Zagreb, Croatia –Despite competing with a nasty stomach illness, Vail, Colo.’s Lindsey Vonn finished ninth in the Zagreb night slalom on Tuesday as Austrian Marlies Schild produced her fifth straight victory this season.

Vonn, who produced the second fastest final run behind Schild, continues to lead the Austrian by 101 points in the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup overall chase. She skied despite a harsh stomach illness and did not inspect the first run course, the longest on the women’s tour. It was enshrouded by heavy fog throughout the entire first run.

Resi Stiegler, of Jackson Hole, Wyo., was 13th after the first run, but mistakes in the second bumped her to 25th. Teen Mikaela Shiffrin, of Vail, Colo., did not finish the first run. Neither the U.S. Ski Team’s Kiley Staples nor Hailey Duke qualified for the final. Squaw Valley, Calif.’s Julia Mancuso had not planned to start Tuesday night’s race.

Canada’s Anna Goodman recorded her third top-30 result of the 2011-12 World Cup season Tuesday and slayed a few demons along the way as she battled to a 23^rd-place finish. Goodman, of Pointe Claire, Quebec, has suffered serious injuries at Croatia’s annual slalom race in each of the past three seasons – breaking her thumb, tearing her knee and sustaining a concussion.

“I’m happy to be back in the top 30,” Goodman said. “This is the place where I tore my knee two years ago, in this race. Three years ago I broke my thumb here and needed surgery. Last year I had a concussion. Both runs today were slower than I feel I am skiing but I was happy just to finish and to get the points.”

“For Anna, this is a huge result compared to what happened in previous years with the injuries,” said Hugues Ansermoz, head coach of Canada’s ladies’ team. “She also picked up a few (World Cup) points, which is good.

Goodman’s teammates Marie-Michèle Gagnon and Erin Mielzynski did not finish their first runs. Elli Terwiel and Madison Irwin did not qualify for the second run.

“Zagreb is a place that doesn’t seem to like us,” Ansermoz added. “Last year we didn’t have anybody in the second run.”

The women’s World Cup now moves to speed with a downhill and super G this weekend in Bad Kleinkircheim, Austria. For Canada’s ladies’ team, Tuesday’s slalom marked the end of a long stretch of training and racing. The team stayed in Europe through Christmas and into the new year and will now return to Canada for their first real break of the 2011-12 season.

“Some of them have been on the road since the beginning of November,” said Ansermoz. “The last two months have been almost non-stop. Everybody needs a good break.”

OFFICIAL RESULTS
FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup
Zagreb, Croatia – Jan. 3, 2012
Women’s Slalom