Skiing: Riegler confident despite results

New Zealand skier Claudia Riegler says she is far from devastated by her poor start to the World Cup slalom season.

Riegler was unhappy with her results, but said she knew she could ski faster and was working hard at perfecting a changed technique introduced by new coach Thomas Schaaedle.

Riegler is a certainty to be included when the New Zealand team for the winter Olympics is named on Sunday.

Others likely to make the team include Angela Paul in the luge, skier Todd Haywood and speed skater Mark Jackson. The inclusion of women's bobsleigh and skeleton entries may depend on race results next month.

Riegler said from Austria yesterday that she was confident she would conquer a new slalom style. Her recent results would otherwise have left her pretty depressed.

She has raced twice in the World Cup this season, and in both events slow times on the first run meant she did not even qualify for the second run, so had no chance of a podium finish.

Riegler's next scheduled race, in France today, has been cancelled because of a lack of snow.

She will now train until Christmas, but may test her technique in some lower-level races where "it doesn't matter if I crash."

Schaaedle, an Austrian who became Riegler's coach this year, has asked her to alter her line as she attacks the slalom gates.

"I used to go straight down the hill and I'm learning to go a lot rounder. But at the moment I'm exaggerating too much and going too round," Riegler said.

"I was going too straight all the time, that's why I crashed so much in the last couple of years. I have to find the middle and then I'll be fast.

"I can see on the video what I'm doing different. Last week I won a FIS race, I got first and second. And the Austrian team were racing ... so I thought that's good.

"Then I go to the World Cup and I'm really slow at the top."

That slowness, caused by her covering too much ground as she struggled to pick the correct line, cost Riegler. She finished a disappointing 43rd, but was heartened by a slick time on the bottom half of the course which matched the speed of the top finishers.

Riegler said it was frustrating, but she had faith the new technique would work.

"That's why I'm not so devastated, otherwise I'd be pretty down," she said.

"I've made heaps of progress, but it's just at the moment I'm not sure which line is the fastest.

"I'm feeling good, I'm fit and everything. It's not like I'm moving too slow because my legs are too slow, it's a technique thing."

Riegler said she had a number of World Cup races in Europe next month. They would be her main build-up to the Olympics in Salt Lake City in February.

She has also been able to train with other ski teams in Europe - today she will work with the Austrians - and said time with the Swedish team last week had been beneficial.

"I had a really good day," Riegler said.

"I skied two runs and then they arrived and I watched them ski. Then I did my third run and it was seven-tenths [of a second] faster, just from watching them."

Riegler said she would ski only the slalom at the Olympics.

- NZPA