot tell by looking at you, however, your journey is

something no-one would want to go through, let alone an athlete.

Coming back and having four victories back to back, and the one

I found most special was when you came to the finish at Beaver Creek,

it was not joy or Ecstasy on your face, it was pure relief. Yes, it

has been extremely difficult. Beaver Creek was probably the most

nervous I have ever been. Even more than the Olympics, because at least

in the Olympics, you have five races. Beaver Creek, it was just

one race, one Super-G, and I may not be able to race on that hill

again until the World Championships in 2015. I have been a part of the

community since I was 11 years old, and everyone has been so supportive

of me, so I really wanted to win for them. I knew the expectation

that was on me, I had just come off three wins, so anything other than

a win would have been a disappointment. It was definitely a

relief when I got to the finish. It was a big win for me in my career.

Right now, when I am skiing, it is my happy place. It is like therapy

for me, I go out and I can just relax and be at peace, and

everything else that's going on in my personal life goes away. It is

just quiet and I can be myself and enjoy what will have to do. It is

tough, it is not just the fact that it is a personal problem, personal

issues, it is the fact that it is in the public eye. If your husband

comes anywhere near you, we will protect you. I'm not sure you can

use that, but I just had to say it! My teammates and I have got a lot

closer. Everybody else on the tour has been extremely supportive. It

has really been great, and I really appreciate everything that people

have done for me. You have achieved so much in sport, and you have been

on TV. Yes, I was supposed to be giving away secret information to

the police, I was supposed to be serious, and there was like... I

was just super excited, and the producer was like, OK, you need to

chill out. Didn't you pitch a baseball this year? Yes, I did a

couple of first pitches. I did OK in a couple of them, but one of

them I did not quite make it to the plate. Just going to movie

premieres and awards and stuff, it has been fun. I love getting

dressed up and putting on high heels. It is a nice change from

skiing. What is the story with this 15-year-old who asked you to dance?

What happened was, I'm on the board for the Ski academy in fail, so I

went there for a meeting, and we met the kids in the cafeteria, and

nobody warned me that the homecoming dance was the next day.

And so of course, Parker, my date, asked me in front of the whole

school if I would go with him to the homecoming. I never went to

homecoming or any dances in school because I was always skiing, and so

I was like, sure. I bet not in his wildest dreams did he imagine you

would say yes. I don't think he did, either, but it was pretty funny. I

met his parents, and they were like, thank you so much for saying yes,

but you have created a monster. Because now, he is pretty popular.

It was pretty funny. Was the slow dance pretty awkward? All the

dances were slightly awkward. I'm in a school with 15-year-olds and

16-year-old Skomer and I'm 27. The kids were great but...

something you will never repeat. that was a one time thing. You have

had a rough road, but what is next? For me right now, I'm just trying

to take it one day at a time, try to win the next race, and once I

finished that, move on to the next race. I cannot look too far into

the future. There is not a lot of certainty right now in my life, it

is just one hour, one day, one breath at a time. What's left to

say about this incredible woman? She has got it all, really. She has

got the physical strength, the technical ability, and above all,

she has got that mental drive to win, just a complete package.

week, we will be mixing some extreme downhill action in Chamonix,

with periods of peace and contemplation, going up to the