For seven of twelve disciplines, the winners of the globes still remain to be determined.
Ladies Standings
Overall (?)
On the ladies side, Olympic champion Vonn is in perfect position to win her third consecutive overall World Cup title as her friend, rival and fellow Head skier, Germany's Maria Riesch will most likely not be able to catch Vonn for the title. She is 245 points behind the American leader, who has already won the small globes in downhill, super G and super combined, while Riesch herself has yet to win her first big crystal globe. "It's not so bad. I still had a sensational season," said the Bavarian, who is excited that the World Cup Finals are being held on her home slope in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
The contest for the overall title is effectively a two-horse race with the German 324 points clear of third-placed Anja Paerson of Sweden.
Downhill and Super G (Lindsey Vonn / USA)
Giant slalom (?)
In the giant slalom, Kathrin Hölzl is on track to take home her first crystal globe. She currently has 391 points while her stiffest competitor Kathrin Zettel from Austria is 26 points back. Slovenia's Tina Maze, two-time silver medalist at the Olympics, is in third place and can no longer intervene in the battle for the globe. Only if Zettel goes out in the race, the Slovenian could move up to second place. Lindsey Vonn is not among the top 25 in giant slalom but since she has more than 500 World Cup points, she is still allowed to compete in the final giant slalom of the season.
Slalom (?)
In the slalom rankings Riesch (GER / 433) has good chances to win her second consecutive title leading by 23 points over Kathrin Zettel (AUT / 410) and Sandrine Aubert (FRA / 361) trails by 72 points. Austria's Marlies Schild is in fourth (320) and Sarka Zahrobska (CZE /318) fifth.
Super combined (Lindsey Vonn / USA)
Men Standings
On the men's side, the battle to determine who will win the hard-fought crystal globes is still very exciting.
Overall (?)
Austria's Benjamin Raich, who went without a medal at the 2010 Olympics for the first time in his career, is the leader of the overall standings. After three consecutive seasons of finishing second with very narrow defeats in 2007 and 2009, the Austrian all-rounder is highly determined to end his season on a positive note and finally win the big globe at the season's end.
Raich is currently holding a 46-point lead in the World Cup overall standings over Switzerland's Carlo Janka. His teammate Didier Cuche is 173 points and Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal 218 points back. Raich's three competitors are all ranked in the top six of the downhill standings, while the Austrian has not gained any downhill points this season.
Since 1998/99, Raich was always in the top 10 of the overall World Cup standings and won the title in 2006.
Downhill (Didier Cuche / SUI)
Switzerland's Didier Cuche leads the downhill standings 496-348 over teammate Carlo Janka and cannot be overtaken for the title anymore. However, Wednesday's downhill competition may very well impact the battle for the overall World Cup title.
Cuche wins the downhill globe for the third time after 2007 and 2008. The 35-year-old Swiss won the downhill in Kvitfjell this past Saturday and was redeemed a bit after failing to medal at the Olympics in Whistler. Austrian's downhillers, who went without a win for the season, can at most claim third place in the standings if last years' title holder Michael Walchhofer moves up from fifth.
Super G (?)
Michael Walchhofer is heading into the Finals as the leader of the super G standings. The 34-year-old Austrian would claim the title if he placed third or better in Thursday's race. Walchhofer's contenders are Aksel Lund Svindal (NOR/46 points back) and Erik Guay (CAN/69 points back). It would be the fourth small crystal globe for the Austrian of Salzburg, who has captured the previous three globes in downhill (2005, 2006, 2009).
Giant slalom (?)
US-American Ted Ligety heads out of the pole position into the final giant slalom Friday, March 12. Ligety, giant slalom World Cup winner of 2008, has 352 points, followed by Massimiliano Blardone (ITA/309), Marcel Hirscher (AUT/306), Benjamin Raich (AUT/299) und Kjetil Jansrud (NOR/254). Defending champion Didier Cuche (SUI) is too far back to still claim the title.
Slalom (?)
Austrian Reinfried Herbst will aim to capture his first small globe in the slalom Saturday. The skier from Salzburg has a lead of 43 points over France's Julien Lizeroux, the only contender, who could still overtake Herbst. If the Austrian ends up on the podium, Lizeroux does not stand a chance to still catch the title from Herbst. In case Lizeroux were to capture the victory, he would succeed his currently injured fellow countryman Jean-Baptiste Grange.
Super combined (Benjamin Raich / AUT)
The super combined crystal globe is the only one Benjamin Raich has already secured. As there is no super combined event scheduled at the Finals in Garmisch, Raich takes the title after four races this season 30 point ahead of Carlo Janka (SUI). Meanwhile, the Austrian has one big and six small globes standing at home in Pitztal, Tyrol.
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