Date | 22 February 1988 — 11:37 | |
---|---|---|
Status | Olympic | |
Location | Nakiska (North Axe) | |
Participants | 46 from 20 countries | |
Course Setter | John Lyons | CAN |
Details | Gates: 39 Length: 1943 m Start Altitude: 2039 m Vertical Drop: 507 m |
This was the inaugural women’s super-G at the Winter Olympics. There were three highly considered racers: Maria Walliser (SUI), overall World Cup champion in 1986 and 1987, and the 1987 World Champion; Michela Figini (SUI), the leader in the 1987-88 super-G World Cup; and Marina Kiehl (GER), who had already won the downhill gold, and had won six super-G World Cup races in her career. Of the favorites, Figini was off first, posting 1:20.03 to take the lead in the race. The next skier down was Walliser, starting sixth, who could not match Figini, and would also finish sixth eventually. Kiehl started 13th but skied poorly for her, and also placed in a tie for 13th. Just before she started, Austrian Sigrid Wolf came down, bettering Figini’s time by a full second, which held up for the gold medal. In 1989, Wolf would win silver in the event at the World Championships.