Page 22 - ARUBA TODAY

A22 SPORTS
Wednesday 15 March 2017
Hirscher, Shiffrin take some drama out of World Cup Finals

PAT GRAHAM caught a cold on her re-
Associated Press cent trip back from South
ASPEN, Colo. (AP) — Mi- Korea and is struggling to
kaela Shiffrin and Mar- catch her breath on the
cel Hirscher have taken a downhill course. “I’ll attack
chunk of the suspense out either way,” said Vonn,
of World Cup Finals. who finished third in Tues-
Not their fault, obviously. day’s downhill training run,
They’ve been that domi- which was won by Stuh-
nant this season. ec. “I might just be on the
Might it possibly be time to ground on the finish.”
put more of a point value PUT ON THE GLOVES: Trail-
on the final set of races to ing Stuhec in the super-G
close out the season — just standings, Weirather says
to spice things up? Six of she’s treating Thursday’s
the final 10 season-ending race like she’s “preparing
globes have already been for a boxing fight. You have
pretty much clinched. that one day, where it’s go-
“No. No, no, no,” Italian ing down and you don’t
racer Peter Fill said when think about anything else.”
asked if races at World Cup MORSE’S MEMORY: 20-year-
Finals should be worth, say, old Sam Morse of Sugar-
150 points for first place, in- loaf, Maine, made it into
stead of the customary 100. Mikaela Shiffrin competes during the second run in the women’s World Cup slalom competition the downhill field courtesy
“Marcel skied so good, so Saturday, March 11, 2017, in Olympic Valley, Calif. of his world junior downhill
there’s no chance to win Associated Press win earlier this month. He
the overall. We can ski fast really think it should be the ergy through the finals. So Italy. will be skiing with two good
and it’s impossible to beat same, because why should if there are more points at — Women’s super-G, with friends on his mind: skiing
him now. But I don’t think a final race be worth more the finals, I think it would be Stuhec protecting a scant prospects Bryce Astle and
we need to change some- than a highlight race at not fair.” 15-point lead over Liech- Ronnie Berlack, who were
thing.” Kitzbuehel?” In addition to his overall tenstein’s Tina Weirather. killed in an avalanche in
Hirscher enters Aspen hav- Formula One racing tried crown, Hirscher has already — Men’s downhill, where Soelden, Austria, in January
ing already secured his awarding double points to wrapped up the men’s sla- Jansrud leads Fill by 33 2015.
sixth straight World Cup the winner of the final race lom and giant slalom disci- points. “They never got the oppor-
overall title with a 554-point to prolong the suspense in pline titles, while Kjetil Jan- When asked if adding more tunity to run a World Cup,”
lead and only a possible the drivers’ championship. srud of Norway has cap- points at finals might inject Morse said. “We’re carrying
400 remaining. Shiffrin has a It eventually was scrapped. tured the super-G crown. more drama, retired Ger- on their story.”
nearly insurmountable ad- “It devalues the other Shiffrin also locked up the man standout racer Maria FRIENDLY BANTER: At an
vantage of 378 points over races,” four-time overall women’s slalom title. Hoefl-Riesch simply said: “If Oakley event Monday,
Ilka Stuhec of Slovenia. winner Lindsey Vonn ex- That leaves only four races you have people like Shif- Shiffrin and Vonn had a
Should officials ever de- plained. “Every race should that still need to crown a frin and Hirscher who are friendly argument over
cide to bump up points for be the same. I feel like winner: dominating, it probably whether Shiffrin had seen
finals, Hirscher is game. He there’s enough pressure on — Women’s giant slalom, doesn’t change anything.” “Dumb and Dumber” since
is game for anything, even us at finals anyway, to win with Tessa Worley of France Here are things to know the movie that features
if that wouldn’t be his first overall titles, discipline titles. holding an 80-point advan- heading into World Cup Fi- a cross-country trip to As-
choice. For those of the athletes tage over Shiffrin. nals that begin Wednesday pen wasn’t released until
“If it is that way, OK, it is that that skied well all season, — Women’s downhill, with men’s and women’s 1994. Shiffrin was born in
way,” Hirscher said. “You it can be sometimes dif- where Stuhec leads by 97 downhill: ‘95. “It’s on DVD,” Shiffrin
have to deal with it. But I ficult to maintain that en- points over Sofia Goggia of UNDER THE WEATHER: Vonn countered.q

3-time champion Nadal, Venus

Williams win at Indian Wells

BETH HARRIS Steve Johnson later. games of the match after
AP Sports Writer Nadal won 80 percent of trailing 3-2. Williams ended
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — his first-serve points and her 15-year boycott of the
Rafael Nadal defeated Fer- three of five break points. event last year, when she
nando Verdasco 6-3, 7-5 in Verdasco, who won eight lost in the second round.
the third round of the BNP straight points for a 3-2 In other women’s matches,
Paribas Open on Tuesday lead in the second set, had No. 3 seed Karolina Pliskova
for his 50th career victory at seven double faults. Venus advanced when 15th-
the desert tournament. Williams advanced to the seeded Timea Bacsinszky
Nadal closed out the 1 1/2- quarterfinals for the first time retired trailing 5-1 in the first
hour match in 95-degree since 2001 with a 3-6, 6-1, set; No. 19 Anastasia Pav-
(35 C) heat with a forehand 6-3 victory over Shuai Peng, lyuchenkova outlasted No.
Venus Williams returns a shot to Peng Shuai, of China, winner. The three-time tour- the last remaining quali- 5 Dominika Cibulkova 6-4,
at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament, Tuesday, nament champion could fier in the draw. She had 3-6, 6-3; and No. 8 Svetlana
March 14, 2017, in Indian Wells, Calif. next face Roger Federer, 40 winners, 40 unforced er- Kuznetsova beat 21st-seed-
Associated Press who played American rors and won the final four ed Caroline Garcia.q